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…

Boroughbridge Manor Care Home

Elf Day Fun

We celebrated Elf Day in style! Our amazing team got into the festive spirit by dressing up as cheerful elves, spreading joy and laughter across the home.

To make the day even more magical, we enjoyed Mr P from KL Pony Therapy who also joined in the dressing up fun – a truly heart-warming experience that everyone loved.

Bere Grove Care Home

Gentlemen's Club at Bere Grove

Join the Bere Grove Gentlemen's Club every 1st and 3rd Friday of the month, It's were local men come together to enjoy good company, great conversation and to make new friends in a relaxed and friendly space. Several of our male residents also join in, making it a warm, welcoming mix of personalities and stories!

Each get-together brings something new from quizzes, games and chats to activities tailored to everyone’s interests. The club is proudly led by our very own Paul Bayley, Head of Maintenance at Bere Grove with support from Graham Allen, General Manager and Dimitrie Turcea, Deputy General Manager.

Accordion magic for Maurice!

A Wonderful Day for Maurice!

Yesterday, we had the absolute pleasure of taking our resident Maurice to a lunchtime accordion concert in South Oxhey. Maurice played the accordion for over 20 years and was a proud member of the Watford Accordion Band, so he was bursting with excitement from the moment he woke up on Thursday!

He couldn’t wait to hop on the minibus with our Lead Activities Co-ordinator, Tammie, and head off to see his old bandmates. And what a special reunion it was — Maurice smiled from ear to ear the entire time.

Hearing the accordion music again brought back so many wonderful memories, and he hasn’t stopped talking about them since. We’re sure this magical moment will stay with him for weeks to come.

Highfield Care Home

Visit from the National Children's Air Ambulance

Our residents enjoyed a fantastic presentation from Richard Butler, a volunteer with the National Children's Air Ambulance. Richard explained the incredible and life-saving work the charity does to support critically ill children across the nation, in partnership with the NHS.

Residents were fascinated to learn about the high-tech medical equipment used inside the helicopter, to facilitate high-risk transfers of new-born babies and young children in desperate need of emergency surgery. Richard also explained about the expertise of the charity's pilots and medical teams, who routinely fly all over the nation on emergency missions.

Golfing afternoon at Tadcaster Golf Club

Our residents enjoyed another fabulous trip to Tadcaster Golf Club, where some of them tried their hand at putting at the indoor mini putting green. Our residents, Denise and John, got some great tips from the golf pros at the clubhouse to improve their swing! For our other residents, they enjoyed a nice cup of tea and some delicious cakes from the clubhouse café!

Christmas tree decorations with the residents

This week, Highfield is having a Christmas makeover, as our team begin putting up the beautiful Christmas tree decorations. Thanks to our lovely residents, Sylvia and Anne, the tree in our Memory Lane lounge looks very festive and ready for Father Christmas to arrive!

Uplifting Visit from ZooLab

Residents enjoyed an unusual and uplifting experience this week as ZooLab brought in a selection of exotic animals for an interactive session.

The visit, which forms part of the home's ongoing life enrichment programme, gave the residents the opportunity to get close with the animals, with many brave enough to hold some of the more unusual creatures that come along.

One of the highlights from the afternoon was resident Jean meeting a Leopard Gecko, which settled comfortably into her warm hands for quite some time.

The Magic of Paws: Therapy Dogs Bringing Pure Joy!

It's always the highlight of the week when our incredible therapy dog, Bertie, comes to visit our residents! These special friends aren't just cute they are a vital, transformative part of our life enrichment program.

For our residents the simple act of petting a dog delivers profound benefits:

Instant Mood Boost: The interaction naturally lowers stress levels and releases feel-good hormones, leading to brighter spirits and huge smiles all around!
Reduced Loneliness: Cuddles and gentle interactions drastically reduce feelings of isolation and bring immediate, non-judgmental comfort.
Cognitive & Physical Activity: Residents are encouraged to talk about the dog, remember their name, and reach out to pet them, providing gentle physical and mental stimulation.

A wagging tail can truly enrich lives, offering a beautiful form of connection and a cherished moment of unconditional love. It's a reminder that happiness often has four paws.

Collingtree Park Care Home

Exercise with us!

Martin our Activities Lead and James from Home.FitVitality certainly made sure the residents enjoyed this afternoon’s exercise class.
James bought in his inflatable reindeer antlers and the residents threw hoops at them trying to get them hooked over the antlers.
This was to improve the residents hand and were coordination as well as have some fun and laughter as well.