An Extra Special Christmas Love Life Café at Barton Lodge

Last month, Barton Lodge Care Home was filled with festive cheer as we hosted our extra special Christmas Love Life Café. It was a heart-warming afternoon that brought together residents, their families, friends, and members of the local community to celebrate the season of goodwill.

The event was filled with laughter, music, and delicious treats, all in support of two wonderful charities: The Samaritans and Alzheimer’s charities. Together, we raised an impressive £145 through our raffle, and we couldn’t be more grateful for everyone’s generosity.

Our talented entertainer, Stephen, took centre stage and enchanted everyone with his beautiful renditions of classic Christmas songs. Armed with lyric sheets, guests and residents sang along, creating a joyful and spirited atmosphere that perfectly captured the holiday spirit.

Of course, no Christmas event would be complete without some delightful festive refreshments. Guests indulged in a selection of cakes and other seasonal treats that were as lovely as they were delicious. “The cakes and entertainment were lovely,” remarked one guest. Another attendee shared, “It went really well; we had such a wonderful time.”

Reflecting on the event’s success, Barton Lodge Care Home Director Samir Patel said: “It was wonderful to see the community come together with our residents and their families to celebrate Christmas. The festive spirit, the music, and the laughter made it a truly memorable afternoon. A huge thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to raising funds for such meaningful causes.”

This year’s Christmas Love Life Café was a shining example of the warmth, community, and joy that Barton Lodge prides itself on fostering. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for more events in the New Year.

Keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates about upcoming activities and gatherings.

From all of us at Barton Lodge, thank you for your support

Kickstart 2025 with a Fun Laughing Yoga Workshop at Barton Lodge

January can sometimes feel like a long month, especially after the festive buzz has faded. But what if you could chase away the January blues with something a little different—something fun, uplifting, and full of joy? Join us for a Laughing Yoga Workshop at Barton Lodge Care Home on Wednesday 29th January 2025, and start the new year with plenty of smiles!

Led by Nicky Mintrim from The Laughter Sanctuary, this unique session will introduce you to the wonders of laughing yoga, a practice that blends laughter with yoga breathing exercises to boost your wellbeing. It’s not only good for the soul but great for your health too!

Why Laughing Yoga?

Laughing yoga has gained popularity worldwide for its amazing benefits. It’s not just about laughing for the sake of it—though there will certainly be lots of laughter during this session! There’s solid research to back up its positive effects, including reducing stress and anxiety, boosting immune function, improving circulation, and enhancing overall wellbeing.

This session offers a light-hearted and accessible way to improve your mental and physical health. Laughter is a natural mood booster, and when combined with mindful breathing exercises, it creates the perfect balance of fun and relaxation.

What to Expect

Join us for an hour session full of relaxation! You’ll experience a mix of laughter yoga exercises, along with time for meditation and relaxation. It’s a chance to let go of any tension, laugh freely, and enjoy the health benefits that come with it.

Not only will you feel uplifted, but you’ll also leave with a big smile on your face. Refreshments will be provided, so you can relax and chat with others after the session.

Event Details:

  • Date: Wednesday 29th January 2025
  • Time: 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm (Please arrive at 2:00 pm for an hour’s laughing yoga session, followed by light refreshments)
  • Location: Barton Lodge, Barton Common Road, New Milton, Hampshire, BH25 5PR

Spaces are limited for this event, so be sure to book early to avoid missing out on this fun and laughter-filled afternoon.

To reserve your spot visit Laughing Yoga Workshop Tickets, Wed, Jan 29, 2025 at 2:00 PM | Eventbrite or if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at events@lovingcare-matters.co.uk.

Feeling Festive with a special wreath making workshop at Woodley Grange

We were thrilled to welcome talented florist, Lucy, from Business is Blooming, to run a special wreath making workshop at Woodley Grange.

We received fantastic feedback from our guests, who loved Lucy’s session, being able to craft their very own Christmas Wreaths. Guests were able to bring their own decorations to give their wreaths a touch of personality and they all looked incredible!

Our guests were treated to Christmas tunes playing and warming non-alcoholic mulled wine and hot chocolate with cream, marshmallows and gingerbread men.

One of our guests said: “I had such a fun evening at your community event, thank you for holding it!”

With another remarking: “I love my wreath! Thank you for such a wonderful evening.”

Woodley Grange’s Manager, Loraine Tabbner added: “We’d like to say a massive thank you to Lucy from Business is Blooming, for creating such a special evening. It was wonderful to receive such great feedback and that everyone was proud to take their wreaths home and hang them on their front doors.”

Check out our video of our wonderful event:

We look forward to welcoming you to our next community event.

Follow us on Facebook for all our latest activities!

A Taste of Thailand: Community Comes Together at Woodley Grange

At Woodley Grange, we’re proud to host events that bring people together to learn and enjoy new experiences. Our recent Free Thai Cooking Workshop was a great success, offering guests the chance to master the art of making spring rolls and watch a live demonstration of edible vegetable carving by talented local Thai chef, Lilly Palmer.

The event was met with fantastic feedback from participants, with a huge favourite being the Dim Sum which everyone said was delicious.

Tania and Carol who attended the event said: “Thank you for a wonderful afternoon yesterday. We really enjoyed it and would love to be able to come again!”

One guest remarked: “We enjoyed learning about the Thai culture while learning how to make spring rolls. Lilly is very talented!”

Another attendee added: “The home is very welcoming and we can’t wait for more workshops.”

Commenting on the event, Care Home Manager, Loraine Tabbner, said; “It was a joy to see so many people engage with the workshop, picking up new culinary skills while connecting with others in the community.”

Check out our video below to give you a flavour of our special event:

We’re already looking forward to our next event, a Free Christmas Wreath Making Workshop in collaboration with Business in Bloom –  a chance to get creative and festive!

Stay tuned for more exciting events at Woodley Grange in 2025 – we can’t wait to welcome you!

Delicious Dive into Indian Cuisine at Barton Lodge With Hands-on Cooking Workshop

At Barton Lodge, we recently had the pleasure of hosting an unforgettable Indian Cooking Workshop for our residents, their families, and members of the local community. We couldn’t have asked for better hosts than Hima and Bhu from the amazing Barton Lodge team. Their enthusiasm, expertise, and passion for their culture and cuisine made the event truly special.

The workshop focused on two beloved Indian snacks – vegetable samosas and potato pakoras. Under Hima and Bhu’s expert guidance, everyone got hands-on, crafting their own delicious creations.

 

 

To complement the savoury treats, Hima and Bhu also prepared a refreshing, creamy mango lassi. This chilled, sweet drink was an instant hit with our guests!

 

Our guests had nothing but praise for the workshop. Here’s what some of them had to say:

Yvonne, a relative of our lovely resident David, described the event as “wonderful and unique,” adding that her and “her husband, David, thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and the food and drink.”

Charles, a relative of our resident Jackie, shared that they had a “truly lovely afternoon and would love to join us for another similar event in the future”.

Commenting on the event Barton Lodge Care Home Manager, Amanda Cooper, said: “A huge thank you to Hima and Bhu for sharing their knowledge, culture, and delicious food with us. The Indian Cooking Workshop at Barton Lodge was an afternoon full of fun, learning, and fantastic food.

“All of the feedback we have received from residents, families and guests has been amazing. We can’t wait to host more events like this!”

 

Keep an eye out for more events at Barton Lodge on our Facebook page!

Join us at Woodley Grange for a Free Thai Cooking Workshop!

We’re thrilled to announce that we will be running an exciting series of monthly community engagement events, to bring our residents, families, staff and the wider community together. We’d love it if you could join us! 

Our first incredible session will be a free Thai cooking workshop and demonstration at Woodley Grange Care Home on Tuesday 19th November, with talented local Thai Chef, Lilly Palmer.

Spaces are limited, so we recommend booking early to avoid disappointment. 

To book your place, please click here.

On the day

On arrival, you’ll receive a refreshing welcome drink of Thai iced coffee or coconut milk. 

During the event, you’ll learn how to impress at your next dinner party by making delicious spring rolls and have a live demonstration on how to carve beautiful edible vegetable arrangements. 

At the end of the session, you’ll enjoy your delicious spring rolls along with freshly prepared Thai nibbles including fish bites, Thai prawn crackers, corn fritters, chilli rice crackers, and Thai dipping sauce. Takeaway boxes are available if you want to take your delicious food home. 

Important Details

Time: 2:30pm-4:30pm. Please arrive at 2:30pm for welcome drinks. 

Date: Tuesday 19th November 2024

Location: Woodley Grange, Winchester Hill, Romsey, Hampshire, SO51 7NU

Bring an apron and enjoy this wonderful free Thai cooking workshop with some of our lovely residents.

We can’t wait to welcome you on Tuesday 19th November! 

For any questions or dietary requirements, please contact us at events@lovingcare-matters.co.uk 

Barton Lodge Celebrates Indian Culture

We are so lucky to have such diverse cultures at Barton Lodge, and it was wonderful to unite earlier this year in celebration of the vibrant Indian culture.

We are thrilled our residents enjoyed a day filled with joy, celebration and discovery, embracing the rich diversity within our community.

Our incredible staff created a fun action-packed day for our residents. We spent the morning learning about Indian traditions, festivals, family life and food. It was lovely to see our passionate and enthusiastic staff really captivating our residents’ attention, as they thoroughly enjoyed the day.

We treated our lovely residents to an exquisite Indian feast, of beef or vegetable curry, with rice and poppadoms, while everyone shared their experiences and cherished memories of holidays spent in India.

The staff made the day really special by making table decorations for our Indian lunch, including elephant table mats with intricate designs. It was fantastic to hear our residents share tales of their times in India and was wonderful reminiscence therapy.

In the afternoon our amazing staff dressed up in their saris, dressing some of our residents as well, before dancing around the home to show everyone.

We’re delighted to have received such amazing feedback from our residents, with Mary remarking: “What beautiful and colourful outfits the girls were wearing. So much effort they all made for us to enjoy” and Rosemary adding: “It was like being on holiday in India.”

The day left a lasting impression on our residents, with Jean reflecting: “It was something very different to see and learn” and Geoff concluding: “We have learnt so much about Indian culture today. It’s been amazing!”

Our Activities Coordinators, Jenny and Barbara said: “The staff showed the residents how extremely proud they are of their country and culture, we all had a lovely day. It was fantastic to share this experience together. Barton Lodge really is an inclusive and incredible place to work.”

For more information about the exceptional care Barton Lodge provides, please do not hesitate to contact our dedicated team on 01425 209235.

 

Stay up-to-date with all our latest activities by visiting our Facebook page!

Woodley Grange resident reconnects with lifelong friends over a special ‘Crafternoon’

Our residents’ wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do, so when our Woodley Grange team discovered our resident Joyce’s incredible love of art and her previous Royal clientele, we had to arrange a special craft session for her. It was the perfect opportunity for Joyce to reconnect with lifelong friends and do more of what she loves.

We are incredibly lucky that Joyce, now 95, shared her fond memories making lampshades for Windsor Castle and the residences of Queen Elizabeth’s staff with us. What an incredible achievement!

Joyce has spent much of her life travelling Europe and visiting galleries and museums. She went on to make some lifelong friends at a local art club based in Hedge End, so we couldn’t wait to welcome them to Woodley Grange. Our fantastic staff put on a special ‘crafternoon’ of card making. It was lovely to share this special occasion with her friends and all our residents were delighted to join in too.

Thrilled with the special day, Joyce said: “It was delightful seeing my old friends and being able to do the things I love with them in the comfort of my own home. It sure brought back good memories.”

Loraine Tabbner, Woodley Grange’s Care Home Manager, said: “At Woodley Grange, we believe in the power of creative expression and the importance of reminiscence in our residents’ lives.

“Moments like these, where Joyce has been able to reconnect with her passion and friends, show the huge benefit of creative activities on well-being and social connections.

“We are committed to creating an environment where residents like Joyce can continue to thrive and pursue their interests with us.”

It was such a special day, it made it into the Hampshire Chronicle! To read the full article, please click here.

 

Follow us on Facebook or check out our blogs for all our latest activities!

Our Love Life Cafes are back!

We are thrilled to announce that the social event our residents always look forward to, our monthly Love Life Cafes, are back up and running!

Many of you will be familiar with our Love Life Cafes, which we started before the pandemic. But obviously during the height of the pandemic, we were unable to welcome visitors safely and had to change what they looked like. So now, it’s lovely that so many friendly faces are able to join us again! It’s an amazing feeling to be able to come together like before.

We’d like to thank everyone who joined us at our most recent Love Life Cafes and made it so special. It was wonderful to see the beaming smiles across our residents’ faces!

If you haven’t had the privilege of attending before, our Love Life Cafe at Barton Lodge and Woodley Grange is the perfect place for our staff, residents, relatives, friends and the community to come together to socialise. We make it a really memorable occasion and lay the tables with lovely fresh white linen tablecloths and provide delicious cakes – it’s such a treat!

Our cafes are also a lovely opportunity to promote worthy causes, we’ve been focusing on Macmillan Coffee Morning at Woodley Grange and Breast Cancer Awareness month at Barton Lodge.

We’re already counting down the days until the next one! Everyone is welcome, so if you would like to come along:

 

Join us at Woodley Grange

24th November & 29th December, from 2-4pm.

 

Join us at Barton Lodge

16th November & 20th December, from 2-4pm.

 

We can’t wait to welcome you and will be releasing 2024 dates very soon!

Keep an eye on our blogs for our latest events and activities, or contact us for more information about our upcoming Love Life Cafes.

Resident Audrey’s wish comes true with tee-rific trip back to her former golf club

As part of our much-loved Wish Maker initiate, we were delighted to help Audrey, a resident at Woodley Grange, return to her former golf club, Stoneham Golf Club.

Stoneham Golf Club is a very special place for Audrey, as it holds many treasured memories of her late husband Bertie and playing countless rounds of golf with her closest life-long friends.

On the special day, club pro, Ian Stoneham, took Audrey to the range to test out her swing and she was overjoyed to be able to make new memories with her son Nigel, who joined her for this memorable outing.

At 95 years old, Audrey definitely still has it! Her son Nigel said: “It has made me want to take up golf again too, but I still don’t think my shot will be as straight as hers!”

Audrey was delighted to see her husband’s name up on the board for a hole in one and reflected: “It felt like going back to those amazing old times and it definitely awakened the golfer within me.”

Liliana Macieira, Woodley Grange’s care home manager, commented: “We were thrilled to see how happy Audrey was on the trip and she hasn’t stopped smiling since she came back.

Reliving cherished memories while creating new ones is a cornerstone of our approach to care.”

Inspired by her visit, Audrey is keen to continue with her golf, so we are already working on finding a place for her to keep practising her putting!

We are thrilled that Audrey’s heart-warming story got picked up by the Hampshire Chronicle, please click here to read the full article.

 

To keep up to date with our latest activities, follow us on Facebook or check out our blogs. To arrange a visit, phone our dedicated team on 01794 337326.