Celebrating life at Barchester

We celebrate life through everything we do, from our thoughtful experiences and activities to our delicious food. We offer the latest technology as well as sensory engagement to nurture the wellbeing of our residents. With a wide variety of tailored activities and events we make sure our residents have the best physical, mental, spiritual and social stimulation, all bespoke to them. Take a look at what we’ve been up to…

The Manor Care Home

Knitting Blankets for the RSPCA

Our residents have been enjoying some relaxing time at our knitting club this week, creating beautiful pieces while sharing stories.

From lifelong knitters to those picking it up again, it's been wonderful to see everyone come together and make some blankets for the RSPCA.

St Patricks Day

We celebrated St Patricks Day in style yesterday at Bayleaf.

Our private dining suite was decorated with Irish tricolour flags and bunting ready for our St Patricks Day Party. The residents had a great time listening to traditional Irish music and sharing snacks and drinks together.

As our only Irish resident, Mary was especially proud to see the home displaying the colours that mean so much to her.

Another wonderful afternoon at Bayleaf

A Bit Of DIY In The Garden

Our beautiful gardens at Kingsland House are bursting with daffodils! Residents love watching the wildlife that visits each day. With bird feeders on many of the windows, there’s always something to see — from colourful garden birds to the cheeky antics of our resident squirrels. We’re even lucky enough to spot our local foxes enjoying a sunny snooze in the garden!

This week our wonderful maintenance team spent time gardening with residents and helping them put up new nesting boxes around the grounds, ready for the busy spring season.

With warmer days on the way, we’re all looking forward to spending much more time outdoors together, enjoying the fresh air, gardening, flowers and wildlife that make our gardens so special.

Kingsland House Care Home

Special Trip For John

John worked on the buses from the age of fifteen and absolutely loves anything to do with buses.

When we heard that there was a bus exhibition locally John was excited to go and see it, he had an amazing time and loved seeing lots of friends from his bus days.

Kingsland House love to make residents wishes come true.

Kingsland House Care Home

Meet Zeus

Zeus is our newest PAT dog, and he certainly made an impression. Zeus is a beautiful 3-year-old German Shepherd who came along with volunteer Mike to spend time with residents and they were absolutely thrilled to meet him! He even thought he would join in with the quiz we were playing on the Rainbow table!

We are so privileged to have Pets as Therapy Dogs and their amazing owners who bring them to visit - their calming presence, gentle affection, and friendly interactions bring a special kind of comfort: help reduce anxiety, encourage communication, and often spark wonderful memories. It’s incredible to see how a wagging tail and a gentle nudge bring smiles and joy.

Silverbirch House Care Home

Wellbeing at Silverbirch House

Great to see our residents enjoying a new gentle Tai Chi class today.

A wonderful way to relax, improve balance and boost wellbeing together.

We even spotted our General Manager Louise taking part in the class!

Smiles, movement and calm all in one at Silverbirch!

Braeburn Lodge Care Home

Pottery Class

Our residents had a wonderful time during pottery class, enjoying the chance to get creative while decorating their flower pots.

There were lots of smiles, colourful designs, and beautiful flowers as everyone added their own personal touch. Activities like these are a lovely way to relax, express creativity, and spend time together.

The Spires Care Home

Mother’s Day afternoon tea today

The room was filled with smiles as everyone shared delicious treats, warm cups of tea, and wonderful conversation. It was a special afternoon celebrating all the amazing mums and mother figures who mean so much to us.

A big thank you to everyone who helped make the day so memorable

March's Meet the Author; Lorna Marlow

Storytelling is at its best, especially when spoken from the heart by the writer; Lorna Marlow author. Today our residents and guests were captivated by author Lorna as she read aloud the first chapter of her debut novel.

Finding Home tells the story of 'Lucy' a woman who wants for nothing, except love, respect and financial independence! Trapped in a gilded cage of violence and loss, it takes a surprise inheritance from a distant relative, to enable Lucy to start again. As we listened to Lorna tell the tale of Lucy, her words took us on an emotional rollercoaster, we imagined each character in detail and were hooked to find out more!

Lorna's debut novel is the first of many we hope to read within the Claremont Book Club.
If you wish to join us on our regular storytelling journey, please contact our Activities Team on 01536 484494 to find out more. Book recommendations, and suggestions for our next guest authors are welcome.

Come along and read alone, or listen with the group. We'll take time to discuss each chapter, and character together over tea and cake in the comfort of our home.

We'd like to thank Lorna Marlow author for making today's 'Book Club' launch so enthralling.