Henford House Care Home - Barchester Healthcare

30/10/2025

🎃Halloween Tales with Babayaga and Vassilissa Magical Doll 🪆🗝️

Yesterday at Henford House, our residents began the day with a pottery session and friendly room visits filled with warmth and smiles.

After lunch, we gathered for a special Halloween storytelling and craft activity inspired by the Slavic tale of Baba Yaga and Vasilissa — a story of courage, wisdom, and inner light.

We created a magical doll, representing the young girl within us all — the one who carries the flame of intuition, hope, and light through life’s darkest forests.

Baba Yaga, the wise old woman of the woods, reminds us that every challenge can become a doorway to transformation.

🕯️ “The girl represents our inner light — the part of us that always finds the way home.”

A heartfelt afternoon of creativity, storytelling, and a touch of Halloween magic at Henford House 💜✨

28/10/2025

Pumpkin Crafts🎃🧶
The Halloween feels are in full swing at Henford🧡. Using empty loo rolls, some wool, and a whole lot of creativity we made some mini pumpkins✨
We love doing little projects like this, all having a chat and a laugh with cake and coffee, whilst crafting some cute decorations! Who knew some empty loo rolls could turn into a mini pumpkin patch?🎃🤩
A wonderful afternoon for our residents!

28/10/2025

Trick or Treat at Henford House🎃👻
This Halloween, we’re inviting children to come on in and join our residents for some Halloween fun and sweet treats🍬🍭. Majority of our residents have such fond memories of Halloween and the festivities surrounding the event, and we want to carry on making it a fun time for them and continue creating memories!
Please come on the 31st October from 3:30pm-5:00pm to see us!
We look forward to seeing you in your creative costumes spreading the spooky spirits. It’s all about fun, laughter, and community spirit🧡.

27/10/2025

Pumpkins and Petals🎃🌸
This morning our residents got in the Halloween mood doing one of their favourite activities - flower arranging, but with a twist…🎃. Embracing the spooky season, we gutted some pumpkins to use as a vase for our beautiful arrangements🌼🌷🌸.
Our residents had a wonderful time picking their blooms💐, reminiscing on their past Halloweens, and getting right into the seasonal spirit👻. The pumpkin flower bunches are now on display, bringing some extra colour and joy into the home!🧡

24/10/2025

A trip to the Garden Centre this week👩🏼‍🌾👨🏽‍🌾
Many of our residents used to thoroughly enjoy their gardening when they used to live independently so, it’s always a special day when we get the chance to take them out to the garden centres!🌸🪴
We enjoyed a lovely stroll looking at all the plants and flowers, we had some delicious cake & coffee, and the christmas stock was out which was very fun to look at… getting us in the festive feels already.🎅🏻🎄
A lovely day out for our residents, creating memories they’ll be able to cherish🪻🍂🌻💚

21/10/2025

This Fabulous Lady had been spreading sunshine 🌞 and joy to our residents for 10 YEARS!
Certainly a reason to celebrate and enjoy yet more music and cake 🎂
Thank you is not enough to the sensational Sophie Eden.
You are very much loved and appreciated by us all, and we look forward to all your visits in the next 10 years 💚

19/10/2025

Parkinson’s support group welcomes Warminster residents

Warminster residents affected by Parkinson’s disease can connect with others facing similar challenges at the local Parkinson’s UK Café this month.

The café, for people living with Parkinson’s disease and those supporting someone with the condition, meets monthly on the third Tuesday of each month at Henford House Care Home. The next sessions will take place from 2pm to 3.30pm on Tuesday 21st October and Tuesday 18th November.

“This is a friendly and inclusive group, sharing experiences and mutual support,” say organisers.

Refreshments including tea, coffee and cakes will be available throughout the day.

Pictured: Cllr Stacie Allensby and Cllr Andrew Cooper with Trish Alton, manager at Henford House and Lauren MacDevitt from Parkinson’s UK at the launch event for the Parkinson’s UK Café

Read more here: https://buff.ly/dYiHbhu

18/10/2025

Please share to everyone who might benefit from some support due to providing care support to a loved one. Carer Support Wiltshire will be delivering the next Warminster group on Monday 20th Oct at Henford House - everyone is welcome!

14/10/2025

A Special Blessing at Henford House ✨🐾
Today we were delighted to welcome members of our local church into the care home for a heartwarming Blessing of the Animals service. Residents, staff, and visitors gathered with their beloved pets for a beautiful moment of prayer, reflection, and joy.🧡
The service reminded us of the comfort and companionship our furry friends bring into our lives, and how deeply they are part of our families and community. There was plenty of smiles and wagging tails this morning!🐶🐱🕊️
Animals bring our residents so much joy, it’s lovely to see that even as we grow older animals are still of such significance to us! Hence why we believe a service like today is such a special occasion.🐾💝

13/10/2025

A Day Full of Joy at Henford House 💐👧🏼🧑‍🧒‍🧒
This morning was filled with laughter and energy as our lovely residents spent time with some very special little visitors! The room came alive with games and lots of smiles as generations came together.💛Our monthly baby and toddler group is such a special time for our residents - please come along to our next one on the 10th November!
Later in the afternoon, things took a peaceful turn as our residents enjoyed a relaxing flower arranging session. Surrounded by beautiful blooms and soft music and plenty of tea and cake🍰, they created stunning displays full of colour and creativity. 🌸🌿Thank you to our expert flourist, Maureen for helping the residents express their imagination and creativity - we always enjoy your visits.🤩

13/10/2025

🐶🐱🐰Calling all pet owners - we have a very special event tomorrow at Henford House, where we are hosting our annual Pet Service and Blessing.
Bring along your pet (or even a photo) and give thanks for all that they bring to our lives.

12/10/2025

Come and join us for fun and giggles tomorrow morning

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. 👏

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.