Celebrating life at Barchester

We were delighted to host our 2nd Bark & Brew dog community café, welcoming 8 very good dogs & their lovely humans to Farley Gardens 🐶☕️
We couldn’t resist setting up a festive “Santa Paws” photo shoot for the pups, and using the developed polaroids, owners got creative making their own snow globe keepsake from the afternoon – a paws-itively magical memento ✨❄️
We were also lucky enough to be joined by the talented Stephanie from Bracknell Camera Club, who captured some paw-some moments from the day. Keep your eyes peeled for those very soon 👀📸
Thank you to everyone who joined us…. we can’t wait to continue growing our community of dog lovers in 2026 🐾💛

Bruno, one of our fantastic kitchen team here at Farley Gardens, recently bought in his friends to perform during our Reisdents & Families Christmas Party and WHAT a show they put on for us! 🤩🎸🎤 
There is truly nothing better than a good old singalong and boogie! 🎶 
Thank you to Bruno & Co. for a fabulous afternoon - we loved having you!🥂💛

We had some very special visitors from Browells Wood Pet Therapy ahead of Christmas! 🐶🐱🐰🐔 
While the puppy, kittens, bunny rabbits and chicken stole hearts, the real star of the show was Kevin the pony!! ⭐🐴 
Our dear friends from Wokingham Link Visiting Scheme got to join in the farmyard fun too. 
Complete with his own sleigh bells, Kevin gave us a jingle-worthy rendition of Jingle Bells we won’t soon forget 🎶 💗

Our home has been busy delivering mince pies to gift to the local community to say thanks to for all their support during 2025.

Staff have delivered batches of freshly baked mince pies to Home Instead Pocklington/Beverley where they had the immense pleasure of meeting Tina, Caroline and the team, Hague & Dixon Solicitors, Clubleys Estate Agents, shops and businesses for all the key workers and volunteers

Our residents recently enjoyed a wonderfully festive afternoon creating their very own gingerbread house, filling Ross Court with the warm aromas of spice and sweet treats. From carefully assembling the walls to adding colourful icing and decorations some of our ladies residents took great pride in their creations, sharing laughter along the way. One of the ladies said, “It reminds me of baking at Christmas with my children. It brings all those happy times back.”

While assembling the gingerbread house we also had a look at fascinating history of this tradition. Our residents were astounded to learn it dates back to 16th-century Germany. 

At Ross Court, this activity was about far more than baking. It encouraged reminiscence, creativity and social connection, making it a truly heart-warming Christmas experience for everyone involved.

We enjoyed hosting a lovely afternoon for our relatives to join us for a Christmas Party. 

There was great music by Heather and plenty of festive drinks and treats. 

The music was followed by an interesting  Christmas Quiz 

Wadhurst Manor Care Home, in Wadhurst, has launched a ‘Yoga for the Community’ programme, inviting the local community to join residents in their monthly sessions. These lively classes are seated, adapting traditional yoga poses for a chair, making it accessible for all levels, ages, and physical abilities.

This week yoga teacher Lou Murphy introduced residents and visitors to Pranayama (breathing exercises), physical postures (Asanas), hand gestures (Mudras) and Meditation (Dhyana).  Residents particularly enjoyed yoga for the face which included sticking out their tongues for Lion’s Breath to increase energy levels and raising and waggling their eyebrows. The laughter these actions prompted was surely a great energy boost as well as enhancing mood. 

What a truly fantastic afternoon at Iris Court..

To celebrate this Christmas staff, residents and families performed for us our very own Peter Pan Panto!.

Our home was filled with laughter, joy, and Christmas magic.
A huge thank you to everyone who took part and helped make the afternoon so wonderful.

To round off a lovely November, our residents enjoyed a wonderful flower arranging activity. Using beautiful seasonal flowers and recycled materials from around the home as creative plant pots, everyone had the chance to design something personal and unique.

The activity brought a great deal of joy and relaxation to our residents. Flower arranging is not only visually uplifting but also deeply therapeutic, helping to reduce stress, support fine motor skills, and inspire creativity. It also encouraged conversation, shared memories, and moments of calm—enhancing emotional well-being and strengthening social connections within our home.

Our residents were so proud of their creations, and their handmade floral displays have added a cheerful touch to their rooms as we head into the festive season.