Activities at Chacombe Park Care Home
We understand that the people we support have passions and interests that could be difficult to pursue after moving into a care home – but that doesn’t mean we don’t encourage them to try! Some hobbies can define a person, so our Activities Coordinators are dedicated to ensuring that everyone we support is able to do what makes them happy to the best of their abilities. Social events are organised with individual tastes in mind and with the idea that residents have the opportunity to try new and exciting things.
Heather Gooch
My name is Heather and I am the Head of Activities here at Chacombe Park. My role is to ensure that all residents are supported in enjoying hobbies and events that enrich their life.
I have a Bachelors degree in Theatre Performance, as well as a PGCE in Secondary Drama. I have previously worked for another Barchester home back in 2012 before working as a secondary school teacher, teaching Drama at both GCSE and A Level. I have a passion for person centred care, which has come from my love of pastoral work during my time as a teacher. I want each resident to feel appreciated and supported to enjoy the skills/hobbies that they have treasured before their time at Chacombe.
In my spare time I enjoy singing, cross stitch and learning new skills. I endeavour to bring these hobbies and passions into my role here at Chacombe, as well as learn some new skills from the vast range of knowledge that our residents can bring!
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 Chacombe Park Care Home
Lollipop Ponies visit
It was an absolute honour to see the joy that Lollipop Ponies brought to our residents. There were so many happy faces as Lollipop the miniature pony walked into the room for cuddles!
Anna was especially happy to see Lollipop and couldn’t help but smile as she received multiple cuddles.
Joan asked if we could keep the pony, to which we unfortunately had to decline but we agreed that this visit would certainly need to be repeated.
Thank you Lollipop Ponies for making so many of our days. We look forward to seeing you again!
Decorating our home
Shirley and Bernil have been busy painting! We are so lucky to have such creative people here at Chacombe - we can now enjoy seeing their beautiful artwork as we walk down the corridor.
Shirley commented that she saw Bernil working hard and was only more than happy to help.
Having residents involved in making Chacombe colourful and homely is important to us - and certainly them! It’s also great to see a space where people can stop and read comments from residents about their life here.
Keep up the good work Shirley and Bernil!
Making a friend in the garden
We had a lovely sunny day on the 6th of April and residents enjoyed taking walks whilst looking at our beautiful grounds.
As you can see, John, a keen gardener has once again been hard at work. He’s been so happy to work in the garden, that he’s made a friend in our bantam chicken, Becky! It was quite a sight to see John working his way around the garden, with Becky following not far behind!
John reminisced about how his Dad used to have chickens and that it reminds him of being a child. He was so keen to continue gardening that we nearly missed the tea round!
Garden Centre Visit
Residents had a wonderful outing to Bloxham Garden Centre, thoroughly enjoying the serene surroundings. Their experience was made even better with delicious tea, coffee and a delightful cake, all of which they savoured with happiness. The trip left them feeling joyful and content, cherishing the memories created together. It was a day filled with laughter, bringing a sense of happiness and fulfilment to everyone involved.
Butterfly Farm
We had a wonderful women's day celebration at Stratford Butterfly farm. We took some of our female residents for the trip - They loved the trip and enjoyed it a lot. It was a beautiful day full of fun and laughter as we enjoyed the glorious butterflies and surrounding waterfalls. The butterflies were a joy to watch and we enjoyed learning all about the different species.
Easter Egg Hiding
Here at Chacombe, we have had some great fun. We are looking forward to greeting our local primary school for an Easter Egg hunt and have had some good laughs whilst hiding the eggs in our courtyard!
Wendy was especially thrilled to hide some of the eggs and said she loved how vibrant the eggs were when they were hidden behind some of our beautiful spring daffodils.
