Celebrating life at Barchester

Staff and residents are celebrating because the home has achieved veteran-friendly status, a goal General Manager, Trudi Gillespie, and her team set themselves at the start of the year. Mount Vale has strong links to the military and is home to several ex-servicemen and women.  

At the start of 2025, the home proudly pledged its support to the Veteran-Friendly Framework and has been working towards Veteran-Friendly Status ever since in order to best serve its military residents and their families

Resident, David had always wanted to visit The Fans Museum Sunderland- a place full of football history, passion, and memories. So, staff at the home made his wish a reality.

David has lived at Washington Grange for 4 years and is beloved by staff and residents alike. Staff at the home were delighted to be a part of making his dream come true, as they knew how much it meant to him, and they all wanted to be there to see the smile on David’s face when his dream was realised.

Staff first found out about David’s dream in 2026 and, ever since then, they have been dedicated to helping him achieve it. David was also accompanied by relatives who were there to witness this momentous occasion.  In response to this wonderful surprise, David, said: “I have had the best birthday ever, it was a dream to go there- I just never got the opportunities”

Happy 94th Birthday to our wonderful Mary! 

Today at Bere Grove, we celebrated a very special resident, Mary turned 94! Mary has been a much-loved part of life at Bere Grove since 2023 and is a very familiar and friendly face around the home.

Residents gathered in our café to mark the occasion with delicious birthday cake, lovingly prepared by Nico, our Second Chef. There was plenty of smiles, laughter and birthday cheer as everyone came together to celebrate Mary’s special day.

Wishing Mary a very happy birthday from all of us at Bere Grove! 
 

It was all dragons and roses all round, as residents and staff celebrated St George’s Day. Legend has it St George was a soldier in the Roman army who slayed a dragon and saved a princess, the anniversary of his death is celebrated as England’s national day.

In honour of the patron saint of England, staff and residents at the home marked the day with a delightfully British Pimm’s Picnic, filled with laughter, song, sunshine, and the best company!

Everyone enjoyed Pimm's a-plenty, alongside a delicious spread of British fare, whilst singing along to patriotic tunes; the perfect recipe for a memorable afternoon! The celebrations didn’t stop there, the home also proudly presented their very own “Keep Calm and Carry On” style awards, recognising resident’s unique personalities, kindness, and contributions that make the home so special.

Rose Lodge was full celebrations for one of their staff who is retiring after almost 22 years of loyal service. Joyce Turney started at Rose Lodge in July 2004 as a Senior Care Assistant and has since progressed to Care Practitioner after completing her training. Joyce started working day shifts but has since progressed to working nights and manages the dementia community. 

General Manager Meg Jones said: “Joyce has been a stalwart member of the Rose Lodge family for such a long time and has supported so many of us on our own journeys here as well. Joyce has always been a well-liked and regarded member of the team who has given so much. We now wish her well in her retirement and know she is going to enjoy some special time with her family. Thank you for everything you have done Joyce”  

Staff, residents and family members have yet again been celebrating after the Care Inspectorate’s latest inspection results were published.

The three-person team from the Care Inspectorate visited the home unannounced on between 16 March and 18 March, and the home, run by the award-winning Barchester Healthcare, was rated as “very good” overall for the second successive inspection.  The inspectors spoke with staff, residents and family members, and found that there were “significant strengths” in the quality of care provided, and that staff at the home provided “very skilled” levels of care.

The report stated, “We could see that staff were kind, responsive and very caring.  They were also very skilled in engaging people in a variety of activities (and) observed people having lots of fun”, adding that “people were positive about the food and drink offered in Highview.”