Activities at Westlake House Care Home
Residents enjoy playing hoopla and bocce bowls, which combine exercise with the thrill of competitive sport. We invite entertainers and musicians to visit the home on a regular basis and residents very much enjoy watching them perform.
We also have our pet therapy dog, Marley, visit the home on a fortnightly basis, and residents love petting him. They also enjoy health and fitness days, where they get the opportunity to participate in armchair exercises and target games.
We always celebrate National Volunteer Week, which we use as a chance to say thank you for the wonderful work that our volunteers do that further enhances the quality of life for those who live at Westlake.
As well as continuing with our favourite activities, such as arts & crafts, bingo, knit & natter, Scrabble, board games, bridge, quizzes, pampers & manicures, reminiscence sessions and musical memories, we always like to launch new activities for residents, which give them the opportunity to socialise with their friends and families. These could be our own vegetable patches, flower arranging sessions, a book club or anything else that our imaginations conjure up.
Rosie Duhig
I joined the Barchester family in November 2024 and have instantly felt welcome and supported. As an activity coordinator, I am passionate about getting to know our residents and delivering person-centred care and activities to all residents, an approach supported by a holistic, whole-home view.
I have been in a Care support role since 2019 and an Activity Coordinator since 2020. I love that my role brings laughter and joy to others. It so wonderful seeing people engaging in an activity they enjoy and interacting with each other. I am very passionate about Intergenerational projects, as something magical happens when old and young get together.
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 Westlake House Care Home
Christmas Carols
Residents were joined by children from Warnham Primary School, who spent the afternoon singing Christmas carols. They were also visited by Santa and his elf, who donated gifts and the school received a thank you donation for their school fund from all our staff and residents.
Residents have also met many of the students from Christ Hospital, who have been coming in twice a week to spend time with them. They joined in several activities with residents and spent time getting to know each other and sharing stories from their childhood.
At the same time, our staff were also wearing their most festive jumpers to raise money in aid of Save the Children. Some of the residents have gotten very creative and decorated their own glitzy knitwear with tinsel, stars, baubles and snowflakes.
Children in Need
We organised a day of fun fundraising to boost the amount raised for Children in Need.
Staff and residents held a fancy dress day for the cause, which sparked a lot of interest from residents at the home.
Carol Concerts
Westlake House got in the Christmas spirit by hosting several carol concerts for all our residents and their guests.
We had the Horsham Harmony Choir join us on the 7th December and the Slinfold Brass Band on 11th December.
We endeavoured to provide residents with something that they could really be excited about in the run up to Christmas and have had lots of treats for the people who live here and their guests. urs.
Knitting for Charity
Residents and staff members from Westlake House have knitted toys to raise money for Guide Dogs, a UK charity.
Guide Dogs aims to support blind and partially-sighted people to get out and about and do the things they want to do. The service uses guiding techniques to help people with sight loss to work towards the mobility goals they want to achieve. This could involve accessing activities and places of interest in the local community, learning familiar routes or improving fitness.
Resident, Mavis, aged 87, said she wanted to knit the toys to raise money for the cause. Mavis said she was 5 years old when her aunt showed her how to knit and added that, throughout her life, she knitted just about everything.
Barchester's 25th Anniversary
Folks at Westlake House had lots of fun celebrating 25 years of Barchester on 19th October.
We got into the spirit of the celebrations with live musical entertainment, cheese & wine, in addition to fresh cakes & pastries, which were enjoyed by residents, staff a visitors alike.
Celebrating Our Oldest Employee!
Edna is our Hostess – she has worked at Westlake House for the past 22 years.
She has lived in Horsham all her life and loves working at the home and having contact with other people.
Residents love chatting with her when she delivers their morning drinks, biscuits and fruits.
General Manager, Elizabeth Higson, has worked with Edna for the last 18 years and says that she is just fantastic and a great team player.
She is pictured here with Head Chef, Ryan, who said that it is a pleasure to work with Edna as she is so caring and informative – she always advises people about the Barchester way.
