Celebrating life at Barchester

Today, our residents at Broadway Halls, celebrated National Poetry Day in the most wonderful way! We gathered together to read aloud a selection of well-loved and famous poems, sparking memories, smiles, and thoughtful conversations. From classic verses to heartfelt favourites, each reading brought its own charm and meaning.

It was fantastic to see residents getting involved, sharing poems they remembered from years ago, listening attentively to others, and reflecting on the beauty of words.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who took part. Poetry truly has the power to bring people together.  

On the first Monday of the month, our home was filled with song and smiles as we held another joyous session of our Memory Lane community brought to life by the wonderful team from Golden Oldies Charity. Residents gathered in the lounge, tapping their feet, humming along and sharing memories as familiar tunes from decades past filled the air. 

As voices rose, the room brimmed with warmth, connection and the affirmation that life here is about more than care, it’s about belonging, memory and music bringing us together. What a wonderful way to mark the start of a new month.  

Harvest Fun at Beaufort Grange! This week we got into the spirit of the season with our residents rolling up their sleeves and getting crafty. Mini-scarecrows were made, colourful leaves fluttered, and the bistro was alive with chatter and autumn treats. Smiles all around as everyone embraced the harvest theme. 

One of our residents, Marina, even remarked how making the scarecrow brought back memories of family fun in the garden and John was laughing over a childhood memory of  scrumping and getting caught by the police. Time was spent together, laughing, creating and savouring the simple pleasure of the season. A huge thank you to all who joined in and made it such a vibrant afternoon of connection and joy.  

At Beaufort Grange we find that bringing in animals of all kinds bring joy and comfort to our residents and this month we welcomed some very special guests to Beaufort Grange: a gentle therapy dog Simba and her companion handler Marilyn, who spent a joyful afternoon with our residents in the lounge and visiting residents in their rooms. Soft paw-prints on laps, delighted laughter, and warm greetings filled the room as tails wagged and memories stirred. 

Sylvia remarked, “I haven’t felt this calm in ages” as she stroked her furry friend, while Marina reminisced about the family dog she used to take for walks. The visit brought comfort, connection and a shared sense of wellbeing across all our community. A heartfelt thank you to our visitors for bringing such light and love into our home. We also had creature comforts come visit us, bringing a python, field mouse, a dwarf hamster, a tortoise and, of course, Tia her Pomeranian, who had everyone smiling and her joyful tricks. These types of activities truly enrich the lives of our residents.

Boots 'n' Strings had us all singing and dancing this month as we raised money for Macmillan Cancer Support as part of their Biggest Coffee Morning. There was a lot of fun and laughter throughout the afternoon, especially when Barbara auditioned as their new roadie! Thank you to our awesome volunteer Josephine Pollard for sharing the afternoon with us – it was extra special for you here.

We collected donations over the weekend, and through sales of delicious homemade cakes and freshly brewed coffee, we made over £60 for the charity. Thank you all for supporting us and helping us raise money for this wonderful charity.    

Oktoberfest was great fun today! Residents were treated to a wonderful German menu created by our resident Hilde; who enjoyed the opportunity to revisit some of her favourite foods. Treats included pretzels, German beer, borscht and Bavarian beef all freshly made by our head chef Richard Parrott. 

We then took a virtual tour of the most beautiful places in Germany, including the stunning Neuschwanstein Castle; and learnt some simple German phrases. We are looking forward to our next cultural day.  

We are so lucky to have such a diverse group of residents here at The Cedars. This month  Sima, who comes from Tehran, was visited by her little sister Minoo and her husband Ian, all the way from New Zealand. Minoo had brought Persian treats, including Sima's favourite, little yellow Chickpea Candies. 

Sima was keen for us to try them, saying: "You won’t have had anything like these before," and she was right! We then tried Sohan, a biscuit with pistachios, saffron, cardamom and almond: the aromatic fragrance and flavour was unbelievably delicious. An afternoon of fun and laughter ensued, as you can see....the photograph simply speaks for itself.   

It was time to pull out the pumpkins and glow sticks and celebrate as we held another Memory Lane Disco. With a Halloween theme, it gave everyone a chance to join in on the fun. While the lights shone and the music played, those with happy feet were up and dancing while others enjoyed the sensory experience in their seats, while munching on the lovely themed cupcakes made and decorated by the home’s baking club. 

We all love music here at Pentland View, so any excuse to listen to some good tunes and to get up and have a boogie is always welcome!    

We recently had a ladies’ shopping trip to Wick, and had a fabulous time. Our first stop was the café at Tesco, where the ladies all tried their first pumpkin spice latte. It was certainly a hit, as was the caked that they had with it. After enjoying our seasonal cuppas, it was time to do some personal shopping, as well as to pick up Halloween decorations for the home. From books to toiletries to perfumes and clothes, not an aisle was missed out. 

The ladies even ran in to familiar faces along the way and stopped to chat and catch up. After Tesco was thoroughly browsed, it was off to B and M, where the ladies enjoyed browsing not only the autumnal décor, but also (dare we say it) the Christmas decorations! After making our purchases, and with the wind starting to blow outside, it was back on to the mini-bus and home to Thurso, where we cosied up with another cuppa to look over our purchases.