We recently enjoyed a wonderful animal therapy session at Ashford House! Our lovely animal visitors were welcomed with open arms, with residents enjoying gentle cuddles, strokes and lots of special moments together.   

We made sure nobody missed out! Our little visitors were carefully carried in baskets to see residents who are nursed in bed, bringing them their own special moments of animal companionship, smiles and happiness.     

A couple of our residents enjoyed a wonderful outing to Heathrow Airport, watching planes take off and land!  

There were plenty of smiles, laughter and lovely moments as they enjoyed the excitement of the busy airport.    

Joy Pickles has beaten all the competition to be crowned National Registered Nurse of the Year in the Barchester Care Awards 2026.

The Barchester Care Awards celebrate the staff who go the extra mile for the benefit of the 14,000 residents living in Barchester’s 272 care homes and private hospitals across the country. Almost 6,000 nominations were received from homes and hospitals across the UK.

Joy’s win was announced at a special national award ceremony which took place on October 29th to celebrate the outstanding achievements of Barchester’s many exemplary staff members who work tirelessly to deliver the best care to their residents and patients every day. 

General Manager, Roisin Doyle, said: “This is an amazing achievement and the whole home is so proud of her. She has demonstrated her dedication and loyalty to this home and its residents year after year. I speak for all of us here at The Dales when I say we are all very proud of Joy and so lucky to have her as part of our team.”
 

Our residents have been enjoying a variety of activities, from sensory play and caring for our empathy dolls to creative sessions, gentle exercises and moments of music and laughter.        

Every activity brings opportunities for connection, comfort and smiles. It’s the little moments that make a big difference! 

Shelburne Lodge actively celebrated Silver Sunday, a national UK event held annually on the first Sunday of October to honour older adults and combat loneliness.

Silver Sunday fell on Sunday 4th October 2026 and our home hosted a dedicated event for anyone over 60 in the community,
We had a Community Sunday Lunch & opened our doors to local seniors for music, socialising, and shared lunch that afternoon. We would like to thank Radfield Home Care, who provide award-winning private home care for bringing their lovely clients to lunch and sharing some very special experiences.

We had an amazing 17 guests at silver Sunday lunch and still managed to provide lunch on time for our 50 residents! Thank you to all the staff from Radfield care and Shelburne Lodge, especially our chef, Paula, and catering staff, who did an amazing 3 course service!   

What a lovely surprise for our residents at Barchester Ashlar House!

We were delighted to welcome Epping Town Mayor, Councillor Razia Sharif, who kindly popped in to visit one of our recently welcomed residents following her busy day with His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester at Copped Hall.

Swapping royal engagements for a relaxing cup of tea, the Mayor enjoyed sharing stories, laughter and smiles with our residents.

But then came a little unexpected drama!

“Oh, nurses! I need a plaster for my finger!”

And who came to the rescue? None other than our wonderful Deputy Manager, Peace!

Armed with a plaster, a reassuring smile and her very special TLC — Tender Loving Care, Peace made sure our VIP visitor was in safe hands!

From royal duties to a little first aid, it certainly turned into a memorable visit filled with warmth, kindness and laughter!

A heartfelt thank you to Councillor Razia Sharif for taking time out of her busy schedule to visit and brighten everyone’s day.

Because here at Ashlar House, you don’t need a crown to be treated like royalty — just a warm smile, a caring heart and a good cup of tea!        

What a wonderful milestone! Sheila enjoyed a beautiful day filled with smiles, love and celebrations. 

We were honoured to welcome Lincoln Jopp Conservative MP for Spelthorne, and Cllr Med Buck, who joined us to wish Sheila a happy birthday, with Cllr Med Buck also bringing a lovely gift for Sheila.      

Staff decorated the home in pink, dressed in pink, donated a pink hamper for the raffle and 100 cakes made to raise funds for Wear It Pink Event for breast cancer, a charity close to many of the staff and residents.   

Ashford House was honoured to welcome Chris Ridgard, Barchester’s new CEO, Pete Calveley, Executive Chairman, Mark Bennett, Property Director, John Barnhart from Welltower, and our Regional Director, Mark Bird.

Our General Manager, Daisy Mingle, proudly showed them around our home, where they had the opportunity to meet our wonderful staff team and see first-hand the warmth, dedication and care that make Ashford House so special.