Celebrating life at Barchester

During September, we went on a cruise around the world and stopped off at 5 different countries! We visited Australia, Greece, India, Italy and China. We enjoyed a variety of dishes from these countries prepared by our talented chef, along with crafts and activities. For Australia, we enjoyed a BBQ lunch with 'kangaroo' burgers, shrimp and kebabs, and we also tried our hand at some Aboriginal dot painting. For Greece, we enjoyed some Greek crafts, designing and painting vases, we tasted some amazing Greek food and then joined Abba in Greece for our film afternoon watching Mama Mia. In India, we enjoyed Indian curries and some Indian pampering and a film afternoon watching the Jungle Book.   

For Italy, we had a pizza making session, where residents had lots of fun creating their very own pizzas and, of course, enjoying them for lunch afterwards! And to finish off our Italian feast, we enjoyed a tasty tiramisu. 

We then got creative painting our very own Italian flags and put our knowledge to the test with an Italian general knowledge quiz. For China, we enjoyed chicken chowmein, sweet and sour pork, followed by Chinese Dragon crafts! 

Our residents enjoyed a fantastic day out in Morpeth to celebrate World Photography Day! 

Armed with cameras, we went out to capture some beautiful photos of the scenery, enjoy a relaxing walk along the river and take in the sights of this lovely town. After all that exploring, it was time to refuel with a delicious pizza lunch! 

We went down the rabbit hole with our Alice in Wonderland family and community event, we had a fantastic day and we even made some new friends. 

We would like to thank Mind Active and Mark McCann for the amazing entertainment, as always, and also our Chef Lee for the wonderful food. We hope more of you can join us for our next community event.      

This week we enjoyed an outing to The Arc in Winchester, where we had the chance to explore Winchester Art Club’s latest exhibition. 
There was plenty to admire as we browsed the fantastic collection of artwork, before rounding off our visit with a relaxing coffee and a chat in the café. 

We celebrated World Photography Day with a special reminiscence session, sharing favourite photographs of loved ones and taking time to reflect on the memories behind them.

The photographs sparked wonderful conversations, smiles and stories as we remembered the people, places and moments that hold a special place in our hearts.

It was a lovely opportunity to connect through shared memories and celebrate the power of photographs to bring the past to life.
To see the smiles, hear the stories and remember the people and moments that mean so much to us. Sometimes a photograph really does say a thousand words and every picture had a story to tell.   

We celebrated a fab open day here at Hollyfields full of fun. We had entertainment by Debbie, who entertained us, getting everyone engaged. We had a visit from the Mayor of Bewdley, Sharon, and the Mayor of Kidderminster Miah came and enjoyed the fun. We had a Hawaiian-themed day with Malibu and pineapple cocktails and some traditional fish and chips for lunch. 

The day was filled with joy, laughter and smiles all around.     

We had the best time bringing a taste of Hawaii to our home with our Hawaiian-themed party for our 5-year anniversary. We welcomed residents and families, past and present, as well as all staff to celebrate this wonderful milestone. A huge thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the day so special. 

The smiles, laughter and fantastic spirit made the celebration one to remember.    

Residents and staff recently set sail on our very first virtual cruise, and it was a fantastic success. Our dining room was transformed in a cruise ship, FordBella, ready for an afternoon of fun, laughter and adventure. With Captain Derek at the helm and sailors Linzy and Julia making sure everyone was ready for the journey, our residents were given the full cruise experience without leaving Fordmill. The afternoon was filled with life music provided by Gordon on violin and Isobel on the piano, making the occasion even more special. Our virtual cruise was about much more than having a fan. 

It was a lovely opportunity to encourage conversation and social interaction while giving our residents something different to experience together. The success of the cruise has certainly inspired us to continue our virtual travels and continue to discover even more wonderful destinations together.  

Our residents enjoyed a very special afternoon as we celebrated World Elephant Day, combining learning, conversation and plenty of fun. The activity gave everyone the opportunity to discover more about the magnificent animals, where they live, the differences, family groups, communication and some fascinating facts about their daily lives. 

They learnt how intelligent and sociable elephants are, their great memories, the strong bonds between their families and the way they care for and protect one another. This activity led to some lovely conversation about animals, wildlife and memories of visits to the zoo, holidays and documentaries the residents had watched over the years. Activities like this bring the residents at Fordmill together, encouraging conversation and continuing to learn while having fun.