North ParkBarchester Healthcare

Activities at North Park Care Home

Name: North Park Care Home
Address: I'Anson Street,, Darlington, DL3 0SW, GB
Telephone: 01325 271 358

Our teams are trained to enrich the lives of residents through stimulating the mind, body and soul, and taking the time to learn about each person to ensure everyone receives support that adds enrichment to their life.

Our home is always full of life, and we can thank our wonderful Activities Coordinators for this. Dedication to creating a unique and interesting activities programme is what sets us apart from other homes. We always take into consideration that some people would prefer to pursue their own interests, which is why our team strive to incorporative activities that cater to a wide range of tastes and hobbies. Our trips out are always fun and exciting as well, and residents are guaranteed to return with stories to tell their loved ones!

Read our brochure ‘Life-enriching activities’ for more information about life in our care homes.

Read our brochure

Claire Liddy

Activities Lead Coordinator

Hi, my name is Claire, and I am Lead Activities Coordinator at North Park. I first started doing activities in 2007 and fell in love with the job. I came to North Park in 2019 as lead Activities Coordinator.

I like to involve the local community in events within the home, so we have connections with local churches, schools and community groups. We have a PAT dog that visits weekly, so our residents can enjoy pet therapy, and lots of external entertainers, who come into the home regularly as well; in addition to fairs, monthly coffee mornings, family and friends events and so much more.

Celebrating life at North Park Care Home

Musical entertainment

To kick off the festive season resident had the pleasure of an afternoon of entertainment from the visiting Ukulele Band. The ukulele band is a big hit in the home with residents, staff, families and friends.

It was lovely to see everyone come together and to see the smiles on residents' faces.

Bringing the magic of Christmas

Residents of our care homes attended a very special festive treat!

Our residents enjoyed a recording of 2020’s OLD VIC: IN CAMERA – A Christmas Carol. Matthew Warchus’ big-hearted, smash-hit production of the Charles Dickens’ immortal classic, adapted for the stage by Jack Thorne.

A big thank you to The Old Vic theatre for sharing this unforgettable performance with us. We can’t wait to tune in.
© A Christmas Carol image | Photo: Manuel Harlan

Fur-ever friends....

Residents had a very special visitor in North Park today; one of their favourite four-legged friends, Peggy the Friendship Dog from Wag and Company!

With her wagging tail and loving heart, Peggy brought endless smiles, warm snuggles, and a lot of joy to our residents. From gentle head pats to cosy cuddles, it was clear Peggy’s visit was the highlight of the day!

Thank you to Peggy, Peggy's Mum Joanne for kindly allowing Peggy to come see us, and to our lovely Administrator Carol for bringing Peggy in. We can't wait to see our pawfect pal again soon!

Halloween armchair exercises

Residents look forward to their monthly visit from Jerome, who hosts our monthly armchair exercise classes.

And what a class this was!!! With residents and staff dressed for the occasion, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon with Jerome.

Gardening Club

Our gardening club has started back up! With the homes' refurbishment in the last 5 weeks, residents have been eager to start work on the gardens.

Residents have been busy potting new planters, discussing ideas for sensory items and reminiscing. Residents are looking forward to trips to the garden centres over the coming weeks to help pick items for our beautiful gardens and seeing their visions come to life.

Home host Christmas Fayre

Residents and colleagues of North Park held their popular annual Christmas Fayre, bringing together residents, families, and the community for festive celebrations.

The event featured a selection of stalls hosting handmade gifts, crafts, and seasonal treats. It was a wonderful way to kick-start the home's Christmas festivities.

Children in Need

Thank you to each one of you that attended our Children in need fundraiser and cake sale. Throughout the day, staff, residents and families enjoyed a morning coffee, as well as various Pudsey-themed activities.

Laughter was heard throughout the home as staff took part in the “Challenge yourself to 25”.

The sound of bagpipes!

We were incredibly lucky to welcome two wonderful musicians; bagpiper Kevin and drummer David, to the home. The sound of the bagpipes brought back some very special memories for our residents, especially our Scottish residents, whose faces lit up as soon they started playing.

The gents filled the home with the sounds of Scotland, playing traditional melodies that touched the hearts of everyone present.

A huge thank you to Kevin and David for bringing such joy and for helping us create a truly unforgettable memory.

National Housekeeping Week

To our amazing Head Housekeeper Andrew and his brilliant team, we just wanted to say...THANK YOU! On behalf of everyone at North Park, we would like to thank you for everything you do. Our home is brighter and more welcoming because of you all.

Keep shining, and just know that you are deeply valued and appreciated. You all work tirelessly each and every day, and always go above and beyond for our residents. Keep up the amazing work you all do!!!!!

National Ice-cream Day

Today at North Park we celebrated with our very own beach party and were treated to a special visit from the ice cream man!

Our residents were in fine tune for the rendition of 'oh i do like to be beside the seaside' as well as classic feel-good summer songs.
Residents enjoyed an afternoon of games , dipping their toes in the paddling pools, and reminiscing about their summer beach holidays.

Resident Neil wasn’t a fan of the cold water, but said it brought back so many memories of when he used to visit the beach and how he used to love dipping his feet in the sea. Residents were overjoyed when Nevison’s ice cream van arrived at the home, and everyone said it really did feel like being at the beach.

Spreading festive cheer in the community

Staff swapped their uniforms for costumes on National Elf Day (Wednesday, December 3rd) in an effort to raise Christmas cheer as well as raise money for Alzheimer’s Society. Launched by the Alzheimer’s Society and delivered direct from the North Pole, Elf Day was created to sprinkle some festive cheer on fundraising towards finding a cure for dementia. From stripy socks to head-to-toe elf outfits, anything goes – there’s snow better way to raise money to help beat dementia.

On the day, residents and staff at North Park were able to enjoy elf-themed games, including best-dressed elf competition, Christmas quiz, and elf-bingo paired with a festive-themed spread as the team at the home donned their elfish apparel. The Elves could be seen Elf'ing about the Wards at Darlington Memorial Hospital, spreading festive Joy to all, whilst delivering sweet bags and festive cheers to the Children’s wards and the frail elderly wards.

Birthday celebrations

We were delighted to help Raymond to celebrate his 90th birthday! Staff and residents wished Ray a very happy birthday, presented him with cards and gifts and sang happy birthday to him.

Ray shed a few tears over the kindness shown to him. Ray and his wife Pat were then joined by their family this afternoon for a very special birthday celebration, and you can see from the smile on his face that he has had a wonderful day.

From everyone at North Park, we all wish you the very best on your 90th birthday and hope that you had a lovely day celebrating.

Barchester Care Awards

What a fabulous day everyone had yesterday for the Barchester care awards. The home was beautifully decorated and everyone was so excited to be able to watch the event live via video link.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have a National winner this year, but we are so proud of both Steven and Peter for placing as Divisional Winners.

Both Steven and Peter bring a lot to North Park and from everyone at North Park we couldn’t be prouder of you both.
Congratulations to all the National Winners this year.

National Grandparents Day

In the United Kingdom, Grandparents’ Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of October. Grandparents’ Day is a day that acknowledges and celebrates the importance of grandparents. It’s an opportunity for families to show their thanks and respect for the older generation.

Families can celebrate by spending time together and sharing stories. It’s a day to enjoy quality time between grandparents and their grandchildren. On Sunday, Hollie did just that and spent time with her granddad, Alan, who she shares a very special bond with.

National Grandparents Day will be joyous for many. But it will also be a sad time for others too, as we reflect on the grandparents we've loved and lost.

Home host resident and family BBQ

What a fantastic afternoon we have all had today at our Family BBQ. Fun, laughter and lots of singing could be heard throughout the afternoon, with fun activities for everyone, from a tombola, sandpit, paddling pools, stocks to karaoke.

Resident Kath said it was so lovely to see all the children enjoying themselves. Thank you to everyone who attended our family BBQ today. It was lovely to see you all there and a special thank you to everyone who took part and sang in the karaoke.