Celebrating life at Barchester

Today, our residents at Waterside Court, enjoyed a joyful and enriching visit to the Island Farm Donkey Sanctuary.

Surrounded by the peaceful beauty of the sanctuary, residents were warmly welcomed by the donkeys—each with their own personality, story, and gentle charm. From playful and curious characters to the more relaxed and affectionate companions, the donkeys brought smiles to everyone. Residents delighted in stroking their soft coats, and learning how they are lovingly cared for after being rescued or rehomed.

A truly special highlight was visiting a donkey adopted by one of our residents through the Donkey Sanctuary. This personal connection made the experience even more meaningful, creating a sense of pride and emotional connection that was shared by the whole group.

As part of our Easter celebrations, the day beautifully reflected themes of renewal, care, and companionship—leaving residents uplifted and full of wonderful memories.

At Challoner House we celebrated St Patrick’s Day in true Irish style. Residents listened to traditional Irish music and tried out some Irish dances. 

And everyone enjoyed a fantastic feast of Irish dishes made by our wonderful, talented Head Chef Weronika, all washed down with Guinness, Murphy’s, Baileys or Irish whisky. 

The Head of Activities joined in dressing up as an Irish Leprechaun alongside care staff wearing accessories in their hair. 

A brilliant time was had by all. All the residents, especially our two Irish residents, Mike and Catherine, said they had a lovely themed lunch and loved listening to the Irish Pub Classics. It brought back many happy memories.     

Residents from both Memory Lane and the nursing unit have engaged in some lovely gardening sessions throughout the month. Residents have been making the most of the sunny days and have planted some lovely flowers in our garden. Our very kind gardener from Sherwood went out of his way and made some homemade plant beds for our residents. They very much engaged well in these sessions and often allowed our residents to reminisce on old times, which has truly made our residents feel most fulfilling. 

We even had our lovely chef, Carol, help out and regularly water our flowers in order for them to truly bloom in summer.    

Here at Sherwood, our residents have enjoyed regular exercise sessions in order to keep up their fitness and hand-eye co-ordination. Residents very much engage in these classes and enjoy having some competitive games against one another too. 

There is always lots of laughter and fun whilst these sessions are in and in motion.

Here at Sherwood, we enjoy our residents engaging in each and every special event. This year, both residents from our memory lane unit and our nursing unit have come together in order to create some lovely Easter cards and bonnets, in which our residents have engaged very well. 

We believe that our residents are truly fulfilled by these activities and continue to keep up our creative sides.   

How two pictures can say a thousand words. Myra as you already know adores dogs. So when Ian our chef and Sam our domestic brought their beautiful dog's into Crabwall Hall for the residents to see they were all so happy. 

Myra just loves giving them lots of cuddles and never wants to give them back. We are lucky in our home as we have weekly visits from Ned and Molly the Therapy dog's and Cara the Pat dog. I personally would say seeing this gorgeous dogs always makes everyone's day.     

Our residents enjoyed a wonderful Indian-themed lunch.

Our talented kitchen team prepared a delicious two-course meal filled with warming spices and rich flavours for everyone to enjoy together.

Residents were served a tasty main course of beef korma and butter chicken accompanied by traditional and colourful sides. It was lovely to see everyone embracing something a little different and enjoying the experience together.

We had a wonderful day full of games and laughter. Anna couldn’t resist getting our residents moving and  cheering each other on. 
But Rita was the lead winner each time. 

We enjoy coming together and having some laughter.   

Face and hand massage was all we needed today, and it quickly turned into a lovely shared moment of relaxation.

Anne delivered wonderfully calming sessions, and we even enjoyed a little bubble treat that came with it.

A perfect way to pause, unwind, and recharge together.