Ashcombe House Care Home - Barchester Healthcare

25/10/2025

Hot Chocolate and Cookie Tasting🍪

We tried a selection of different hot chocolates including Black Forest Gateaux, Coconut, Orange and salted caramel🍫 along with salted caramel, triple chocolate, white chocolate and milk choc chip cookies. 🍪

Such a cozy way to spend an Autumn afternoon. 🍂🍪🍫



To find out more about life at our home please visit our website https://www.barchester.com/home/ashcombe-house-care-home or give us a call on 01256 214471

24/10/2025

Baking For Fun 🧑‍🍳

We had so much fun making Oat and Raisin Cookies during our ‘baking for fun’ session this week🍪. We shared stories of our favourite bakes over the years. Peggy would like us to make some more of our delicious malt loaf 🥰

Our Oat and Raisin cookies were enjoyed with a lovely afternoon cup of tea. ☕️🍪



To find out more about life at our home please visit our website https://www.barchester.com/home/ashcombe-house-care-home or give us a call on 01256 214471

22/10/2025

🎶Talisha 🎤

This afternoon we welcomed Talisha back to Ashcombe House for a music filled afternoon.🎼🎵

We tapped our feet, clapped our hands and had a good time singing along 👣👏🎤. Ken and Peggy each had a little dance!💃 🕺

Thank you Talisha for bringing so much joy into our home 🥰



To find out more about life at our home please visit our website https://www.barchester.com/home/ashcombe-house-care-home or give us a call on 01256 214471

21/10/2025

Employee Of The Month 🌟

We’re thrilled to celebrate Lauren, one of our wonderful carers, as our Employee of the Month! 🏆💐

Lauren was voted for by our residents’ families and friends for her kindness, dedication, and the incredible care she provides every single day. 💖

Congratulations, Lauren! 👏👏 Your hard work and compassion make such a difference to everyone here, and this recognition is so well deserved! 💫



To find out more about life at our home please visit our website https://www.barchester.com/home/ashcombe-house-care-home or give us a call on 01256 214471

16/10/2025

Morrisons! 🛒

Our minibus was in the garage for its MOT, however this didn’t stop us from a cheeky outing to Morrisons!🛒

We wrapped up warm to walk to Morrisons, admiring the autumn leaves on the trees along the way. 🍁🍂

After a stroll along the aisles and a bit of shopping we headed to the cafe for a lovely hot drink and some cake. 🛍️🍰🫖

Babs said how lovely it was to go out and about🥰



To find out more about life at our home please visit our website https://www.barchester.com/home/ashcombe-house-care-home or give us a call on 01256 214471

14/10/2025

Birthday Bingo Outing 🥳

Shirley celebrated her birthday with style today, with an afternoon at the Bingo!🎉. The bingo hall gifted Shirley a box of chocolates to say happy birthday before we sat down to some very fast games of bingo 🤣

Back home at Ashcombe House staff and residents celebrated Shirley with a rendition of Happy Birthday and a delicious birthday cake 🎂, thank you chef Tracey 🧑‍🍳🌟



To find out more about life at our home please visit our website https://www.barchester.com/home/ashcombe-house-care-home or give us a call on 01256 214471

13/10/2025

Balloon Tennis 🎈

We had an afternoon full of laughter and movement as our residents enjoyed a lively game of Balloon Tennis! 🎈. It’s amazing how something as simple as a balloon can bring out the biggest smiles 😆

Exercise and staying active can be fun!!!



To find out more about life at our home please visit our website https://www.barchester.com/home/ashcombe-house-care-home or give us a call on 01256 214471

10/10/2025

Bournemouth Outing - Part 2! 🚌

Bournemouth Oceanarium was worth the visit, penguins 🐧, an enormous turtle 🐢, otters 🦦, crocodiles 🐊 and lots of different fish 🐟 🐡🐠

We finished our day with the biggest 99 ice cream 🍦 and a walk along the promenade 🌊

Kay’s perfect day is being at the seaside enjoying a Mr Whippy 🍦
Shirley loved being back in Bournemouth. 🌅
Gerry feels at home by the sea 🌊 and Roy said he had a great day 🥰



To find out more about life at our home please visit our website https://www.barchester.com/home/ashcombe-house-care-home or give us a call on 01256 214471

10/10/2025

🎉 Awel-Y-Mor Celebrates Excellent Ratings 🎉

Awel-Y-Mor Care Home in , Swansea passed a recent Care Inspectorate Wales inspection with ‘Excellent’ ratings - the best possible ratings – across the board, after being praised for operating a safe, well-maintained, caring and well-led service.

The CIW report stated that there was a strong sense of belonging and teamwork in the home, nurtured by a very well-respected management team that encourages a positive culture.

Highlighted in the report was that the care staff knew residents well and were dedicated and driven to offering them the best possible care, going above and beyond to do so.

A relative commented: “I can’t speak highly enough about the place, they are so good at the little things, all the residents come first here. My loved one has a good life here.”

Our CEO, Dr Pete Calveley, visited Awel-Y-Mor to congratulate Rachael, General Manager, and her team on the home’s Excellent ratings and award every member of staff a £500 voucher to celebrate their achievement.

Huge congratulations to everyone at Awel-Y-Mor – what a fantastic achievement! 👏

Here are some of the highlights from the day.

10/10/2025

🐠Beach Outing 🚌

We’ve had such a lovely morning in Bournemouth. Coffee at the Hermitage Hotel ☕️followed by a stroll on the pier, the sea is so very calm. A delicious fish and chips lunch overlooking the beach🐟🍟

Next stop the Oceanarium🐡🦈



To find out more about life at our home please visit our website https://www.barchester.com/home/ashcombe-house-care-home or give us a call on 01256 214471

08/10/2025

⭐ We’re Finalists for the National Care Awards ⭐

We’re delighted to share that Barchester Healthcare has been shortlisted in the Large Care Home Group category for this year’s National Care Awards.

The National Care Awards are the largest awards recognising excellence in the UK care sector, celebrating the very best people and companies across the sector.

A huge congratulations to Aila Evangelista from Atfield House Care Home in , London, a finalist in the Care Registered Nurse of the Year category, and to the entire team at Atfield House Care Home - Barchester Healthcare, also shortlisted for Dignity and Respect Care Home of the Year. 👏

We’re so proud of all our teams who work tirelessly to provide the very best care for residents, patients and their families every single day.

The winners will be announced on 7th November at Park Plaza London – good luck to all the finalists!

08/10/2025

Doris Day 🎶

We recently enjoyed a fantastic afternoon singing along with ‘Doris Day’! Emily from Mini Concerts delighted us all with her beautiful voice, singing all the Doris Day classics 🎤

Everyone said how much they enjoyed the afternoon 🥰



To find out more about life at our home please visit our website https://www.barchester.com/home/ashcombe-house-care-home or give us a call on 01256 214471

07/10/2025

Baking For Fun🧑‍🍳

Today we rolled up our sleeves and got stuck into some making some cheese scones🧀

Sally took the lead as head baker, with Gillian right by her side following instructions to the letter, especially the one about making sure every scone was exactly the same size! 👩‍🍳 Precision matters!

Julie was so impressed with the final results, she handed out a coveted Paul Hollywood style handshake 🤝 high praise indeed! Meanwhile, Chef Tracey kept a watchful eye on things in the kitchen, making sure the scones were perfectly baked.

Our resident judges were quick with their reviews:
⭐ “Light as a feather”
⭐ “Very nice”
⭐ “Lovely!”

Another fun (and tasty!) afternoon at Ashcombe House 🤩



To find out more about life at our home please visit our website https://www.barchester.com/home/ashcombe-house-care-home or give us a call on 01256 214471

07/10/2025

🖌️ Pinetree Residents Get Creative with Mosaic-Making 🎨

As part of their first home anniversary celebrations, and together with volunteers from partner company CBRE UK, colleagues and residents at Pinetree Care Home in set to work on a joint project to commemorate the occasion.

Residents were asked what they would like to do to celebrate and decided to create a beautiful mosaic sign for the home.

The project was a wonderful collaboration that everyone at the home could join in with. The end result is a fitting tribute to the home, which now hangs in reception for all the staff, residents and visitors to enjoy.

A resident commented: “It is so wonderful to try new hobbies, I had never made a mosaic before but I absolutely loved it and have been bitten by the bug! I can’t wait to have another go and see what else we can make. I really enjoyed sitting down with everyone else and working on something together, it gave us all a fantastic sense of achievement.”

What a beautiful mosaic! Well done to all involved. 👏

03/10/2025

♥️ The Power of Music: a heart-warming moment at Ochil Care Home ♥️

Colleagues and residents at Ochil Care Home in were over the moon to uncover a beautiful piece of history when they heard an original recording by one of their much-loved residents, Wilma, who used to be a professional singer years ago.

Wilma’s husband, Donald, had lovingly kept the original master copy of Wilma’s debut album which was recorded in 1996. Staff at the home helped Donald transfer the precious recording onto a CD to preserve it.

Everyone at the home watched the heart-warming moment when Wilma, who is living with dementia, realised the recording being played was her voice from almost thirty years ago. Her reaction was absolutely magical as her memory of that time in her life came flooding back.

What’s more, the video of that extraordinary moment showing the power of music to connect, has now been viewed over 65,000 times.

Such a beautiful moment! ✨

Ochil Care Home - Barchester Healthcare

01/10/2025

🥨🍻 Oktoberfest Celebrations 🥨🍻

Oktoberfest was a huge hit with residents, patients, families and visitors this year.

Our care homes and hospitals joined in the celebrations with themed decorations, live entertainment, community events and plenty of fun.

Our talented chefs and hospitality colleagues prepared a selection of pretzels and Bavarian dishes, all complemented by some refreshing cold beers.

It was a day to remember - here are some of our favourite moments.

30/09/2025

☕💚 World’s Biggest Coffee Morning ☕💚

Colleagues, residents, patients, families and friends across the country came together to enjoy charity coffee mornings and bake sales, raising funds and awareness for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Our care homes and hospitals hosted a variety of community events, inviting everyone to catch up over a cuppa and a slice of something delicious, all for a great cause.

Residents and patients enjoyed spending time with friends and relatives, and members of the local community. Our talented chefs baked plenty of cakes, biscuits and pastries for everyone to sample.

The events were a great success – thank you to everyone who took part and helped support this important cause.

Here are some of our favourite moments. ✨

24/09/2025

🖌️ Virtual V&A Make-along 🎨

In celebration of National Day of Arts in Care Homes, residents and patients across the country enjoyed a wonderful V&A Virtual Make-along experience with Holly from the V&A Learning team and designer-artist Rafin Jannat.

Taking inspiration from the South Asia Gallery at the museum, everyone had the chance to experiment with paints and pigments made from everyday ingredients, creating their own unique artworks.

It was a calming, creative experience that everyone truly enjoyed. A big thank you to the Victoria and Albert Museum team for leading such an inspiring session!

Here are some of our favourite highlights. ✨

National Activity Providers Association

22/09/2025

⭐ We’re Finalists in the UK Customer Experience Awards ⭐

It’s awards season and we’re thrilled to share that our talented Customer Experience Team has been shortlisted in not one, but two categories in the prestigious UK Customer Experience Awards:

💡 Best Use of Customer Insight
💻 Best Use of Technology

We’re proud that Barchester Healthcare is the only company from the health sector to be recognised in either of these categories. The winners will be announced at Wembley in October – wish us luck!

Our nomination for Best Use of Customer Insight comes from our Tell Barchester survey, which gathers invaluable feedback each year from more than 13,500 residents, patients and their families. Every single piece of feedback helps us shape and improve the care and services we provide.

In the Best Use of Technology category, our new Connex CRM system, powered by Salesforce, has been recognised for transforming how we manage every customer interaction – making the care journey seamless.

We’re so proud of our team and grateful to everyone who shared their feedback with us.

21/09/2025

World Alzheimer’s Day 2025 – Why It Matters More Than Ever 💜

World Alzheimer’s Day, observed annually on 21st September, is a global event dedicated to raising awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

With nearly 1 million people in the UK living with dementia, understanding, support and research have never been more important.

Alzheimer’s Day serves as a powerful reminder of the challenges faced by individuals and families living with Alzheimer’s, and the importance of early diagnosis and intervention.

At Barchester, our commitment to dementia care goes beyond World Alzheimer’s Day. We strive to make a difference every day, providing compassionate support, innovative programmes, and expert care for residents, patients and families.

To find out more, please see our latest blog here: https://www.barchester.com/help-and-advice/world-alzheimers-day-2025-why-it-matters-more-ever-barchester

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16/09/2025

⭐ Happy National Housekeeping Week ⭐

This week we’re celebrating the fantastic housekeeping teams across our care homes and hospitals.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to recognise their dedication to keeping everything spotless and creating a welcoming environment for residents, patients, families and visitors.

Thank you to all our colleagues for their continuous hard work and support – you truly make a difference every day.

12/09/2025

🎉 Lotus Manor is Now Open 🎉

We’re excited to share that Lotus Manor Care Home in has opened its doors in style, with a Grand Opening performed by the Deputy Mayor of Guildford, Councillor Jane Tyson, in front of invited guests from the local community.

Our CEO, Dr Pete Calveley, and General Manager, Candy Guo, hosted the event and invited guests to view the stunning new 64-bed care home.

Designed with residents’ comfort in mind, Lotus Manor Care Home will offer residential support, respite stays and specialist dementia care, all delivered by a dedicated and passionate team of trained professionals.

Take a look at some of our favourite moments from the event. ✨

11/09/2025

🚑 Celebrating Emergency Services Day 🚒👏

Residents, patients, colleagues and visitors marked this year’s Emergency Services Day in style, recognising the contribution of local emergency services, volunteers and heroes.

Our homes and hospitals hosted a variety of community events, from coffee mornings to afternoon garden parties, inviting emergency services personnel to join for hot drinks and delicious home-made cakes.

Everyone had a wonderful time, visiting local emergency services sites, engaging in conversations and sharing inspirational stories of emergency services heroes, both past and present.