Southerndown Care Home - Barchester Healthcare

25/10/2025

🎃🌸 Petals & Pumpkins Fun! 🌸🎃

What a fantastic afternoon we had at our Petals and Pumpkins flower arranging workshop! 🌼💐

We were thrilled to be joined by our lovely new friends Lorna and Amie, and want to say a huge thank you to Chippy Flower Farm for providing such gorgeous blooms — they really made our displays shine! 🌷✨

The room was filled with laughter, creativity, and the wonderful scent of fresh flowers. Everyone’s pumpkin arrangements looked absolutely amazing and brought a real splash of autumn colour and cheer! 🍁💛

A big well done to everyone who took part — what a blooming brilliant day! 🌻🎉

25/10/2025

🌼🍁PETALS & PUMPKINS: - Autumn Open Day 🎃

Join us today for our Autumn Flower Arranging Workshop - a seasonal celebration of creativity, craftiness and colour! From 2pm

There will be themed refreshments on offer too, including posh coffees with a variety of syrups, hot chocolate and delicious cakes.

📞Call our Reception Team to book your place.

For more information on life at Southerndown Care Home please visit our website:
https://www.barchester.com/home/southerndown-care-home

Alternatively, please call the home on 01608 644129 and chat to our friendly team.

23/10/2025

🐾🐾🧑‍🍳👩‍🍳
We have missed Lottie our pet therapy dog while she was on holiday. So baking club decided to make her some "doggie biscuits" to welcome her back this week. Carole was only too happy to do the honours of giving the biscuits to Lottie's human for her to eat once home!

To find out more about life at Southerndown call us on 01608 644129

16/10/2025

🌿 Busy Morning in the Garden! 🌧️

Despite the weather, we had a great time planting, tidying, and adding a little extra colour to our outdoor spaces.
Nothing beats a bit of fresh air and teamwork to start the day! 🌼💪

15/10/2025

It certainly was a good afternoon with music therapy from Yvette.
The parachute could be one of our favourites.
We’re looking forward to Yvette next visit already 😁

14/10/2025

🌹SOUTHERNDOWN JOINS “CHIPPING NORTON REMEMBERS” CAMPAIGN🌹

Residents and staff take part in town’s travelling poppy tribute

Southerndown Care Home has proudly joined the “Chipping Norton Remembers” campaign — a heartfelt community tribute organised by the Royal British Legion Chipping Norton Branch to honour those who served.

This Remembrance season, from 6th October to 11th November 2025, a striking 6ft travelling poppy is making its way around the town, encouraging local people to pause, reflect, and take part in a shared act of remembrance.

Residents and staff at Southerndown were delighted to welcome the poppy during its visit, taking time to write the names of loved ones and local heroes they wished to remember.
The activity sparked meaningful conversations and memories within the home, bringing residents together in reflection and unity.

13/10/2025

🌸 Mini Bus Outing Wyatt’s Garden Centre 🌸

We took a lovely trip out to Wyatts Garden Centre & The Cotswold View Tearoom to pick up some beautiful plants for Blenheim Gardens reception 🌿
Everyone enjoyed choosing the perfect blooms to brighten up the space!

Of course, no outing would be complete without tea and cake ☕🍰 — and we even had a laugh trying on some fun hats as we made our way around! 🎩💐

A wonderful day full of smiles, laughter, and a bit of gardening inspiration! 🌼🚌💛

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.

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!

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. 👏

06/10/2025

🪘🪘🪘At Southerndown we recently welcomed back Liz and Devinder of In2cultures for an hour of African Drumming. What a happy and interesting afternoon was had by all. Wonderful to see many of our residents play the drums. We look forward to inviting you back to learn more the about the fabulous fabrics you showed us.

To find out more about life at Southerndown please give us a call on 01608 644129

04/10/2025

🎃📅 DATE FOR YOUR DIARY 🌼🍂

Join us for our Open Day on Saturday 25th October 💚

We are opening our doors and inviting you into our home to explore everything that Southerndown has to offer, including home tours and a chance to meet our dedicated team 🤝

WAIT there's more.....

🍂 We are also holding an Autumnal Flower Arranging Workshop from 2-4pm. A chance to get creative and embrace the season of colour. Take a look at our upcoming events here:

https://www.barchester.com/home/southerndown-care-home/life-at-our-home

Everyone is welcome!

For more information on life at Southerndown Care Home please visit our website:
https://www.barchester.com/home/southerndown-care-home

Alternatively, please call the home on 01608 644129 and chat to our friendly team.

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. ✨

29/09/2025

🐾🐕‍🦺🐾
Meet Lottie our new pet therapy dog who will be visiting us regularly at Southerndown along with her owner Sally. Lottie loved all the attention that our residents were only too happy to give. We look forward to the next visit.
To find out more about our life at Southerndown please call on 01608 644129.

26/09/2025

🌼🍁PETALS & PUMPKINS: - Autumn Open Day 🎃

Join us on Saturday 25th October for an Autumn Flower Arranging Workshop - a seasonal celebration of creativity, craftiness and colour!

This is a FREE community event, a chance to make your own beautiful display with pumpkins, blooms and foliage to take home - it could be a table centrepiece or a display for you window.

There will be themed refreshments on offer too, including posh coffees with a variety of syrups, hot chocolate and delicious cakes.

📞Call our Reception Team to book your place.

For more information on life at Southerndown Care Home please visit our website:
https://www.barchester.com/home/southerndown-care-home

Alternatively, please call the home on 01608 644129 and chat to our friendly team.

25/09/2025

👨‍⚕️🧁 SAYING THANK YOU👩‍⚕️🍰

Today, Eva our Operations Manager stopped by to visit some of the teams at Horton General Hospital - NHS to say a well deserved thank you for all their amazing work.

It was smiles all round as Eva handed over freshly made cakes and bakes from our Chef at the home - we hope you all enjoy them 😋

For more information on life at Southerndown Care Home please visit our website:
https://www.barchester.com/home/southerndown-care-home

Alternatively, please call the home on 01608 644129 and chat to our friendly team.

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.