Activities at Balclutha Court Care Home
At Balclutha Court our resident’s happiness is extremely important to us. We all know that a large part of this is keeping active and continuing to enjoy your interests and hobbies. At Balclutha Court, we have regular activities including arts and crafts, music, entertainment, trips to local attractions such as canal trips, safari parks and many more. Our activities team are always busy organising events, entertainment and excursions with the broadest possible appeal and many of our residents see living at Balclutha Court as an opportunity to develop a new skill or interest. It is important to us that each individual who we support can get as much from these as possible, so we try our best to arrange activities that reflect their interests and capabilities as best as possible, and encourage them to participate in any way they can. We also encourage relatives to join with activities and events as often as they can.
Karen Dillon
Karen Dillon is our Head of Activities and has worked within the home since 2005, starting out as a Carer. Karen is very outgoing and full of fun. She has many hobbies, with arts & crafts being her favourite, and her passion for this can be seen in our life enrichment programme.
Karen is supported by Kay Millar and Anita Marsh, between them they ensure that residents are happy and have loads of fun.
They are very keen to involve the residents in the decision making within the home to enhance their experience. They take part in the residents' meetings, catering forums and assist the General Manager in interviewing new staff members.
Read our brochure 'Life-enriching activities' for more information about life in our care homes.
Read our brochure
Activities and Events Partnerships
As part of our bespoke life-enrichment programmes, we host a number of live virtual events in the home on a regular basis through a number of partnerships with places of interest and world class performance companies
Life at Balclutha Court Care Home
Independence Day
We celebrated Independence Day this month with our pals from across the pond – what a lovely afternoon of singing, dancing and playing an American themed quiz.
The residents enjoyed some fabulous American themed food from our fantastic kitchen team which of course had to include some juicy hotdogs.
Themed events are big part of our Monthly Life Enrichment Programme.
Flower Arranging
Another favourite activity that is part of our weekly Life Enrichment programme is flower arranging – the residents love to get crafty and showcase their wonderful talents.
This week we tried our hand at artificial flower arranging using some beautiful flowers, ribbons and vases – the residents now have them displayed in their rooms and the compliments they have been receiving are “blooming” lovely!
Wimbledon
We celebrated the start of Wimbledon this month at Balclutha – with a great game of Balloon Tennis.
There might have been a few complaints from the neighbours saying we made a bit of a racket – but we couldn’t really defend ourselves as there’s tennis rackets, badminton rackets and even fly swatters being used!!
This activity is great exercise for all abilities and is part of our weekly life enrichment programme.
Charity Cook Off
Staff and residents are celebrating because their wonderful Managing Director, Fiona Fagan, from Barchester’s North East and Scotland Division, has stepped completely out of her comfort zone to compete in the Barchester Charitable Foundation Cook Off 2024.
Fiona went head-to-head with the Managing Directors from Barchester’s four other divisions and cooked up a storm to raise a phenomenal £24,595 for Barchester’s Charitable Foundation which helps connect vulnerable people and those living with a disability to community groups in their local area by providing grants to improve mobility and quality of life. Each year the Foundation distributes thousands of pounds to individuals, small community groups and charities across England, Scotland and Wales.
Exploring the Eden Project
Residents across our homes had a fantastic time exploring the Eden Project virtually - an educational charity and visitor attraction based in Cornwall, featuring sprawling outdoor gardens and breathtaking biomes that house the largest indoor rainforest in the world.
During the session, residents who joined were reconnected with nature through their senses, memories and stories. A big thank you to the community team at the Eden Project for the wonderful event.
D-Day 80
We celebrated 80 years of the D-Day landings with a good old fashioned sing-a-long.
Everyone enjoyed a tasty traditional buffet courtesy of our amazing kitchen team. We sang, we danced and we raised a glass to the heroes that fought for our freedom.
It was a very emotional day that we were fortunate to be able to celebrate together.
Upcoming events
Countdown to Christmas
Counting down the days to Christmas with a fun filled month ahead and we extend a warm invitation for you to join us as we get into the festive spirit - Merry Christmas!
January
Hello January! As we step into a new year we have lots of exciting plans for the month.
Looking for a place to host a meeting?
We have a meeting room available to local professionals and community groups. For more information contact the home.
Community Cafe - Last Thursday of the month
We extend a warm invitation for you to join us at our monthly Community Cafe, come along and make new friends! All welcome.
Calling all Emergency Services
Calling all emergency services personnel and district nurses, come and take a break with us! There maybe a cake or two available....
Volunteers - Could you make a difference?
Do you have any spare time? your time could make a difference to someones day! For more information on Volunteering we'd love to hear from you.
Respite - Are you looking for a little care break?
If you're caring for someone, a short stay at Balclutha Court coluld provide the rest and relaxation that you need.
