Celebrating life at Barchester

Here at Crabwall Hall, we recently had the very talented Magical Mike come and sing for our residents. 

We had a lovely afternoon singing along.    

Easter celebrations in the home brought joy, laughter and togetherness for the resident and families. The home was beautifully decorated and residents enjoyed a wide variety of themed activities throughout the week.

Plenty of hot cross buns, Easter cakes and Easter eggs enjoyed all. We even had a visit from the Easter bunny who brought smiles to everyone’s faces, with chocolate eggs handed out to residents. Entertainment included signing and games creating a cheerful and festive atmosphere throughout the home.

We also recognised the true meaning of Easter with a religious celebration for residents who wished to take part, with prayers, hymns and readings. Easter was thoroughly enjoyed by residents and visiting families.                       

In celebration of National Cocktail Day, residents from both our Memory Lane unit and our Nursing unit came together in order to celebrate this special event. We popped our Tiki bar in the downstairs dining room where our residents made a formal queue in order to create their own mocktails. 

It was such a joyful event. We even had our student from Preston’s college giving our residents the most excellent bar-tending skills and much laughter. Residents prepped their own strawberries for their glasses before and even went the extra mile to pop little umbrellas and colourful straws into each glass/cup. Some even have them in the comfort of their own room.       

When residents Pru and Ross shared at our recent residents’ meeting that they would love a trip out ten pin bowling, we knew we had to make it happen for them.

We ventured out together for a wonderful game of ten pin bowling, and what a fantastic time we all had!

From strikes and a few near misses, we had lots of laughter and encouragement. The morning was filled with fun, friendship and giggles.

At Newton House, residents' choices and meaningful experiences are at the heart of everything that we do. It was lovely to see everyone enjoying a trip planned from residents’ own ideas and wishes.

A truly joyful morning out for all involved, and we think it’s safe to say there may be a few future bowling champions amongst us.

Where will we venture to next...     

Residents, families and staff came  together to honour and celebrate VE Day with a truly wonderful day shared across our home.

Our celebrations began in the morning, with beautiful reminiscence visits and meaningful VE Day discussions, where residents shared memories, stories and reflections from years gone by.

These precious conversations were followed by a special coffee morning filled with warmth, laughter and togetherness. Margaret said “ it was in those times that we all pulled together and pulled through together”.             

After a delicious lunch, we were delighted to welcome back the talented Alison Jay, for a fantastic afternoon of celebration with live musical entertainment.

Residents sang along, waved their flags, danced, and enjoyed every moment of the wonderful atmosphere.      

Newton House were delighted to participate in such a meaningful awareness week ‘Dying Matters Awareness Week’ and residents enjoyed starting this with a wonderful reminiscence friendship group, focusing on the things that matter most to us.

The conversations were truly beautiful, as residents shared memories of their families, life experiences, and special moments. Our resident Ambassador, Janet and her good friend Joan, especially enjoyed reminiscing and chatting about their pregnancies, bringing smiles and laughter to the group.

Residents have also spent time socialising and reflecting within their home, strengthening a great sense of belonging, connection, and inclusion that is so important to us all.         

We had a very active and enjoyable day at Lucerne Houses celebrating VE Day.

It is 81 years since victory in Europe was declared, and today we have honoured it with some wonderful events. In the morning, residents were putting the finishing touches on their baked cakes for our high tea event, then in the afternoon we had a sing-along, with ice creams and some wonderful singing and dancing from our residents, visitors, nurses and care team members, followed by an evening high tea with scones, cakes, savoury items, tasty treats and plenty of liquid refreshments to enjoy.

Residents remarked on what a wonderful day it had been, the sun was shining, the drinks were flowing, the food was plentiful, and it makes us all so grateful for the sacrifices many have made that allow us the freedoms that we have enjoyed ever since victory was declared.

Thank you to everyone who has joined us and to our amazing team for all of their efforts to make it such a wonderful day.        

An afternoon well spent here at Westwood House, designing our very own Chinese fans. Supported by Ava Li to understand 'huaniaohu' (flower and bird painting), focusing on nature's beauty and symbolic meaning. 

Together we created some beautiful fans and had a wonderful afternoon.        

At Beaufort Grange, we proudly marked VE Day with a wonderful afternoon full of music, laughter, and memories. Residents and staff embraced the spirit of the occasion, with Lucy dressing as a traditional Land Girl while Charly arrived ready for duty as a pilot, although many agreed she looked more like she belonged on Top Gear!

The celebrations included mini-concerts by the fantastic Barrack Room Boys, whose wartime songs had everyone singing along and reminiscing. The atmosphere throughout the home was joyful, with residents enjoying the entertainment, decorations, and chance to celebrate such an important moment in history together.

Resident Anne shared, “I had a wonderful time,” capturing the feeling of the day perfectly.

It was a truly special celebration and a lovely way for everyone at Beaufort Grange to come together in remembrance and community spirit.