Celebrating life at Barchester

Residents and colleagues of Activities Assistant; Tricia Campbell wanted to congratulate her on receiving employee of the month for March 2026. Tricia has been instrumental in the implementation of the homes weekly 'Wellness Wednesdays'. She, alongside home manager Joanna together turn Claremont Parkway into a place of tranquillity every Wednesday, with Tricia providing foot spas and Joanna reflexology massages. 

The sessions are enjoyed by both residents and members of the local community looking for a moment of rest and relaxation. Deputy Manager; Chole had the pleasure of presenting Tricia with her certificate and bouquet thanking her for her continued service to the overall wellbeing and life enrichment of our residents.

What a wonderful afternoon here at Claremont Parkway on Friday 10th April we were delighted to host the Kettering branch of Parkinson's UK for a very special Afternoon Tea Party — celebrating an incredible 40 years of support, dedication, and community for those living with Parkinson's. What an achievement! 

Around 30 guests joined us for the occasion, with tickets kindly sold by Parkinson's UK Kettering to raise vital funds for their fantastic work. We were proud to provide the venue and food complimentarily as our small way of giving back to such a worthy cause.

We were also honoured to welcome the Mayor of Kettering, who attended to personally thank Parkinson's UK Kettering for their 40 years of incredible service, and took the time to meet with our residents and guests — a truly special touch to a memorable day.

The atmosphere was absolutely lovely — smiles all round, great conversation, and plenty of tea and treats. A huge congratulations to everyone at Parkinson's UK Kettering, here's to 40 more years!

This morning residents enjoyed the warm sunshine and fresh air as we ventured out in to our beautiful garden and looked at all the changes of the seasons as the new buds and leaves started to appear on the trees and plants.

Residents reminisced about the lovely times we had spent out there last summer doing various activities, not forgetting the choc ices and pimms we enjoyed. Getting outside is an important part of our residents well-being and we aim to do this a lot more especially now the weather is starting to improve.

Hot Cross Buns!

Today we sampled several flavours of hot cross buns, trying to guess the flavour as we did so. Our residents enjoyed the selection on offer and a lot decided that the Strawberry and Clotted Cream was the nicest, whilst others preferred the original hot cross bun and were totally unsure about a cheese hot cross bun which Activities Coordinator Karen assured them was rather nice toasted with a slice of bacon and a fried egg.

At Claremont on Thursday we had a visit from Dave with his amazing birds of prey which brought a sense of excitement and curiosity to the home, offering our residents a unique opportunity to connect with nature up close.

During the session, residents were introduced to a variety of magnificent birds, learning about their habitats, diets and natural behaviours Dave shared interesting facts in a clear and engaging way, allowing everyone to gain a better understanding of these amazing creatures.

We enjoyed looking at Crackerjack a white faced owl, plop the Barn owl, Esme a Merlin, Maverick the Peregrine, Boudicea a Gabar Goshawk, Zeus the Golden Eagle and just to confuse us we had the delight of meeting Norma the hedgehog!
 

The residents and staff celebrated Easter Sunday in true Glenroyd style. The home looked beautiful, decorated for this special time of year, and the sweet aroma of chocolate treats filled the air.

Our morning began with a special visit from the Easter Bunny, who delivered Easter eggs to residents throughout the home and shared plenty of Easter cheer along the way.

Later, everyone sat down to enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by our wonderful catering team, featuring roast chicken followed by Easter pudding. It was enjoyed by all and set the perfect tone for the rest of the day.

In the afternoon, residents came together in the conservatory for our Easter party, where a sweet buffet and a lovely Easter cake took centre stage. We were entertained by the fantastic Steve, who’s carefully chosen music repertoire had everyone dancing, clapping and singing along. With a glass or two of wine or prosecco, there was plenty of laughter and joy as we celebrated the Easter weekend together.

Happy Easter from everyone at Glenroyd! 

Resident, Betsy had always spoken about the time she used to go to the gym and and reminisced about those days when she felt good after her visits. She said she would love to see what it’s like now so staff at the home made her wish a reality proving the old adage, it’s never too late.

Betsy has lived at  Fairview House since February 2026 and is beloved by staff and residents alike. Staff at the home were delighted to be a part of making her dream come true, as they knew how much it meant to her, and they all wanted to be there to see the smile on Betsy’s face when her dream was realised.