Balclutha Court Care Home - Barchester Healthcare

10/10/2025

💌 National Card Making Day & a Very Special Birthday! 🎉

Our residents at Balclutha Court had a lovely time getting creative for National Card Making Day — and their handmade cards had an extra special purpose this year! 💕

They were made to celebrate a wonderful milestone — Stanley’s 100th birthday at our sister home, The Wingfield Care Home. 🥳

Everyone really enjoyed being part of such a thoughtful project, sending birthday wishes and smiles to Stanley on his special day. 🎂✨



For more information on life at Balclutha Court, please visit our website:
👉 www.barchester.com/home/balclutha-court-care-home

09/10/2025

🎯 Ring Toss Fun at Balclutha Court! 🎯

Our residents had a brilliant afternoon testing their aim and having a few laughs with a friendly game of ring toss! 😄

Activities like these are a wonderful way to keep everyone active, smiling, and enjoying each other’s company. There was plenty of cheering, teamwork, and a touch of friendly competition too! 💪✨

For more information on life at Balclutha Court, please visit our website:
👉 www.barchester.com/home/balclutha-court-care-home

08/10/2025

🦇 Bat Talk with Rob Magee from Gwent Wildlife Trust 🦇

On Tuesday, 14th October, at 2.30pm, we’ll be joining Rob Magee, nature conservationist, currently leading the youth engagement programme at Gwent Wildlife Trust, for a fun and informative virtual Bat Talk.

We’ll explore what bats are, the different species found in the UK and around the world, and learn about their behaviour, diet, habitats and hibernation. We’ll also discover how to help bats and spot them in our local area.

We hope you’re as excited as we are!

The event will be available to watch via YouTube live, please contact the home for more information.

To find out more about life in our homes, please visit our website: https://brnw.ch/21wWsy1

07/10/2025

🌟 This Week in Our Life Enrichment Programme 🌟
(Week commencing 6th October)

We’ve got a fun-filled week ahead here at Balclutha Court, with something for everyone to enjoy. Here’s a peek at what’s coming up:

06/10/2025

🌟 Meet the Team Monday! 🌟

This week we’re delighted to introduce Brenda Storey, our wonderful Charge Nurse on the night shift here at Balclutha Court. 🌙💙

Brenda joined the Balclutha Court family in June 2019 and plays a key role in ensuring that the highest standard of care is delivered to our residents throughout the night. Her calm presence, experience, and dedication help make sure everyone feels safe and well looked after.

Brenda has three daughters and lives at home with her two youngest. She loves having girly nights with them – often joined by her mum and sister – filled with laughter and quality family time. Brenda also enjoys spending time with her partner and his son, even if that means being persuaded to walk up big hills and mountains! ⛰️

Family and friends mean everything to Brenda, and that warmth truly shines through in the care she provides each day (and night!) at Balclutha Court.

For more information on life at Balclutha Court, please visit our website:
👉 www.barchester.com/home/balclutha-court-care-home

03/10/2025

🧩 A puzzle shared is a puzzle halved! 🧩

Life at Balclutha Court is all about making special memories together – and that includes the wonderful friendships formed here. Whether it’s working on a jigsaw puzzle, sharing a laugh over a cuppa, or enjoying activities side by side, these connections make every day brighter. 🌟

We love seeing the joy and companionship that blossoms within our home – because friendship really is one of life’s greatest treasures. 💐

For more information on life at Balclutha Court, please visit our website:

👉 www.barchester.com/home/balclutha-court-care-home

02/10/2025

🎨✨ Arts and crafts are always a highlight of our weekly Life Enrichment Programme! ✨🎨

This week, our residents enjoyed creating colourful silhouette art using bright fabrics, ribbons and a touch of imagination. It was a wonderful chance to get creative, share ideas and make something beautiful together. 🌸🌈

For more information on life at Balclutha Court, please visit our website:

👉 www.barchester.com/home/balclutha-court-care-home

01/10/2025

🍂 October Events at Balclutha Court 🍂

Autumn is here, and we’ve got a wonderful month of activities planned to keep everyone cosy, creative, and connected.
We’re looking forward to a month full of laughter, music, and special moments with our residents. 🍁✨

💛 Here’s a sneak peek at what’s happening in October:

29/09/2025

🌟 Meet the Team Monday! 🌟

Say hello to Rhona Findlay, our brilliant Administrator here at Balclutha Court! 💼

Rhona has been part of the Balclutha Court family since 2000 and plays a vital role in keeping everything running smoothly. She assists the General Manager with all aspects of administration and finance within the home, helping to ensure that residents, families, and staff have the support they need every day.

Rhona is married with two lovely children, who often pop in to say hello to the residents and staff – something that always brightens everyone’s day! Life keeps her busy as she balances work and her children’s activities, but she still finds time for her passions.

Outside of work, Rhona is a huge music fan and loves walking, reading, and spending quality time with her friends and family. 🎶📚🚶‍♀️

We’re so lucky to have Rhona as part of our team – her dedication and positivity make a real difference here at Balclutha Court.

For more information on life at Balclutha Court, please visit our website:
👉 www.barchester.com/home/balclutha-court-care-home

28/09/2025

🌟 This Week in Our Life Enrichment Programme 🌟
(Week commencing 29th September)

We’ve got a fun-filled week ahead here at Balclutha Court, with something for everyone to enjoy. Here’s a peek at what’s coming up:

26/09/2025

🤟 International Sign Language Day at Balclutha Court 🤟

To celebrate International Sign Language Day, our residents had a go at learning some sign language – and they did brilliantly! 👏

We practiced the alphabet and some everyday words like please, thank you, and stop. There was lots of concentration (and a few giggles!) as we learned together. 💬❤️

It was a lovely reminder that communication comes in many forms – and we had such a great time exploring this one. We’re looking forward to practicing more in the future!

For more information on life at Balclutha Court, please visit our website:
👉 www.barchester.com/home/balclutha-court-care-home

25/09/2025

🍔 National Cheeseburger Day at Balclutha Court! 🍔

Our residents had an absolutely brilliant time celebrating National Cheeseburger Day! Our talented chef treated everyone to some perfectly cooked burgers, and then the fun really began – building them up with soft buns 🥯, melty cheese and all the tasty toppings you could imagine! 🌟

There was lots of chatter and laughter as everyone made their perfect burger – some kept it classic, while others went all out with all the extras! 🥓🍔 It was a lovely afternoon filled with great food, good company, and plenty of smiles all round. 😄❤️

A huge thank you to our chef and team for making it such a special treat for everyone. 👏

For more information on life at Balclutha Court, please visit our website:

👉 www.barchester.com/home/balclutha-court-care-home

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.

09/09/2025

Understanding Dementia: 5 Common Myths

There are still many misconceptions about dementia, which can make it more difficult for people to feel supported or properly understood.

As part of World Alzheimer's Month, which takes place every September, we're raising awareness by addressing some of the most common myths surrounding the condition.

You can read the full article here: https://www.barchester.com/help-and-advice/blog/common-myths-surrounding-dementia

08/09/2025

✨ Celebrating Veteran-friendly Status ✨

Staff and residents at Wimborne Care Home in are celebrating because the home has achieved veteran-friendly status!

Wimborne has strong links to the military and is home to several ex-servicemen and women. At the start of 2025, the home proudly pledged its support to the Veteran-Friendly Framework and has been working towards Veteran-Friendly Status ever since in order to best serve its military residents and their families.

The Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF) was launched in October 2023, with the aim of tackling loneliness and isolation, and delivering improved health and wellbeing for over 25,000 veterans living in care homes across England.

Sarah Peach, General Manager at Wimborne Care Home, commented: “There are eight different standards to work through in order to achieve Veteran Friendly Status so you do need to be committed. But if like me and my team, you are passionate then it is a joy to complete and very informative. We have all loved doing it, meeting new people and taking part in charity events for veterans. We all thought it was an important step for a home like ours with so many links to the military and I know our team are delighted that we have been able to do this for our residents and their loved ones.”

What a fantastic achievement. Congratulations, Wimborne Care Home - Barchester Healthcare! 👏

04/09/2025

⭐ LaingBuisson 2025 Award Finalist ⭐

We’re delighted to announce that we’ve been shortlisted for the ‘Care Home Group of the Year’ category at the prestigious LaingBuisson Awards.

Now in their 20th year, the awards recognise and celebrate outstanding achievements in the UK health and social care industry.

With more than 400 entries submitted across each category, being named a finalist is a real honour.

This recognition is a true reflection of the dedication, hard work and compassion of all our teams and colleagues across Barchester – a big thank you for everything they do each day! 👏

The winners will be announced on the 20th November 2025 at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London.

LaingBuisson LaingBuisson News

03/09/2025

✨🎭 Bringing the Fringe to Strachan House ✨🎵

Residents, families and visitors at Strachan House Care Home in enjoyed an afternoon of fantastic performances as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Care Fest.

Now in its third year, the Fringe Care Fest brings the magic of the Fringe directly to care home residents who can no longer visit the festival venues.

Talented singer and pianist Jacqui Randa warmed up the crowd with her excellent keyboard skills and cheeky anecdotes. After a short break for more prosecco in the sun, everyone relaxed to the wonderful voice of Duane Forrest.

It was an amazing experience, complete with a special party menu from the home’s kitchen team, plenty of drinks – and of course, lots of dancing.

A big thank you to all involved in making this event such a success. 👏

02/09/2025

⭐ A Perfect 10! ⭐

We’re thrilled to share that Iverley View Care Home in has received a 10 out of 10 score on the independent care home reviews site, carehome.co.uk, after a series of glowing reviews.

This fantastic achievement places Iverley View 7th out of 7,238 care homes across England and 1st in their county.

A big thank you to the team who work incredibly hard to provide the highest standard of care and support to residents and their families. Truly well deserved. 👏

.co.uk

29/08/2025

🐾 Residents Welcome Furry Friends 🐾

Our care homes and hospitals recently marked National Dog Day in style by hosting a range of activities for all to enjoy, including dog shows, pet therapy sessions and community events.

From four-legged companions to wagging tails and friendly competitions, it was a wonderful day that brought joy and smiles to everyone.

Take a look at some of our favourite moments. ✨