Celebrating life at Barchester

Our seaside painting session has been a wonderful opportunity to get creative, relax and enjoy the beauty of the coast through art. 
Using bright colours and plenty of imagination, everyone created their own seaside paintings, from rolling waves and sandy beaches to beautiful skies and peaceful scenes.

It was a lovely session filled with creativity, conversation and plenty of smiles. A perfect way to enjoy some relaxing art and bring a little piece of the seaside to life.  

Our residents here at Lochduhar have had a lovely day out. We visited Kingholm Quay and the Swan for lunch.  We had some refreshing fizzy drinks to start, and the conversation flowed. 

After our meal, we headed out for a walk to see the harbour and some boats. It was lovely to get outside in the lovely sunshine and have some fresh air, listening to the birds and the sound of the water. Kingholm Quay and the Swan is a popular place to visit with our residents, and we are looking forward to our next visit.

We were delighted to welcome the wonderful Brandon Ambrose back to our home! Brandon always knows exactly how to get our residents involved, filling the room with smiles, singing, and plenty of fun. 

Our residents loved joining in with their favourite songs, and Brandon even took the time to serenade some of our residents, making the afternoon extra special. It was a fantastic session, and we can’t wait to welcome Brandon back again!    
 

The home recently enjoyed an up-close and personal experience with some feathered friends thanks to the North Coast Birds of Prey experience, who was kind enough to visit the home in August. Bringing a selection of owls, as well as a Harris Hawk, it was an incredible experience for the residents, staff, friends and family to share. 

As we learnt about these fascinating and beautiful birds of prey, it was a privilege to also be able to get close and hold and stroke them. It was beautiful to watch everyone’s faces as they met these gentle and friendly birds, and many shared the experience with their family and friends, making the experience even more special.          

In August, one of our residents, Willie, enjoyed a very special visit from his grandson Lee and his partner Cora. As Willie always asks how the horse is getting on, they were kind enough to bring their beautiful horse in to visit Willie. This was special enough, but they were also kind enough to share the experience with any residents that would like to see the horse up close, as well. 

Cally was very patient and gentle with the residents as she enjoyed strokes and being fed apples and polo mints. This gentle giant was a hit, especially with Joan, who kept horses, herself, in the past, and was delighted to get out and spend time with the beautiful Cally.

We have been very fortunate over the month of August to enjoy multiple live music performances in the home. Two highlights were the Halo trad Band and Alan Small, who played accordion for us. Music is a universal language which always manages to touch our hearts and souls, and leave us smiling and happy for the rest of the day. These performances were no exception, with residents up and dancing, singing along, and tapping their feet and clapping their hands to the familiar and favourite tunes. 

We are very fortunate to have so many talented local musicians who are happy to spend their time playing for us, and we are always eager to have them. Music is often the key to unlocking memories and feelings within us that may otherwise go unexpressed, and it is always very special and touching to watch it happen in real time and to share in the memories and joy unlocked by music.  

The smell of freshly baked treats filled Balclutha Court as residents, relatives, friends and staff came together for a wonderful Bake Sale in support of the Barchester Healthcare Foundation. 

From delicious cakes and traybakes to home baking and sweet treats, there was something for everyone to enjoy. Thanks to the generosity of everyone who donated, baked and bought goodies, we raised money to help the Foundation continue supporting older people and adults living with disabilities in our local communities.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make the day such a sweet success. Every slice sold will make a real difference!

It’s so lovely to see the joy these reborn dolls are bringing to the residents.

A huge thank you to Bonnie Bounty Competitions for their incredibly generous donation. Your kindness has brought so much happiness and is truly appreciated. 

As another fantastic year of Balclutha Buddies and Bairns comes to an end, we’d like to wish everyone a wonderful summer holiday! 

A very special good luck to all the children who are moving on to primary school. We know you’ll all do brilliantly, and we’d like to thank each and every one of you for the smiles, laughter and beautiful friendships you’ve shared with our residents this year.

Residents and staff at Balclutha Court had a fantastic time taking part in Barchester Healthcare’s Ice Cream Sundae Competition! 
All Barchester homes were invited to get creative and design their own delicious-looking ice cream sundae for the chance to win a visit from an ice cream van.

Our residents thoroughly enjoyed getting involved, choosing their favourite flavours, colourful toppings and finishing touches to create some truly amazing sundaes. There were plenty of smiles, laughter and creativity throughout the activity, and everyone had a wonderful time taking part.

Now it’s fingers crossed as we wait to see the results!