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…

Snowdrop Place Care Home

A new Christmas visitor!

We were absolutely delighted to receive a truly special Christmas delivery, a life-sized (child-sized!) Nutcracker, lovingly made by the amazing children at Pavilion Pirates Preschool Hedge End Southampton .

The Nutcracker was proudly delivered to Snowdrop Place and instantly brought smiles and festive cheer to everyone who saw it. Knowing that it was created by the children made it even more meaningful, and our residents were thrilled by the creativity, effort, and thought that went into such a wonderful decoration.

He has now taken pride of place in front of our Christmas tree in reception, where he is being admired by residents, visitors, and team members alike and adding an extra touch of magic as everyone arrives.

A huge thank you to the children, staff, and families of Pavilion Pirates Pre-School for this incredibly kind and thoughtful gift.

Snowdrop Place Care Home

Local Poet joins Snowdrop Place

We were delighted to welcome Sean Michael McCarthy, a talented local published poet, to Snowdrop Place for a very special reading session. Sean shared his work with our residents, reading his poems aloud and filling the room with thought-provoking, heartfelt, and beautifully crafted words.

What made the visit extra special was Sean’s insight into his creative journey. He spoke about his writing process, the inspirations behind his poems, and how he came to become a published poet. Residents were captivated by his stories, asking questions and gaining a unique glimpse into the world of poetry and the dedication it takes to turn words into published works.

To make the visit even more memorable, Sean generously left us all three of his books, which our residents and visitors can enjoy at their leisure.

We are also thrilled to share that Sean will be returning to Snowdrop Place for more poetry readings and to spend time with our residents.

Southerndown Care Home

Feeling Festive

We’re feeling really festive here at Southerndown and who doesn’t love a photo by the Christmas tree, all dressed up in our Christmas jumpers.

The excitement is building as the countdown to Christmas is well and truly in full swing.

Mill Court Care Home

New Year's Eve Party at Mill Court

We had a fantastic New Year’s Eve party at Mill Court which was in full swing with fancy dress, festive foods, dancing, live music and games. We all enjoyed the cocktails, bubbly and of course the festive feast.

Christmas celebrations with fantastic live music!

From Christmas songs to Pop songs, from the Roaring 20s to the Swinging 60s, and everything else in between, residents enjoyed a range of outstanding musical hits over the Christmas period, thanks to special appearances from our returning superstar singers, Lee Lambert Brooks and Nikki! Nothing brings different generations together like exciting live music, which is why some of our residents enjoyed the performances in the company of their visiting friends and family.

Celebrating Christmas at Highfield!

Christmas was a magical time for all of our residents and their family members visiting Highfield. We enjoyed a visit from Santa Claus (from Elmet Lions), who parked his sleigh in the Highfield car park and stopped by to say hello to all our residents.

We then spent the morning unwrapping presents, before enjoying a delicious 3-course Christmas lunch, prepared by our talented chef, Lindsay! After the fantastic food and the party, our residents and their families had a relaxing afternoon listing to Christmas songs and watching Christmas movies in the cinema room, followed by an evening of classic ballet.

It was a very special day, spent in good company with friends and family!

We’re kicking off the New Year the healthy way at Farley Gardens! 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣

Residents rolled up their sleeves and got busy whipping up wellness shots to give those immune systems a boost - and they were a hit all round!

The pomegranate shot stole the show

while others loved the fiery kick of our turmeric & ginger blend

Even visitors couldn’t resist joining in on the wellness fun sampling the shots too.

Here’s to starting January feeling refreshed, energised and full of flavour

Bayleaf Care Home

The Warmth of Music

Our first live entertainment of 2026 came courtesy of the fabulous Boots 'n' Strings who entertained the residents with an endless list of classics from yesteryear.

There was lots of singing and foot-tapping as we forgot all about the cold weather outside and filled the home with the warmth of music. It was another amazing afternoon at Bayleaf and we very much look forward to welcoming Boots 'n' Strings back to Bayleaf in the very near future.

Employees of the Month

It's that time of the month again!!

After speaking with our residents and their families, it has been decided that this month, our Employee of the Month is not just one person. Our Employees of the Month go to our entire Housekeeping Team!!!!.

The feedback that was received highlighted how quick the housekeeping team were with the resident laundry and how spotlessly clean the home always looks.

Huge congratulations to Carol and the team and a massive thank you from all of us here at Bayleaf.