Activities at Archview Lodge Care Home

Jean Norrie, one of our resident ambassadors, took part in a sponsored silence for Comic Relief Day, and it brought plenty of smiles to everyone around them.

They bravely stayed quiet for the challenge, which wasn’t always easy in such a lively environment, but she kept her sense of humour throughout. Staff and fellow residents got involved by offering encouragement (and the occasional playful attempt to make them laugh).

It was a great way to raise money for a good cause while bringing a bit of fun into the home. By the end of the day, she had done an amazing job and raised a fantastic amount, making everyone proud of her efforts.       

Live music delivered by Jan Kowalski on Friday afternoon. Residents really enjoyed the little boogie, drinks and tasty snacks.  

Live Music provides crucial, regular, and participatory, musical experiences that improve, wellbeing of residents and staff.   

“Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy, Oi Oi Oi!“ 

Happy Australia Day!  

And we marked it in style with Australian-themed activities which we all really enjoyed.

But the biggest hit was the Australian beer and some snacks. And of course, no celebration is complete without some Australian tunes and a quiz. What a fantastic day!  

We were delighted to welcome a fabulous young bagpiper to Archview, Cailean, a local lad, had noticed that one of our residents, Tam, had been very supportive on his social media, commenting on how well he played the pipes and, as a thank you, he wanted to come and play for him in person. 

There was not a dry eye when Cailean played for Tam and his daughter Lesley.

As a piper himself, Tam truly appreciated this gesture of kindness from this lovely young man. Thank you Cailean for this treasured visit.   

Resident, Tam Carson had always wanted to hear the sound of the bagpipes again so staff at the home made his wish a reality proving that old adage, it’s never too late.

Tam often shared his fond memories of his times as a Piper with the Royal Scots and enjoys following a local young lad, Cailean Acamovic a fabulous piper on social media. Cailean reached out to the home to ask if he could surprise Tam with a special visit to play the pipes for him.

Tam was absolutely delighted with the surprise and the fact that Cailean had taken time out of his busy schedule to perform. They shared stories and tunes together – both enjoying the time together. Tam has lived at Archview Lodge for since 2021 and is beloved by staff and residents alike. Staff at the home were delighted to be a part of this lovely gesture, as they knew how much it meant to him and they all wanted to be there to see the smile on Tam’s face when he met Cailean

We celebrated Mother’s Day with a lovely afternoon tea in our Memory Lane community organised by our care team, where residents enjoyed a selection of sandwiches, cakes, and sweet treats, all served with plenty of tea.

There were lots of smiles as everyone chatted, shared memories, and spent time together, creating a calm and meaningful atmosphere for the occasion.  

Meanwhile, our other residents also had a great time, enjoying live entertainment from Alan Whitehead, bringing laughter and a cheerful atmosphere that carried throughout the home.        

Our residents and their loved ones had a great day celebrating Valentines with a lovely romantic lunch for our couples, followed by an afternoon of fun and singing with our fabulous entertainer Billy.

Everyone had a lovely time. It was a beautiful day and heart-warming to see everyone come together to celebrate. Happy Valentine’s Day!

To honour the Scottish poet, Robert Burns, we immersed ourselves in poetry and Ceilidh and of course, gave the time-honoured address to the ‘Great chieftain O’ the pudding’ race’ – the haggis.

Surrounded by flowers and Scottish flags we enjoyed delicious Haggis, Neeps and Tatties, prepared by our talented chef. We had a great time celebrating Robert Burns and the Scottish culture.   

We were very happy to welcome the beautiful carol singers from Gore Glen Primary school. They were such a talented group of children and the residents thoroughly enjoyed their performance. 

The children are always amazing visitors and bring so much joy to everyone at Archview. Thank you so much.      

Today we celebrated the national day of Scotland and their patron, Saint Andrew. 

We marked the day with a celebration of Scottish culture – with fantastic Highland Dancers from KIC Dance Studio in Dalkeith.

Our residents also learnt interesting facts about St Andrew, who surprisingly was not Scottish. Happy St Andrews Day from us all at Archview.   

Two of our residents, Bobby and Jimmy, who are huge Rangers supporters, enjoyed a great outing to the local pub to watch the Rangers game together.

They were both really excited to get out and soak up the match-day atmosphere, chatting with staff and other fans before kick-off. Once the game started, they were fully immersed, cheering on every goal attempt and sharing plenty of passionate opinions throughout. It was a brilliant afternoon filled with laughter, friendly banter, and lots of team spirit. They especially enjoyed being out in the community and experiencing the buzz of watching the game live with other supporters.

Both residents returned in great spirits, already talking about the next match and looking forward to doing it all again soon.          

Wednesday afternoon Chef’s workshop. Today we made cheese scones. All of our residents love our weekly workshops with our senior Che’s Ahmet. Today on the menu we had cheese scones. The scones were mega tasty, residents said:     

A savoury delight of cheddar sharp,
Baked to perfection, the oven’s heart.
Flaky, warm, with a golden crust,
A cheesy scone is a teatime must.
Packed with mature cheese, savoury and fine,
With butter melting, it’s truly divine.

We were delighted to host our local MSP for Midlothian Colin Beattie, Our Residents and staff enjoyed having a chat and a cuppa with him, giving them a valuable opportunity to discuss current matters that are important to them. 

It’s vital we support our residents to feel valued and heard members of their community and Colin making time to meet with us was very much appreciated.

Thank you to Claire for reaching out to him on our behalf to arrange this visit and we hope to have Colin back in the home soon.    

In preparation for the upcoming Christmas festivities, we spent time decorating our home with colourful themed ornaments, lights and baubles.

Our residents had fun creating the home’s Christmas display and got involved in arts and crafts sessions to paint baubles and make the beautiful decorations for our Christmas tree. 

Everyone had an amazing time and we are all looking forward to the holidays.    

Archview had big visitors! We were so lucky to have Flicker, Wilson and little Fudge from Therapy Ponies Scotland come to visit all of our residents!

A big thank you to our volunteers Linda and Rosemary for all of their hard work fundraising and organising this amazing event for us!