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
Virtual delights of Dartmoor Zoo
We were able to virtually dive into the impressive wildlife of Dartmoor Zoo.
We explored its grounds and learnt about the unique history of the park from the zoo’s educational team. The culmination of the tour was the live tiger training demonstration, which was wonderful to see and enjoyed by all.
Our residents were delighted to see amazing photos and short videos of the animals and take a peek inside their home.
Residents enjoy virtual trip to meet Puffins
We took a wonderful virtual trip to Iceland’s Puffin Rescue Centre at the Beluga Whale Sanctuary.
We were able to virtually meet some of the rescued Atlantic Puffins and to learn interesting facts about their care and unique lives. We took a peek into their lives in the wild, the Puffling rescue program in the Westman Islands, and how SEA LIFE Trust Beluga Whale Sanctuary’s team takes care of these charismatic little birds each day.
It was a very exciting experience, enjoyed by all.
Anyone for tennis?
The residents at Balclutha Court had lots of fun in the garden celebrating the start of Wimbledon.
We decorated our garden with themed flags and banners, and our residents took part in our mini tennis championship. We all celebrated the event with an afternoon tea party, along with delicious strawberries, cream treats and Pimm’s.
Our tennis fans will delighted to watch the famous matches virtually from the comfort of their armchairs, throughout the duration of Wimbledon.
Virtual talk with Blenheim Palace
Ahead of Armed Forces Day, we were transported back in time for a World War II themed talk and tour of Blenheim Palace, hosted by Antonia Keaney, the Palace’s social historian and author.
Entitled ‘Evacuees and Espionage,’ Antonia’s wartime themed talk focused on how the Marlborough family, estate staff and the Palace itself played a full and energetic part in the war effort.
The talk and tour told the story of how the Palace prepared for the worst, survived the onslaught of 400 boys being evacuated to Blenheim and kept the secrets of MI5.
It was a lovely experience, enjoyed by all.
A trip to the park
It has been a little while since we were allowed out to play but now the world is opening up, slowly but surely, a couple of our residents managed a trip to Coronation Park for an ice cream and make the most of the recent good weather. It was so good to get out and about but still adhering to all government restrictions – weekly outings are a very popular part of our life enrichment programme.
National Beer Day
We had a fun-filled day as we raised a glass and tasted some top ales from around the world on National Beer Day.
We would love to tell you that our residents enjoyed a mini beer festival in the garden but you know where we live and our brolly just isn't big enough.
Truth be told though, the weather had no impact on our day as we retired to the dining room and travelled the world, beer by beer. Residents scored each beer and the clear winner was a cheeky wee Belgian number from Aldi Scotland. We used clear cups for our sampling so that residents could enjoy the educational beer mats at the bottom. Great wee day had by all.
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.
