Celebrating life at Barchester

We are very proud that our Second Chef, Mikey, has been selected to join Barchester’s Chef Academy. This fantastic programme supports chefs from across the country in developing new dishes, planning menus, and adapting recipes for a variety of modified diets.

Mikey recently took part in the fourth Academy session in London, and we’re excited to see his creativity and newly gained skills reflected in our upcoming menus.

We like to make a fuss of our residents on their Birthdays here at Milford House.
Jean had a truly wonderful time with her family who came to share her special day. The cakes were delicious and our front lounge had a great festive feeling as the generations gathered. A memorable day for a lovely lady. 

We were delighted to send our Second Chef, Matt, to London once again to take part in Barchester’s prestigious Chef Academy.  The programme gives chefs the chance to develop new skills in menu planning, budgeting, and meeting a wide range of dietary needs for our residents.

We’re incredibly proud to have Matt representing us and continuing to grow his culinary expertise.

Residents enjoyed a wonderful festive trip to Otter Garden Centre, taking in the beautiful Christmas displays and sharing smiles over a comforting hot chocolate. The decorations and twinkling lights sparked memories of Christmases past, leading to lovely conversations and familiar stories.

For people living with dementia, experiences like this are incredibly important. Seasonal sights, sounds, and scents can help unlock precious memories, reduce anxiety, and create a sense of comfort and connection.

A simple outing can bring so much joy - and this visit was a perfect reminder of the magic and meaning the festive season can bring.

On Remembrance Sunday Milford House residents wore poppies and participated in a church service which observed the two minute silence.

Following that they enjoyed a fascinating talk on the well-known local military landmark, The Fovant Badges,  from Dr Tony Phillips and Martin Wallis both members of The Fovant Badges Society. 

For the third year running, the home also hosted a Veterans Lunch where army veterans joined residents and shared memories and experiences both personal and of wider national significance.

Finally, on Remembrance Day itself, residents were joined by students from the St Joseph’s School History Club who spent the morning making a poppy wreath with residents which was later placed on the special poppy remembrance sculpture in the home’s recently created ‘Remembrance Garden’.

An important time marked beautifully and inclusively in our home.

We were so happy to welcome Browells Wood Pet Therapy back to Farley Gardens this week. Our residents and team were guessing what lovely animals they would be bringing for this visit!

These calm and gentle animals offered comfort and companionship - the afternoon was full of smiles!
Pet therapy continues to play an important role in supporting emotional wellbeing, reminiscence and reducing stress. A big thank you again to Browells Wood Pet Therapy and Mack Entertainment. 💜

We regularly take a moment to admire and appreciate our residents' skills and talents. On this occasion we had the pleasure of admiring two beautiful shawls hand-knitted by Joyce. 

One was described as for every day and the other, which was a finely knitted treasure, had been and continues to be used for christenings.  The detail, time and love taken to create each shawl remains very evident and left us in awe. 
With a new television series starting about finding Britain’s Best Knitter, we may be in line to crown our own Queens Manor Star Knitter! 

A wee birdie told us it's nearly that time of year again! 

Residents enjoyed a pre-Christmas browse at The Range  at Craigleith this week.  

Outings help us build and maintain connections with our community – socialising with friends, shopping and coffee whilst out in the fresh air supports self-esteem and wellbeing.