Celebrating life at Barchester

Exercise classes at Alice Grange  provide vital physical, mental, and social benefits that improve residents' overall quality of life and independence.

Our Residents requested a boxercise class this week. As you can see for the smiles all round they had a great fun while getting a great workout.

Exercise classes and routines are a regular feature of our weekly activities programme at Alice Grange.

We are absolutely thrilled and so proud to announce that our very own Symoun Genobatin has won Chef of the Year at the prestigious Barchester Care Awards!! The 2026 awards saw 6000 nominations of individuals ands teams across our homes, celebrating and recognising the hard work and dedication of our staff. Symoun has worked tremendously hard to come out on top and win this national accolade! We are over the moon that he has won, it is so well deserved! Congratulations Symoun!!

Sam absolutely loved the big, giant rabbit! The cuddles and affection he gave showed just how much he enjoyed the experience. Jackie was incredibly brave, confidently having a snake wrapped around her neck and sharing how much she absolutely loved it. Simon enjoyed touching the lizards, exploring their unique textures, feeling their little spikes and experiencing the different sensory sensations. Jenny enjoyed this sensory experience too.

It was heart-warming. Sam absolutely loved the big, giant rabbit! The cuddles and affection he gave showed just how much he enjoyed the experience. Jackie was incredibly brave, confidently having a snake wrapped around her neck and sharing how much she absolutely loved it. Simon enjoyed touching the lizards, exploring their unique textures, feeling their little spikes and experiencing the different sensory sensations. Jenny enjoyed this sensory experience too. It was heart-warming to watch our residents engage with the animals, showing curiosity, courage, joy and affection throughout the session.

Why this was meaningful:
Animal encounters provide valuable opportunities for sensory stimulation, emotional wellbeing and social interaction. They encourage residents to explore different textures, build confidence, express their preferences and experience moments of happiness and connection. Most importantly, each resident was able to participate in a way that suited their individual interests and abilities.

It was a beautiful day filled with smiles, cuddles, new experiences and meaningful moments that made it truly special for everyone. Why this was meaningful: Animal encounters provide valuable opportunities for sensory stimulation, emotional wellbeing and social interaction. They encourage residents to explore different textures, build confidence, express their preferences and experience moments of happiness and connection. Most importantly, each resident was able to participate in a way that suited their individual interests and abilities. It was a beautiful day filled with smiles, cuddles, new experiences and meaningful moments that made it truly special for everyone.

What a fabulous time we had at our monthly memory lane disco last week! We’d like to say a big thanks to Marcus for providing the tunes with plenty of fun & laughter along the way too! 

Our residents enjoyed a lovely outing to B&M, where they had the opportunity to do their own shopping and choose items they wanted to purchase. Each resident was given a shopping basket and supported to make their own choices, select their items and pay for their shopping independently.

Sheena particularly enjoyed the experience of paying for her own shopping at the till, completing the transaction entirely on her own. It was lovely to see her confidence and independence shine through, and her smile said it all. Sheena clearly enjoyed having the opportunity to do something for herself.

After shopping, we visited Café G, where Jasmine treated herself to a delicious, big waffle with all the toppings, whipped cream and extras! Everyone enjoyed relaxing together, having something nice to eat and making lovely memories.
The residents shared how much they enjoyed the outing, saying that these were the kinds of things they used to do back home. It was heart-warming to see them enjoying familiar activities that brought back a sense of normality, comfort and happiness.

Activities like these are so much more than just a trip out. They promote independence, confidence, choice and control, while supporting everyday living skills and encouraging social interaction. Most importantly, they give our residents the opportunity to continue doing the things they have always enjoyed, maintain their identity and feel valued as individuals. Both residents thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and it was wonderful to see the happiness, smiles and sense of independence that such a simple but meaningful outing brought them.     

Today, we enjoyed a fantastic group outing to the bowling alley, bringing together our residents and their families for a fun-filled day of laughter, friendly competition and making memories together. It was lovely to see everyone's competitive side come out in the best possible way! There were plenty of smiles, encouragement and laughter as everyone got involved and enjoyed spending quality time together.      

Sam particularly enjoyed exploring the arcade games, with the bowling arcade game being a firm favourite. It was wonderful to see him having such a great time and enjoying an activity he clearly loves. Duncan also had a brilliant time alongside his mam as they took on the hammer game, trying their best to reach the top! Although they didn't quite make it, they certainly made up for it with laughter and enjoyment. It was lovely to see them sharing that experience together and creating special memories.

Gary enjoyed one of his favourite treats, a pint of Guinness. You could see just how happy it made him when he received it. Sometimes, it's the little things that mean the most, and seeing Gary's enjoyment was a lovely reminder of the importance of knowing our residents as individuals and understanding what brings them happiness. After all the excitement, we finished the outing with some food together, giving everyone more time to chat, relax and enjoy one another's company.

Activities like this are about so much more than bowling. They provide opportunities for residents to maintain relationships with their families, strengthen social connections, enjoy familiar interests and take part in experiences that bring a sense of normality and belonging. Spending time outside the home also offers a change of scenery, encourages engagement and creates opportunities for laughter, choice and independence.

Most importantly, it was wonderful to see residents, families and staff all coming together, interacting so naturally and enjoying themselves as one big group. Days like these create meaningful memories, support emotional well-being and remind us how important it is to continue providing opportunities for our residents to live life to the fullest. A truly lovely day enjoyed by everyone, with plenty of smiles, laughter and memories to take home.