Activities at Mount Vale Care Home

Residents, staff, and volunteers enjoyed a fantastic day out in the town centre, celebrating the much-loved annual vintage vehicle exhibition and 1940s extravaganza.

Our residents had a delightful time reminiscing as they admired a stunning collection of classic cars, vintage buses, and historic army vehicles. There were plenty of smiles as they pointed out favourites from their youth and posed for photos beside the vehicles. The mini-steam train ride was also a firm favourite!
 

We had the absolute pleasure of welcoming Chris Gilly to entertain our wonderful residents, staff, and volunteers! He treated us to a fantastic variety of classics, including: Saturday Night at the Movies, Dancing Queen by ABBA, See You Later, Alligator, The Day When I Die, Sweet Caroline, Pretty Woman …plus unforgettable hits from Doris Day, Elvis, and Neil Diamond!

The room was alive with singing, clapping, laughter, and plenty of dancing—each person moving to the music in their own wonderful way. Thank you, Chris, for bringing such joy and energy to Mount Vale! 
 

Our wonderful residents, families, staff, volunteers, and work-experienced students came together for a special outing from Richmond Train Station to the stunning Easby Abbey.

The walk was not only a chance to enjoy the beautiful riverside scenery and historic surroundings, but also to raise awareness for the Barchester Charitable Foundation, supporting older people and adults with disabilities across the UK.

To top off a perfect day, everyone gathered for a picnic prepared by our talented Head Chef, Danny!  We tucked into a delicious spread of sandwiches (all kinds!), sausage rolls, lemon slices, and crisps – the perfect fuel after a lovely walk.

Mount Vale proudly took part in Barchester’s ‘Get Moving Week’, and it’s been full of laughter, activity, and heartwarming moments! From balloon badminton and swing ball to a lovely visit from the children at Looby Lou’s Childcare Limited, our residents enjoyed a wonderful mix of fun and fitness. Intergenerational activities like these are so important — they bring joy, connection, and a beautiful sense of community to all involved

Movement matters — it keeps our bodies strong, our minds sharp, and our spirits lifted. We even planted a few more seeds in the garden while walking around to clock in some extra "movement minutes"!
 

Over four days, from June 9th to 13th, a team of Barchester staff cycled over 225 miles through Dumfries, Cumbria, Lancashire and Cheshire, stopping at 17 care homes across Barchester’s North West & Midlands division to meet well-wishers, have a well-earned break and refuel before continuing on their way.

At Mount Vale, staff and residents embraced the challenge in their own way—using exercise bikes within the home to collectively reach an incredible 157 miles in four days, clocking over 27,000 minutes of movement.
 

Mount Vale have transformed our home into a vibrant green oasis in celebration of Mental Health Awareness Day! It's been a delightful day filled with a variety of activities designed to boost our spirits and promote mental well-being. We kicked things off with some lively movement to music, where everyone got a chance to dance and sing along to their favourite tunes. The energy was infectious!

Adding to the joy, we were thrilled to have a special visitor—Bill, a charming therapy dog from Jack and Pals. It's truly amazing how animals can bring so much calm and happiness into a space. Bill was a hit at Mount Vale, bringing smiles to everyone's faces and reminding us of the simple joys in life.

Remember, taking care of our mental health is crucial, and days like today help us remember to pause, enjoy the moment, and cherish the company of good friends and gentle animals.

Let's keep the conversation about mental health going, because it really does matter! 

As part of Dementia Action week, we held a leg warmer and glow-sticks Dementia disco. We invited everyone to join us within the home and our community.

Everyone came together to sing and dance the afternoon away to whatever they wished, too. Doris Day, Tom Jones, Cher and lots more.

Residents enjoyed dressing up with funny glasses and glow sticks. We even had a game of balloon volleyball.

We can't wait to do it again.  

We're thrilled to announce the launch of Enable at Mount Vale, our innovative digital care planning system! Enable revolutionizes the way we plan, record, and coordinate personalized care through the use of handheld devices and tablets. This shift from paper to digital means we can now manage all aspects of care and life enrichment more efficiently, ensuring information is easily accessible.

In a wonderful display of creativity, our residents contributed to the design of the t-shirt logo by colouring in the word "Enable." These designs were then showcased on t-shirts, featuring "Enable" in various languages, celebrating our diverse community. Our staff proudly wore these t-shirts during the launch, adding a vibrant touch to the day.

The launch was a joyous occasion, bringing together residents, families, volunteers, and staff. We celebrated with a lively karaoke party, complete with some of our favourite treats. The highlight was definitely the slushies and candy floss, which we turned purple for a fun twist!
 

Staff and residents at Leeming Bar Grange care home in Leeming Bar and sister home, Mount Vale in Northallerton are celebrating because their wonderful Regional Directors, Wendy McGowan & Dannie Tsoneva, from Barchester’s North East & Scotland Division, have stepped completely out of their comfort zones to compete in the Barchester Charitable Foundation Cook Off 2025.

Dannie & Wendy went head-to-head with the Regional Directors from Barchester’s four other divisions and cooked up a storm to raise a phenomenal £31,000 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.  In 2024 the Foundation achieved a donation milestone of £335,000 which enabled the charity to provide vital help to 239 small groups and charities, plus 104 individuals in one year alone.