Activities at Glebefields Care Home

Today at Glebefields we marked the start of the Hindu festival of Diwali, popularly known as the ‘festival of lights’ with a fashion show from staff in traditional dress; ladies brightly coloured sarees and gentlemen's kurta.

Admin Assistant Shilpa started the celebration by giving our residents and guests the background story to ‘Lakshmi’ the goddess of wealth and symbol of prosperity.

Shilpa explained the story highlights the good fortune and success that Lakshmi bestows upon those who work hard and seek help sincerely. It also demonstrates that during times of success, one must never become complacent or arrogant, as success has a way of getting away from people.

Staff members Ashitha, Tincy and Shilpa helped decorate the lounge with colourful patterned rangoli and diyas, marigold flowers, garlands and candles which are lit to signify the triumph of good over evil.

Head chef Bose Jose and the hospitality team prepared a verity of traditional Indian dishes with a range of spicy samosas, crispy onion bhajis and plenty of Indian sweets treats including barfi and milk pedas for the whole home to enjoy.

Marjorie and Edith, residents at Glebefields commented: “We love all of the different cultural events that are celebrated here, there’s always something going on. We especially like the religious festivals from other cultures and sampling the wonderful food.”

General Manager, Nisha Shaji said: “To celebrate Diwali at the home was fantastic, the colourful glow of the lamps created a very wonderful atmosphere and our chef made the most delicious dishes – everyone had a fantastic time.”

Our pumpkin patch and the residents of Glebefields enjoyed little Halloween night visitors for fun, frolics and plenty of sweet treats!

A heart-warming visit from Little Sparrows Childcare in Banbury! They come to brighten our days every month, and this time, we had a fantastic time decorating pumpkins together. Our fantastic activity coordinator, Kay, never fails to create funny moments with the kids, and residents and staff all join in the fun, leaving everyone smiling and happy. 
 

Happy Halloween! The Halloween season is in full swing. Our creative residents and staff have been busy carving pumpkins, turning them into enchanting jack-o'-lanterns. Their combined artistic touch has added a touch of Halloween magic to our home. And to make it even more festive, we've set up a charming pumpkin patch display. Stay tuned for more updates!

In preparation for our Halloween celebrations we were treated to an interactive virtual cookery demonstration courtesy of one of Barchester’s Hospitality Trainers, Joy Whitlock. Head chef Bose Jacob had prepared lots of cupcakes, biscuits and cookies in advance so that residents could not only sample the wares, but have a go at creating and decorating their own with icing, fondant, edible baubles and glitter.

As they watched Joy, and supported by activities; Kay our residents; Marlene, Pam, Ivy and Brian had a spooktastic time decorating chocolate cupcakes with their own crafted fondant eyes, skulls and spiders. Taking inspiration from Joy they loved creating their own terrifying severed shortbread fingers - fully getting into the Halloween spirit!

General Manager, Nisha Shaji said: “Our residents love sweet treats so Joy’s designs went down a storm here! It was brilliant that our residents were able to sample the cakes and biscuits and follow along with Joy as she decorated them so cleverly. It was such a lovely afternoon, we can’t thank Joy enough.”

Joy said “It was an absolute pleasure to be able to show the residents how to decorate their own cupcakes and cookies with some ghoulish Halloween designs! Thanks to all the chefs in our homes across the country who supported me to deliver this really lovely activity.” Happy Halloween everyone - we've got our ghoulish shortbread fingers crossed our spooky designs will win the #BarchesterHalloween competition. 

A delightful day out! Our residents Ivy, Pam, and Sheila, along with our staff, enjoyed a trip to Banbury Antiques Centre. Sheila even brought along her cherished teddy bear. We had a fantastic time exploring unique treasures, and Sheila purchased a one-of-a-kind Japanese ceramic cat, which added to the excitement. Everyone had a great time shopping for special finds.

After our shopping adventure, we gathered at the café for a lovely tea and coffee. The joy on everyone's faces was truly heart-warming. It's moments like these that make life even more beautiful.