Celebrating life at Barchester

Second Chef, Michelle received her 10 year service award this month. Michelle started at South Chowdene as a Care Assistant and migrated over to the kitchen as Kitchen Assistant. 

After many years we eventually persuaded Michelle that she was more than capable of being the Second Chef after stepping into the role for a temporary period. We wouldn't be without Michelle, she certainly comes out with some corkers that keep us entertained and giggling

Residents and guests enjoyed an elegant afternoon of tea tasting and cakes, based on the incredible Betty’s Tearooms in Harrogate, the pop up café included sampling a selection of different teas, including floral and fruity, loose leaf, traditional and bubble teas; accompanied by wonderful fresh baked scone with jam, quiche, salmon wraps, sausage rolls, cookies, meringues and mini eclairs, handmade by home chef Julie  Gelsthorpe.

There was much laughter and many compliments on the day. Visitors and residents loved the vintage tea room, and the traditional serving outfits worn by the team

Yesterday afternoon, our residents here at Lancaster Grange had the pleasure of visiting St Peter’s Church in Claypole, to watch the youngest children perform their final rehearsal for their Christmas Nativity performance.

Their performance will be held  at St Peter’s Church, where the parents and grandparent will watch the children.

We had a lovely time watching the children perform from Claypole Church of England Primary School, we have had such a lovely year building up our friendships together and we cant wait for 2025.

We love our intergenerational friendship and enjoyed seeing you all, whilst visiting the beautiful church in our local community village of Claypole. 

This week at our care home Lancaster Grange, we have  joined together in different communities to recognise our shared hobbies and interests.

A wonderful morning spent in our residential community yesterday welcoming Vanessa Stone Artist for a creative morning of paper cutting.

This was an opportunity also for our residents to try something new and learn a new talent.

On our community of Thoresby we welcomed into our home a morning of sensory animal therapy with Michelle's Animal Therapy & Petting Party

A calm and meaningful morning of lap animal therapy, evoking many happy memories for our animal loving residents.

Happy times here at our care home Lancaster Grange, our residents enjoying variety and a choice of life enrichment experiences. 

Our residents of Lancaster Grange were warmly invited over to the school next door to us for a Christmas concert and coffee morning.

The students and staff of The Suthers School put together a wonderful morning of Intergenerational music and social interaction.

Our residents were wowed with the detailed morning of music and talent that was presented to them.

The welcome and hospitality we all received was wonderful and we felt honoured and proud to be part of the morning.

Over the last year our community intergenerational friendship has greatly benefited many of our residents emotional wellbeing and we wanted to say a huge thank you from us all here at Lancaster Grange.

We look forward to meeting the new students in January.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Christmas parties are important because they set the tone for the year ahead and keeps everyone inspired. As well as this, throwing a Christmas party can signify a big thank you to everyone, no matter who they are; residents, families, friends, community, volunteers, professionals and staff.

For our residents, Christmas events have a huge positive effect, they support companionship, uphold traditions whilst supporting friendships.

Tamsin Ball (Professional Entertainer) stated, “I love to visit Tyspane Care Home, it is a very special place, thank you.”

Terry Bond (Professional Entertainer) replied, “This is my favourite venue, we have such fun.”

David J Prior (Resident Ambassador) stated, “I would like to thank all the staff at Tyspane Care Home, it has been a wonderful afternoon.”

Miriam (Volunteer and Family Member) stated, “It was a wonderful afternoon, so lovely to see residents enjoying themselves, singing along. It was such a joy to see my daughter and sister filled with such love.”

Sharon Baldwin (Family Member) stated, “A really lovely afternoon, thank you to all who made it so special for everyone, happy Christmas.”

Thank you, Tamsin and Terry, for being so wonderful.

Residents gathered in our reception to enjoy some lovely piano music of classic Christmas tunes such as ‘White Christmas’ and ‘Most Wonderful Time of the Year’.

We also ate some classic shortbreads, delicious cupcakes and mouth-watering mince pies, helped down by a cup of tea, coffee or some wine!

Residents of Memory Lane and Rose Court got together to make their very own special Christmas greetings cards for the coming holidays this year. 

They crafted their own decorations onto the cards inside for those they want to give them to as well as writing their own personal messages inside them.

Our residents headed off to Folkstone for an afternoon of musical tunes and mince pies with Sunflower House's Christmas Singalong presented by Shapeshifter Productions Ltd!

Pat said: "It's so lovely being in the community and singing all these Christmas classics! The mince pies and hot drinks were a nice little addition too!"

The hospitality team at Beaufort Grange put their heads together and donned their aprons to come up with the most amazing Christmas cake decorated to perfection.  

Their fabulous cake is designed as a train travelling around a Christmas tree on the train tracks and consists of delicious ingredients such as dried fruit and walnuts, doused with brandy and covered in marzipan and fondant icing. 

Jason said “I had a vision of an old school tree surrounded by presents and wanted there to be a magical element to it. So the working toy train brought it all to life. I felt it would remind Beaufort Grange residents of Christmases when they were younger as many of them would have had a train set that brought hours of enjoyment as a child. I was thrilled to be able to bring my vision to fruition exactly as I had seen it. The tree itself had a wooden dowel for support but was made up of hundreds of handmade fondant branches and the beautifully wrapped presents were also edible, made from mini Battenberg sponge and fondant icing.
I have never entered a competition before but have been bringing to life imaginative cakes for family birthdays for years including a full sized Yoda for my brothers 21st.”

Last week at Cedars we held our Christmas ball! 

The residents and their loved ones all joined us and we had a fabulous evening of singing, dancing and enjoying each other’s company.

We had a delicious buffet supplied by our very own chefs and music from the wonderful Bee Chumley Vocalist and the lovely pianist Phil.

Over the month of December our residents received so many cards from schools, colleges and even nationwide bank. 

Our residents were really surprised with how many cards they received. 

They were so grateful for the kindness of others to spend the time to write, make and send the cards to the home. 

Some of our residents don’t have many family members that visit them so it really does make a difference to them at this time of year receiving something as simple as a card. We are so grateful to all the places that have sent cards in.

Our residents are very fortunate to regularly attend the Landford singing club.  There’s nothing like a sing along to bring all the memories flooding back!  Some of our residents went along this month to celebrate Christmas at the annual Christmas party.  Everyone has a fabulous time, singing their favourite songs and enjoying the delicious party food. 

Our residents thought it would be a lovely idea to have a Christmas Lunch at a local garden centre.  

We chose Lasham Garden Centre as the festive venue and had a wonderful trip out.  

The full Christmas dinner with all the trimmings was very tasty, we pulled Christmas crackers, shared lots of laughs and took our time exploring the beautiful garden centre. 

Some of us even managed to squeeze in a bit of Christmas shopping!  

It was a truly special day for everyone.

We have had a great time in our Memory Lane for our Christmas Party at Lucerne House on Friday 20th December.

Residents, visitors and team members have enjoyed an event full of festive cheer, including savoury snacks, fresh fruit, sweet treats, bubbly, fizz and a musical performance from our team.

Thank you to all of our team for getting involved. Your singing, dancing and festive cheer have brought an amazing buzz and energy to the home that will be with us right through to Christmas Day.

We received a very warm welcome from staff at the local hotel, Statham Lodge Hotel, where residents were joined by family members to enjoy the treats on offer.

Several of our residents have very fond memories of attending functions at the Statham Lodge, Olive was delighted to share stories of her younger days meeting the chaps at the dances there.

In the midst of all the decorations, Christmas music, parties, outings and fun and games it seemed very appropriate to have some quiet reflective time whilst keeping the Christmas spirit.

We wrote letters to Father Christmas, it was a delightful time of gentle reminiscence and thoughtfulness as residents wishes and desires for the festive season were far less material than the letters they might have written as children.

The Salvation Army Brass Band playing in the streets is synonymous to Christmas and a memory many of our residents hold dear.

The first ever Salvation Army band. which played its first concert on Christmas Day 1879 in Consett, County Durham, was founded by a young iron worker in the village and some fellow converts to support the work of The Salvation Army.

Brass bands were a very big part of mining communities in the 19th Century and soon the numbers grew beginning a heart-warming Christmas tradition.

145 years Salvation Army Bands are still recreating the joy of Christmas and our residents were delighted for that joy to be brought to them by The Warrington Salvation Army Band both in the home at Cheshire Grange & a visit to their church for their Christmas Concert.

The residents enjoyed baking their own typical Christmas cookies. 

We started by mixing the ingredients while one of them read the recipe, then we used the dough and each one chose shapes with the moulds we had, it was very fun.

The results were delicious, we all tasted and enjoyed the flavour of our Christmas cookies.

Mount House had a special visit from Santa and we welcomed St Georges school choir who treated our residents to lovely Christmas songs. 

Everyone really enjoyed themselves and also, The Little Explorers popped in and made gingerbread snowmen and Christmas trees with our residents.

Santa had a busy day with lots of children to see and presents were given to all.

What a great day we had at the Mount with Tom Bryne performing his Christmas specials and Sheila with her Christmas exercise class. 

It’s very festive here at The Mount and the residents are really enjoying our countdown to Christmas.

A trip to our local Christmas Grotto was on our To-Do List for this month and so off we went to Whitehall Garden Centre to explore the magical Christmas Grotto.

It was filled with holiday decorations and sparkling lights. The visit brought so many warm memories as we admired the festive displays. 

Afterwards, we relaxed together with a hot chocolate and slices of cake, reminiscing about Christmas from our childhood and sharing joyful moments to kick off the holiday spirit.

We had an unforgettable time at the recent Christmas party! The event was filled with joy and laughter as everyone joined in singing and dancing to festive songs performed by Jessica Fay Long, while admiring the creative fancy dress costumes. 

Relatives and friends added to the festive spirit, making it a heart-warming celebration. 

Plus, we enjoyed a delicious buffet prepared by our talented Chef Scott. The smiles and shared moments made this a truly special day for all involved. 

Residents at Wingfield fully embraced the festive season! 

We decorated Christmas cakes with colourful icing and festive designs, filling the air with cheer. We also had a special musical performance by Gregory and children from the local nursery brought smiles and holiday spirit, while Christmas-themed games fostered laughter and camaraderie. 

A visit to the Bath Christmas Market added to the excitement, with its twinkling lights, handmade gifts, and seasonal treats making the celebrations truly magical.

Mount House were definitely stepping into Christmas today, with Emma putting up all of the decorations and making it look amazing! 

Debbie, as always, gave us a fabulous performance and got everyone up singing and dancing! 

It has been a truly great start to our countdown to Christmas and such a fun day as always here at The Mount!

Yesterday, Orchard House Care Centre was filled with holiday cheer as both residents and staff embraced the spirit of Elf Day in style!

Everyone got into the festive mood, dressing up in colourful and creative Elf costumes. The residents especially enjoyed seeing the staff’s cheerful outfits, which brought smiles and laughter throughout the day.

The highlight of the event was when the residents took on the role of judges, voting for the best Elf costume. Drumroll, please… The winner was our new activities assistant, Lewis! 

Congratulations to Lewis for his fantastic outfit and for adding to the festive joy.

The holiday season is in full bloom at Orchard House where residents are embracing the festive spirit with a variety of heart-warming activities.

The recent highlight was a collaborative mince pie baking session, which brought smiles all around. Residents worked together to create delicious homemade mince pies, celebrating the joys of the season through shared traditions.

In addition to the baking fun, residents have been treated to special outings, including shopping trips to pick out Christmas gifts and a delightful minibus tour to admire the local Christmas lights. These activities have been carefully planned to ensure everyone can participate in something they enjoy.

Orchard House Care Home is in full festive swing this December, embracing the joy and warmth of the holiday season with its residents. This week, the home welcomed two very special visitors: Baldrick the therapy cat and the playful Abbie the dog. The residents enjoyed their time with the furry companions, stroking Baldrick’s soft fur and sharing cuddles with Abbie, creating moments of joy and connection.

In the afternoon, Orchard House continued a cherished holiday tradition as the Way Forward group visited to perform beautiful Christmas carols. Their heartfelt singing filled the home with festive spirit and brought smiles to everyone’s faces. To thank the group for their annual contribution, the care home gifted them with small Christmas packages, a token of appreciation for the joy they bring to the residents year after year.

Kind-hearted residents and staff from South Grange coordinated a collection of non-perishable food items and toiletry products. All the donations were handed over to their local Dundee and Angus Foodbank which will give these to members of the community who are struggling this Christmas.  

Senior Activities Coordinator, Gill Conway commented: “Everyone at the home is very much aware that lots of people are finding it difficult to feed themselves and their families this year and we all wanted to help in whatever way we can. We put our heads together to come up with a plan of action to collect as much non-perishable food and other useful products as possible to help those less fortunate than ourselves”.
 

Our residents had an absolute blast during their second photo shoot with the talented Michelle Jackson Photography.

They had the chance to choose their favourite sparkly accessories, adding a touch of glamour to their portraits. 

Some were joined by loved ones for a more natural look, capturing precious family moments.

The laughter was contagious as residents reminisced about past photos and the props sparked joyful memories. It was truly heart-warming to witness their confidence shining through!

A big thank you to Michelle for capturing these beautiful moments!