Lifetime achievement award

Mike Parsons, the Chair of Dormy Care Communities, has received a lifetime achievement award. Mike received the honour at the 2024 National Care Awards held in London on 29th November. The award is in recognition of his service in the care industry, which began in 1992 when he founded Barchester He...

A real kick

Our ladies and gentlemen got a real kick from the arrival of two special visitors – two donkeys called Albert and Snoop. Decked out in their finest festive outfits, Albert and Snoop were incredibly well behaved and they caused a lot of excitement around the home. Our ladies and gents loved see...

A song and dance

Our ladies and gentlemen always like to make a song and dance, but only in the nicest way! They say a picture paints a thousand words so we will let you decide how much they enjoyed it when Louisa came into the home recently. There are few things better than music therapy and when you add dancing to...

Love to bake

Our ladies and gentlemen love to bake as you can see from the look of concentration on their faces. Baking can be an incredibly beneficial activity for older people for a number of reasons, including being calming activity which can encourage relaxation and reduce stress, stimulating appetite and ev...

Therapy dogs

Our therapy dogs Hebe and Puzzle bring so much love and joy to everyone, as you can see from these wonderful photographs taken at one of their recent visits. Animal therapy has proven health and wellbeing benefits and for many of our ladies and gentlemen, having owned dogs or other pets during their...

Magic projector

Our ladies and gentlemen always look forward to playing on our magic projector which projects engaging light games onto surfaces. It is designed to stimulate on a social, physical, sensory, and cognitive level and it also puts a smile on the faces of people who use it. It’s another example of ...

Christmas cake

It’s never to early when preparing for the festive season so even though it’s November, we have made our Christmas cake and as you can see by the size of the bowl, it’s going to be a whopper! Our ladies and gentlemen got thoroughly involved but we are afraid we are not at liberty to sh...

A day of celebration

We had a day of celebration recently. The day started with an awards ceremony for staff, with presentations made for long service and NVQ success. There were also funny awards voted by our ladies and gents such as Biggest Smile and Everyone’s Friend. We enjoyed some lovely canapes and refreshm...

Actively take part in activities

We are fortunate to have so many of ladies and gentlemen who actively take part in activities and this is one of the reasons why we are always devising different things for them to do. A recent ‘first’ saw everyone coming together to make peppermint creams. There was a lovely aroma as we...

Getting excited

Everyone is getting very excited about the Dormy Care Communities Christmas card competition. We have made and submitted even more entries due to the popularity and we are keeping our fingers crossed that one of our ladies and gentlemen’s entries is chosen for this year’s card. Regardles...

Therapy dog

We had a new friend come to visit us at Foxhunters recently, namely Rob and his therapy dog Geddy. We had a lovely time introducing him to our ladies and gentlemen and by the looks of it they all got on very well. We also had a visit from a puppy too! Therapy dogs, and other animals, are proven to e...

Lovely to welcome back

It was lovely to welcome back the children from Llanfoist Fawr Primary School recently. They helped us with our Remembrance Day display and Mary enjoyed being host as she offered the children some light refreshments. The link we have built with the school is amazing and our ladies and gentlemen alwa...

Happy birthday to us

Another fantastic Foxhunters celebration!! We sang happy birthday to us as we celebrated our 6th anniversary in style with music from our first ever singer Craig Balien, who never fails to disappoint. Foxhunters really does know how to throw a party, just look at that cake made by talented chef Katr...

A lovely trip out

Our partnership with Myley has opened up even more opportunities for our ladies and gentlemen to access the wider community and recently we had a lovely trip out to Pengethley Garden Centre on Ross-on-Wye where we looked at the festive decorations and enjoyed a nice cup of tea or coffee with some ca...

Christmas card competition

Our ladies and gentlemen have been working hard on their designs for the 2024 Dormy Care Communities Christmas card competition. This is much more than a competition though because it promotes both physical and mental wellbeing through the use of dexterity (holding a brush or pen) and concentration,...

Armistice Day

We marked Armistice Day with a beautiful Remembrance service delivered by the Reverend Ian Hartland and this was followed by performances from The Staunton Singers and Daisy Belle. Thank you to three of our lady residents Chloe, Jane and Ionwen for placing the wreaths outside. It was a very poignant...

Jabadao concept

We are pleased to have introduced the Jabadao concept to the activity programme at Brockington House. Founded in 1985 to develop understanding of movement as a basic human language, this has developed into a gentle form of exercise which can be performed sitting or standing. It is designed to stimul...

Both ends of the age spectrum

When Ashley Davies was considering career options he decided to gain experience at both ends of the age spectrum. So, whilst studying for his teaching certificate he started working at Brockington House to pay his way through University and gain experience working with the elderly. “When studying ...

Gillian’s story

Had the bomb that dropped in her North London back garden during World War Two exploded, it’s very possible Gillian Sparks would not be alive today to tell the tale. Thankfully, it didn’t go off and as result 91-year-old Gillian has managed to a live a long and eventful life, and there’s no si...

Live Music Therapy

Music therapy at its finest Research has shown how live music in care settings can help decrease levels of agitation and increase wellbeing for people living with dementia. Even when people don’t have dementia, live music is proven to reduce stress, improve moods and increase physical activity (t...

Signature dish

All great chefs have their signature dish, and Ash Davies hopes his can prove three times lucky as he competes in a national competition. Ash’s mouthwatering leak and potato soup with garlic butter croquette was the first dish he ever prepared at catering college, and it also won him the Dormy Car...

Celebrate the success

We were delighted to once again come together to celebrate the success of our team members who make a difference and go above and beyond in supporting the ladies and gentlemen who live in our four homes. Staff from Dormy Care Communities came together in Bath in October for the annual Dormy Care Awa...

A trip down memory lane

Some of our gentlemen went on a wonderful trip down memory lane on our latest outing. That’s because we took them on the Swanage Steam train. We had a fantastic time reliving wonderful memories. We then took at stroll through Swanage town and of course a cup of coffee on the seafront! A fantas...

The most wonderful time of the year

We are allowed to talk about Christmas now it’s officially happening next month and so our festive preparations got underway with our ladies and gentlemen working on our annual Christmas card. We started by painting pine cones and preparing the Merry Christmas lettering. We always make the very mo...

Coffee morning

We held a coffee morning and invited Liphook Day Centre to come with their lovely clients. Our kitchen team baked a selection of delicious cakes and it was fantastic to see our ladies and gentlemen chatting and socialising with staff and people from the day centre. A few of our ladies used to be reg...

A Halloween to remember

We had a Halloween to remember with a host of fun activities, including pumpkin carving which our ladies and gentlemen were horrifyingly good at, a frightfully great performance by singer Peter and some ghoulish food and drink prepared by our incredible team. Black chocolate tombstone cakes anyone? ...

Nice places to visit

We are extremely fortunate to have so many nice places to visit on our doorstep and ladies and gentlemen who enjoy getting out and about. One of our recent trips took us to Morris’ of Usk Garden Centre! This a family-run centre which opened in 1990 and is very popular. Our ladies spent the mo...

Bake on

It may only be early November but we can now officially state that its Christmas next month so we got our ‘bake on’ and started preparing the always wonderful Brockington House Christmas cake. We are lucky to have so many ladies who are adept at baking, as our recent Dormy recipe book demonstrat...

Halloween fun

We had lots of Halloween fun including Halloween themed Oomph fitness session with songs such as Monster Mash and Thriller. We also had a pumpkin carving competition judged by our ladies and we ended out day with a themed musical theatre concert featuring songs from shows such as Phantom, Cats and W...

Halloween Fun

A spook-tacular day Our ladies and gents enjoyed a fun Halloween party at Glenburnie Lodge. It was great to see so many of our families and the wonderful costumes, which were frightfully good. At one stage we thought we would need to call The Ghostbusters! #gallery-27 { margin: auto; }...

Animal therapy

Animal therapy has numerous proven benefits and as you can see from the pictures, there were lots of smiles and cuddles when our lovely PAT dogs Hebe and Puzzle came to visit our ladies and gentlemen. The dogs are so gentle and patient and our ladies and gents lapped it up, quite literally. It’...

Our latest trip

We didn’t let the weather spoil our latest trip with our travel partner Myley to Poole RNLI Museum and that’s because we spent most of the time indoors. The trips with Myley are proving very popular with our ladies and gentlemen who enjoy getting out and about and having new adventures o...

Spooky

There are some ghostly goings-on at Bramshott Grange, which is not surprising given Halloween is fast approaching. Across the home our ladies and gentlemen have been painting ghosts to create some Halloween bunting. Very spooky indeed but it’s also a nice way for our ladies and gents to remini...

Knitting therapy

Knitting therapy is a therapeutic practice that can help with mental health and physical well-being. It’s why it has become a popular activity at Bramshott and our ladies and gentlemen are both still very good knitters. We pair this with a natter too, so it’s just as much about the socia...

Another adventure

We had another adventure when we took Catherine, Margaret, Chris and Jean to the Rake Garden Centre where they loved looking at the Halloween and Christmas displays. We made sure they had time to ensure they enjoyed their lemon cake and tea in the cafe. A lovely trip out, which everyone enjoyed. ...

Getting out and about

We’ve always enjoyed getting out and about with our ladies and gentlemen, if they wish do so of course, and our latest trip saw us visiting a local garden centre. The wonderful Nick from our travel partner Myley Tours picked our ladies up and everyone had a wonderful time browsing and, of cour...

A real social occasion

Everyone knows we love to bake at Foxhunters but as well as creating delicious aromas and, of course, tasty treats, it’s a real social occasion too, giving our ladies and gentlemen a chance to spend time together in The Cwtch, having a cuppa and a good old fashioned chat. So, it provides stimu...

That’s entertainment!

We have many great entertainers who come into Brockington House but few are as well received as the fantastically named Wolfren Riverstick. We think the pictures of our ladies and gentlemen watching him perform say it all. That’s entertainment with a capital ‘E’ when Wolfren is in ...

Hats off

Hats off to Becks, she certainly knows how to make our ladies and gents Zumba! Becks is a fixture at Brockington House and comes in on a regular basis to put everyone through their paces. She uses music and props to keep people engaged and sometimes even brings in her daughters to help out as well. ...

Wear it Pink

We had a Wear it Pink day in aid of a charity very close to our hearts at Brockington House – Breast Cancer Now. It included competitions, quiz and lots of cake! We raised £101.25 in just one hour. A massive thank you to our ladies and gentlemen, families and staff for all your support on wha...

Coffee Morning

Charity coffee morning We had a fantastic coffee morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. It was great to see our families and friends joining our ladies and gents enjoying some amazing cakes made by Amanda. Our receptionist Nicola also made a cake so thank you to them and everyone who took par...

Learning Something New

Every day is an education “The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you.” We thoroughly agree with the legendary musician BB King who this quote is attributed too, and we demonstrated that recently at our regular sewing club, In the latest session, our sewing teach...

Keeping Fit

Keeping fit It’s important to stay active at any age, but even more so when you get older, so as part of the activity programme at Glenburnie Lodge we work with a national company called Move it or Lose it! who deliver exercise classes in care homes. Suzanne from Move It or Lose It was in the home...

Sharing Memories

Reminiscing Sharing memories and reminiscing are important as you get older and in a recent one-to-one session, our Activities Coordinator Reka spent time with one of our gentlemen Tim who shared his hiking adventures to the Brecon Beacons and other places he used to visit. Reka talked about her lo...

Getting creative

Getting creative We spent a lovely afternoon spent making a Halloween ghost banner and enjoying some dog therapy as well. Everyone had a good laugh. #gallery-42 { margin: auto; } #gallery-42 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33...

Movement play

We recently Jabadao as one of our activities at Pine Martin Grange and as you can see from the pictures, there were lots of laughs and engagement among our ladies and gentlemen when they were doing it. Jabadao is movement play that is good for health, happiness and general wellbeing. In our activity...

An enjoyable afternoon

Baking is one of our favourite activities and some of our ladies recently spent an enjoyable afternoon making cookies together. As you can see from the concentration on centenarian Alice’s face in one of the pictures, they took the making of the cookies very seriously indeed but after there wa...

A music kind of day

Sometimes you just want to have a music kind of day, which is not surprising given we have so many music lovers at Bramshott Grange. In one of our latest sessions we had Music and Movement to get our ladies and gents going then the chance to listen, relax and reflect during classical music appreciat...

Choir practice

We are fortunate to have so many ladies and gentlemen at Bramshott Grange who love to sing and many attend our regular choir practice. They are always in great voice and are well led by our music teacher Janet, who also puts on our music and movement sessions. It’s a great combination! ...

The Great Abergavenny Bake Off

The Great Abergavenny Bake Off saw our ladies working closely with our catering team led by  Chef Kyle to make some delicious sweet and savoury treats. There are not many more activities which stimulate all the senses like baking does. Very therapeutic and tasty to boot! #gallery-47 { ma...

Prost!

Prost means Cheers in German and whilst we were unable to take Abergavenny to Munich, we brought Munich to Abergavenny recently when we celebrated Oktoberfest. Our ladies and gents enjoyed having a few beers and some nibbles and generally taking part in something a little different! #gallery-...

Therapeutic benefits

You would never think that something as simple as an inflatable beach ball could have such therapeutic benefits, but as these pictures show, our ladies and gentlemen on our Mortimer floor had lots of fun exercise and stimulation when our personal trainer George put them through their paces recently....

Music to the ears

One of the many entertainers who visit Brockington House Care Community on a regular basis is Banjo Brian. He never fails to please our ladies and gentlemen with his singing and instrument playing and he also encourages everyone to pick up an instrument themselves and sing-a-long to class tunes from...

Top marks

The catering and hospitality team at Foxhunters are celebrating another success after hygiene standards in the kitchens were given top marks by Inspectors. The home recently received the maximum food hygiene 5-star rating in the Government inspections that check on how food is managed, handled, stor...

Dancing shoes

It was time to get our dancing shoes back on on for a lovely session of dancing with our wonderful teacher Danielle. Joan went through the steps to the waltz too! What a lovely way to spend the day and one of the best things about these sessions is that everyone can get involved whether seated or st...

Christmas is coming

Christmas is coming at Foxhunters and before you all start groaning that it’s still September (well nearly October!), we need to be prepared because our lovely homemade Christmas cakes won’t make themselves. This week we began the soaking the fruit ready for our cakes. It’s all about t...

Live Music

We all enjoyed listening and dancing to some live music by Tyler James. Our ladies and gentlemen really look forward to entertainers coming to the home and as you can see from the photographers, everyone gets involved, whether it’s getting up to dance, singing or just tapping their feet. ...

A trip down memory lane

It’s always nice to take a trip down memory lane as part of our reminiscence sessions and this time we looked at pictures of famous female movie stars. Everyone loved talking about the films they had seen them in. A real therapeutic but fun activity. #gallery-54 { margin: auto; } ...

A wonderful trip

We had a wonderful trip courtesy of our travel partner Myley to Boscombe Pier recently. Sunshine, laughter, coffees and drawing in the sand! Pure sunshine therapy. We could have been in the Mediterranean, although if this week’s weather is anything to go by, it will be more like the Antarctic ...

Feeling more like summer

With early autumn feeling more like summer than the actual summer we made the very most of it, starting with exercises with fitness instructor Carl and then relaxing with a cup of tea and soaking up the rays and important Vitamin D! We need to make the most of it, not that it ever stops us from enjo...

Bramshott Bakers

The Bramshott Bakers were in full flow making a Dorset Apple Cake. The unmistakeable smell of baking was wafting throughout the home as our ladies and gentlemen made some a lovey cake, which we can confirm was delicious. Apple Dorset Cake is so names because of the abundance of apples in the county ...

Intergenerational care continues

It was lovely to welcome back a new group of children from Llanfoist Fawr School. The ladies and gentlemen enjoyed playing games and showing photos of their travels in our get to know you session. Along with learning some new Welsh words, we enjoyed getting to know our new friends.  Thank you Miss ...

A talk on jewellery

We recently welcomed Mari from Mari Thomas Jewellery to Foxhunters to give a talk on jewellery. Mari is an award-winning contemporary designer jeweller and goldsmith and gave a very interesting talk, display and discussion on the fantastic jewellery she makes. She also showed us an Eisteddford crown...

Lovely trips

We continue to enjoy some lovely trips in Herefordshire and beyond courtesy of our travel partner Myley Tours and our fantastic driver Nick. Recent destinations have included the Wellington Garden Centre where we had a good look around and enjoyed a cuppa and a cake. It’s great for everyone to...

Fun and games

There are always lots of fun and games going on at Brockington House. Traditional games like Scrabble and Game of Knowledge and then newer, non-traditional games like Jabadao which is movement play that is good for health, happiness and general wellbeing. The latter has proved so popular our ladies ...

Recipe book

Dormy Care Communities has ensured the memories of the ladies and gentlemen in our homes will live forever through the publication of a new recipe book. From the Heart of Home is the name of the book, which is a compilation of classic recipes handed down through generations and recalled by the ladie...

Memory lane

Stepping down memory lane always brings lots of stories and laughter with our ladies and gentlemen in our reminiscence sessions. Another great brain training exercise. Studies have shown that older people who reminisce have lower blood pressure and heart rates, along with a host of other benefits. ...

Pets as Therapy

There are always lots of smiles and cuddles when our beautiful Pets As Therapy (PAT) dogs come. They provide lovely memories of pets our ladies and gents used to have. Animal therapy, especially dogs, like this touches people psychologically, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. ...

BBQ lunch

We had a lovely BBQ lunch for our ladies and gentlemen and their families. The sun shone and whilst it was a little cooler (autumn is here after all), an extra jumper or a coat was all that was needed for those who opted to eat outside. It was a really nice social afternoon for everyone concerned. ...

Dog show

What an absolutely amazing day we had at our Bramshott Grange Fun Dog Show. Our Home Director Pam was joined by two of our lovely ladies, Barbara and Janet; as judges and Gill and Emily ran a tombola and we had a wonderful cake stall. It was lovely to see so many friends, family and of course the am...

New location

Our ladies had a trip out to a new location courtesy of the wonderful Nick from our tour operator Myley. He took us to Goytre Wharf where we had lovely stroll along the canal and then a tasty scone and cup of tea. Nothing beats some early autumn fresh air! #gallery-66 { margin: auto; }...

Singing and dancing

We had a lovely morning courtesy of  a local group called The Family Music Haven. There was lots of singing and dancing to our favourite music along with melodies played on the flute and piano. Thank you to Debbie and Heather for such a lovely morning. Our ladies and gentlemen had a fantastic time....

Exercising our bodies and minds

We have been exercising our bodies and minds all week at Brockington House and this activity very much required a creative mind as we did some fantastic watercolour painting. Our ladies and gentlemen requested to paint fruit and they did a terrific job as you can see from the photographs. So realist...

Afternoon of baking

We had a lovely afternoon of baking. There are few things better in life than the smell of freshly cooked biscuits that you have made yourselves and they get certainly got the thumbs up from the Brockington Bakers and Tasters. Baking is a great activity for boosting general wellbeing and it’s a lo...

Mindful relaxation

We are some mindful relaxation with Tai Chi and then a bit more energy with indoor basketball on the Forget Me Not Floor. The basketball was a very different activity but our ladies and gentlemen really enjoyed channeling their inner Lebron James. #gallery-71 { margin: auto; } #gall...

Arts and crafts

We had a busy day of arts and crafts across the home. Lots of concentration and attention to detail. Superb work from our ladies and gentlemen. We have very creative minds in our home and everyone looks forward to these sessions as these are great social occasions too. #gallery-72 { margi...

Word game

We have a word game which we will play each week at Bramshott Grange and it requires our ladies and gents to come up with as many words as possible using one very large word. The latest word was Micropaleontologists and we managed to find an amazing 300 words. It’s a great group activity which...

Art group

We have an art group at Bramshott Grange and our ladies and gentlemen like nothing better than getting their creative juices flowing. It’s a therapeutic activity in so many ways as it requires concentration, dexterity and is generally a great social occasion too. #gallery-73 { margi...

Lovely trip out

We had another lovely trip out courtesy of our travel partner Myley with our latest adventure taking us to Morris’ of Usk, which is a family run garden centre, food hall and restaurant in Llanbadoc. After a good mooch around the centre, we treated ourselves to a little spot of tea and a cake, ...

Move it or lose it

Our ladies and gentlemen were very motivated in our Move it or Lose it session with Marian. These exercise classes have been developed by experts to help improve  flexibility, aerobic health, balance and strength for greater strength. All the keep fit exercises are done seated so they are perfect f...

The greatest therapies

Music is one of the greatest therapies and this week we welcomed the Timeless choir who sang old favourites from the like of Andy Williams and Bill Withers. Our ladies and gentlemen thoroughly enjoyed the performance, as they always do when we welcome entertainers to Brockington House Care Community...

Ukrainian Independence Day

We had a fantastic afternoon marking Ukrainian Independence Day. The celebrations included a lovely performance from Galina who showed our ladies and gentlemen how to play the traditional Ukrainian instruments before they listened to a lovely performance from Galina and her friends. Always nice to c...

Zumba

Sewing Club

Sewing Club We have a sewing club at Glenburnie Lodge and recently we spent the afternoon making glasses cases and drawstring bags. Caroline, the daughter of one of our gentlemen, was kind enough to teach us some new tricks and everyone really enjoyed the session. It’s a great activity for concent...

Summer fair

Well, what a wonderful Summer Fair we had! The sun shone, we had a BBQ, Louisa sang all afternoon, we had lots of games, stalls and a raffle. We were also visited by Top Hat bikers and their absolutely amazing motorbikes. Our ladies and gents thoroughly enjoyed themselves and it was great to see so ...

A fantastic trip

We had a fantastic trip to Upton Country Park courtesy of our travel partner Myley and our lovely driver Sarah. It was great to get out in the fresh air and be amongst nature. Excellent for our mental wellbeing and why activities like these are important to our ladies and gentlemen. #gallery-...

Wonderful wooden coasters

Our ladies and gentlemen made some wonderful wooden coasters in one of our arts and crafts sessions. The attention to detail was fantastic and the concentration levels were very high. Arts and crafts play an important part of the activity programme at Bramshott Grange because they help to exercise t...

Favourite ice creams

We had a visit from De Luca’s Ice Cream. Our ladies, gentlemen and staff enjoyed picking their own favourite ice cream and lollies and eating them outside in the sun. There’s something about a visit from an ice cream van which brings back lots of fond memories, something which is really ...

Magic table

We spent a little time on the tovertafel magic table talking about the music it played and the pictures as we recognised some of the tunes, we then reminisced about our childhood memories. A lovely afternoon. We are so lucky to have such an interactive and stimulating activity like this. #gal...

A lovely trip

We enjoyed a lovely trip to Llanfaes Dairy in Brecon courtesy of Nick from our tour partner Myley. We had a very enjoyable ride as we took in the sights of the beautiful mountains and valleys we are privileged to have on our doorstep, and not forgetting the amazing ice cream! #gallery-83 { ...

Always very popular

Our fitness/dance instructor Becks is always very popular with our ladies and gentlemen and she always gets them moving with her motivational style. Recently she had some youthful support, aka her two daughters, with her at dance exercises which included the use of a giant ‘parachute’ wh...

Lovely watercolour work

Our ladies and gentlemen did some lovely watercolour work in one of our arts and crafts activities. A steady hand and lots of attention to detail were needed but as you can see from the work they produced, they are a very talented bunch. It was also a fine social occasion too as they chatted about t...

Games

Dominoes and cards All of our activities are guided by our resident’s interests and in one case a gentlemen enjoys playing dominoes so our Activities Coordinator Reka sat down with him to play a few games and have some quality 1-1 time as well. We have also got a regular card game which encourages...

The sound of music

We love listening to the sound of music at Pine Martin Grange and were recently treated to lovely outdoor performance from a bagpipe player. It was a beautiful day listening to some lovely music and our ladies and gentlemen thoroughly enjoyed the performance. Music plays an important part of the act...

Golden moments

There were lots of golden moments to enjoy at the Paris Olympics and even more golden moments when did our own version of the games at Pine Martin Grange. Activities included making doughnuts in the colours of the Olympic colours, making Olympic torches and lots of games that kept everyone moving. W...

A wonderful trip

We had our first trip out as part of a new and exciting partnership with our tour operator Myley. Our lovely driver Sarah took us in a minibus on a wonderful trip to Moreton Church, Tearooms and Gardens. We all had a fantastic time and are already looking forward to our next trip. Myley tours provid...

By the seaside

Given our location, we do like to be beside the seaside and recently some of our ladies and gentlemen enjoyed a lovely trip out to Southsea. It was a very warm day as you can see from how quickly the ice creams melted but there’s nothing better for the soul than being near the sea. Hazel and J...

Sweet music

We have been making sweet sweet music at Bramshott Grange thanks to the wonderful singing voices of our ladies and gentlemen. Our tuneful choir are always in very good voice and they receive wonderful support from Janet, who comes in regularly to take our very popular music and movement activity. ...

The Olympics

We celebrated the staging of the Olympics in Paris with a host of fun and stimulating activities for our ladies and gentlemen to enjoy, including ball games, and making Olympic doughnuts and wreaths. Our fitness instructor Carl presented our ladies and gentlemen who have been attending gym and exerc...

Around the world

We went around the world with a host of fun and stimulating activities for our ladies and gentlemen to enjoy as part of our eagerly-awaited flight week. Our destinations for the week were New York, Texas, Malta, India and Australia, and as you can see from the photographs, everyone had a great time!...

Summer fayre

What an absolutely amazing afternoon we had at Foxhunters at our annual summer fete, with a very noticeable Olympic theme. We were very well supported by lots of our residents families and friends and of course all the stallholders. A big thank you to all who attended, including the well behaved alp...

Retail therapy

We are fortunate to have a great partnership with our tour operator Myley, who take our ladies and gentlemen on some lovely trips out. This week they took us for some retail therapy at the Labels outlet shopping in Ross on Wye. It was so much fun doing a little shopping, going for coffee then having...

Foxhunters Olympics

Whilst we enjoyed watching the professional sportsmen and women do their stuff in Paris, the Foxhunters Olympics was where the real action was at. Our ‘Olympic’ sports included catch the goldfish, make a tower with playing cards and, not forgetting, the fancy dress dash around the garden...

Happy birthday to us

Happy birthday to us, happy birthday to us, happy birthday dear Brockington, happy birthday to us! We had a great day celebrating the 5th birthday of Brockington House with our ladies, gentlemen, families, friends and staff. We had a performance from The King himself. Yes Elvis Presley entertained u...

The Olympics

We had our own version of The Olympics at Brockington House, including indoor volleyball, basketball and a game of Olympic charades. These activities were great for getting everyone moving and we exercised the mind too with some creative activities like making our own Olympic torches. #galler...

A lovely trip out

Our ladies and gentlemen had a lovely trip out to Hereford Cathedral as part of our partnership with our tour partner Myley. From assessing each destination, ensuring it is suitable for our ladies and gentlemen, to providing transportation in their fully accessible minibuses, Myley tours are a fanta...

Scrabble Club

Our weekly Scrabble Club at Brockington has become a very popular activity with our ladies and gentlemen. It’s great for exercising the mind and a generally nice social occasion. Some weeks we have so many people taking part that we need to play doubles. Two heads are better than one after all...

Portrait artist of the year

Ladies and gentlemen at Brockington House posed as the models for aspiring young artists taking part in a unique portrait artist of the year competition. Brockington was once again the venue for the competition involving students from the Hereford College of Arts. It follows the success of the first...

Family time

Family time at our BBQ party Our ladies and gents were joined by their families, friends and staff for our first BBQ party. The weather didn’t play ball but it didn’t prevent us from having a good time indoors instead. Great food, great company, great day! #gallery-102 { margi...

Taking flight

We enjoyed taking flight as part of our Flight Week activity programme. It took us to far flung places such as Japan, Canada and India. Activities included learning and listening to Japanese Haiku poetry, enjoying some Indian head massages and designing our Greek pots using a selection of materials....

Hands-on experience

Students from The Royal National College for the Blind have been getting hands-on experience in their chosen subject by working with residents at Brockington House. Young people from the Venns Lane-based college have been visiting Brockington as part of the course they are taking in Massage and Comp...

Young author

A young author says that working in Bramshott Grange provides him with the perfect inspiration for his books. When he’s not part of the housekeeping team at Bramshott, George Thorn is an avid writer and at the age of 28 he has already published four books. His first three books were all self-publi...

The Inspiration to write

The successful re-launch of a book by a Foxhunters Care Assistant has given him the inspiration to write again – seven years after he finished writing. From 2015 to 2017, Matt Purkiss wrote three connected books telling the story of residents living in a fictional town whose lives are upended by a...

Flight week

During our Flight Week, we visited New Zealand, Sudan, Venezuela, Canada and Massachusetts, places many of our ladies and gentlemen have visited during their lives. Activities included doing a Sudanese peacock dance, making maple leaves and baking Anzac biscuits. It was a truly stimulating and enjoy...

The age of air travel

With our around the world flight taking place across all of our homes this week we take a look at the history of air travel and how it has enabled us to visit destinations people could only used to dream about. It took only 12 seconds and covered a distance of just 40 yards but in North Carolina jus...

D-Day landings

Doreen Binks was aged 14 and living with her parents in a village near Nottingham when the D-Day landings took place on 6th June 1944. She recalls the big headlines in the newspapers in the following days which confirmed the invasion of western Europe was underway and the sense of optimism that gave...

Allied invasion

Most people who were alive at the time will remember where they were on D-Day and how they first heard the news that the Allied invasion of Europe was underway. June 6 1944 saw 160,000 Allied troops land on the beaches of Normandy. Nearly a million more would follow that summer and gradually sweep n...

The highlight

Given the range of activities at Brockington House, it’s impossible to choose a favourite but few would argue that the highlight in May was a visits from students from The Royal National College for the Blind. Our ladies and gents have gratefully benefited from their lovely massages and genera...

Keeping fit and active

Keeping fit and active is an important part of the activity programme and we did a lot of that during May, whether it was exercising in the sun, learning some new dance moves or enjoying trips out. We took our first bus trip with new tour partner Myley to The Punch Bowl in Hindhead, which is a local...

Benefiting old and young

The partnerships we have built up with local schools are important to us as we are big advocates of intergenerational care, a concept which brings different generations together to benefit both young and old. In May, we welcomed back pupils Llanfoist Fawr School. It was a beautiful Welsh day, so the...

A dog’s life

It’s a dog’s life at Pine Martin Grange, but that’s a good thing as it means our dog show Scrufts was a major success, just one of many interesting and exciting activities which took place in the home during May. It was great to welcome so many amazing dogs and people into the home...

Dementia Action Week

May is the month when the UK gets into full bloom – and it’s not just in the garden or countryside you’ll be seeing flowers emerging. The Forget Me Not appeal is an annual initiative that encourages people to wear a blue flower badge for the month of May to raise awareness and vital funds for ...

International Nurses Day

International Nurses Day is a day to celebrate and recognise the vital role that nurses play in all forms of health and social care in the UK and further afield. The value of nurses is well recognised at Dormy Care. We have qualified nurses working in all our homes and our founder and CEO, Helen Dav...

Amazing mountains

From her bedroom at Foxhunters, Vera Connolly can look out at the amazing mountains she used to enjoy walking on when she was younger. And she also likes to see all the comings and goings at the nearby household waste recycling centre, so there’s always an ever-changing landscape. And then there�...

Rubbed shoulders with legendary celebrities

Not many people can claim to have rubbed shoulders with legendary celebrities such as Liberace, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Johnny Mathis, and Frankie Vaughan. Or Royalty such as Princess Anne and the Duke of Edinburgh. But not many people are like Pam Savva! During her working life, Pam formed an a...

First impressions count

Gemma Carter is the first person most people see when they enter Foxhunters, and she very much understands that first impressions count. And with her background, we couldn’t have picked anyone better to be our Receptionist. In addition to her lovely bubbly personality, she comes from a customer se...

Sailing through her life

No-one could accuse Gill Wicker of sailing through her life – whether that’s at work or play! Gill worked in insurance from the age of 16 until just a few years ago when the company she was employed by refused to give her extended leave so she could fulfil a lifetime ambition. That ambition ...

Our very own author

To have one book published is an amazing achievement but our very own author George Thorn has more stories in him than that. George already has four published books to his name, the latest one being a work of historical fiction titled ‘Black Hearts Be Damned,’ which imagines an alternative histo...

Part of the furniture

Debbie Powell is quite literally a part of the furniture at Foxhunters, having been here since the home opened. In fact, she joined whilst the home was still being built! Debbie, who is our Assistant Administrator, was part of the team who helped get Foxhunters open, including interviewing and induc...

A clean freak

By her own admission, Brockington House Head Housekeeper Bev Price is a freak – a clean freak that is! And we know our ladies and gentlemen and their families wouldn’t have it any other way! This, remarkably, is Bev’s first professional job in cleaning, having joined Brockington House in 2...

A unique set of challenges

The maintenance of a luxury residential care home like Brockington House presents a unique set of challenges. This is because not only is it a place of work, more importantly it’s somewhere our ladies and gentlemen call their home. It is therefore vital that Brockington remains a pleasant, safe, a...

The next generation of nurses

Brockington House is always happy to encourage the next generation of nurses and recently we have been pleased to welcome Student Nurses from the University of Worcester. One of the Nurses gaining hands-on experience with us is Liv Evans. Liv’s family work in health and social care so they say it ...

Found her calling

Daisy O’Donnell knew she had found her calling as a carer when one of the ladies at Brockington House specifically asked for her to accompany her to the funeral of her husband. Daisy had forged a lovely bond with the lady and her husband, who both lived at Brockington. She says: “I loved caring ...

A complete U-turn

With a degree in economics and international business, Alexandra Onisor was headed for a career in banking until she did a complete U-turn and became a nurse. Alexandra’s story begins in her native Romania where she did her degree. But with a career in finance beckoning, she had a change of heart ...

Following the advice

Benito Birrell’s dream is to become a fire-fighter and he is following the advice of his uncle (who is also a fire-fighter) to help him realise his dream. Benito’s uncle said he would have a better chance of being picked in the selection process if he can demonstrate he has work/life experience ...

Affinity for animals

Maggie Taft inherited her affinity for animals through her father’s veterinary work, but that’s not the only thing she inherited from him. He was also an accomplished artist and it’s something Maggie was introduced to an early age, and which continues to inspire her today. You will often find ...

Going to extra lengths

Brockington House is going to extra lengths to ensure residents who suffer from a condition which makes mealtimes more difficult are still able to enjoy food which looks appetising, and safe. Science has proven that first impressions count when it comes to food, but this can be challenging when the ...

The roles were reversed

The roles were reversed when art students returned to Brockington House as part of an intergenerational link-up. In 2023, students from Hereford College of Art took part in what is believed to have been a national first – a portrait artist of the year competition held in Brockington. The ladies an...

Special memories

A football-based initiative that uses sport to stimulate memories in older people is paying dividends for ladies and gentlemen living at Brockington – and it also brought back particularly special memories for a former Hereford Town footballer! As part of the Talk Football project, Herefordshire F...

National Scrabble Day

What links tribal chiefs from the West indies with Amazonian tropical birds and a competition held in North-West England in the eighties? Give up? Well, the word Caziques is used to describe both the birds and the chiefs – a fact demonstrated to great effect by Dr Karl Khoshnaw when he used it at ...

Easter arts and crafts

Easter arts and crafts (including making crosses), a quiz, some music played by our talented gentlemen Grenville, a visit from the Easter bunny and a visit from Monty the Easter PAT dog made a lovely long Easte weekend for our ladies and gentlemen at Pine Martin Grange. #gallery-111 { mar...

Easter donkey

As well as the Easter rabbit, our ladies and gentlemen were treated to a visit from the Easter donkey as part of our long weekend of activities, which also included making bonnets, some fantastic entertainment , games and baking our own Simnel cake. #gallery-112 { margin: auto; } #g...

Fun over Easter

Our ladies and gentlemen at Foxhunters had lots of fun at Easter, with various activities being organised to mark the long weekend, including eating some lovely hot cross buns, enjoying a comedy show in the bar, a musical sing-a-long courtesy of one of our talented gents and even a visit from the Ea...

Easter activities

We always make sure our ladies and gentlemen have a host of Easter activities to enjoy and this year was certainly no exception. Whether it was making bonnets, tucking into hot cross buns kindly donated by our local Sainsbury’s supermarket, making cakes, listening and watching some great enter...

6th birthday

We celebrated the 6th birthday of Bramshott Grange in our customary style with a performance from a local harpist and a wonderful birthday buffet. Our ladies and gentlemen had a lovely time listening to the beautiful music and then tucking into some lovely food made by our talented kitchen team. The...

Embracing history

Embracing history and culture is something which is important to us at Foxhunters, especially given our location in this beautiful part of Wales. A good recent example is our visit to Tintern Abbey. On a lovely sunny winter’s day we explored this amazing landmark and learned all about its hist...

Pub afternoon

We had a lovely pub afternoon and trivia quiz in our bar with many residents joining us for a drink, chat and some brain training. We are fortunate to have our very own bar and lounge area, so it was a perfect way to while the way the afternoon, without even needing to leave the home. There was plen...

Thinking outside the box

We are always thinking outside the box when it comes to devising new activities for our ladies and gentlemen and a life size game of Hungry Hippos and a visit from recently-born lambs are two good examples. Hungry Hippos, which was first introduced in the 1970s, involves players using mechanical hip...

Music and movement

University research has found music and movement can have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of care home residents, and it’s something which has become a staple of the activities we offer our ladies and gentlemen at Bramshott Grange. Recently, Janet came in to do her latest session...

Chinese New Year

As part of our Chinese New Year celebrations at Bramshott Grange, our ladies and gentlemen used foam stamps and paint to create some lovely images. It’s the year of the dragon and they produced some fantastic work which required concentration and a steady hand. #gallery-119 { margin...

Cup cake making

Our ladies at Pine Martin Grange spent a very enjoyable afternoon cup caking making and the best thing about making these cakes we eating them with a nice cup of tea after. Yum Yum! It was a great activity for promoting concentration, dexterity and stimulating the senses. #gallery-120 { m...

Burns Night

We had an amazingly successful Burns Night afternoon celebration in the village hall opposite Pine Martin Grange. There was bagpipes, traditional Scottish food (haggies, tatties and neeps) and drink, dancing and lots more, and everyone had lots of fun. #gallery-121 { margin: auto; } ...

Hats off

It was certainly hats off to our ladies on their latest community visit. We spent a great afternoon at the Labels shopping centre in Ross-on-Wye and our ladies particularly enjoyed trying on the amazing hats, all topped off with a visit to the cafe for a cuppa and a cake of course. #gallery-1...

Popular entertainers

We are blessed to have so such good acts at Brockington House but by far one of our most popular entertainers is Banjo Brian. He never disappoints as you will see from the photographs and even our staff can’t resist a dance, with the help of our ladies and gents of course! #gallery-123 ...

Butterfly zoo

Our ladies and gentlemen enjoyed a lovely trip out to our local butterfly zoo, the perfect location on such a cold day. They got up close and personal with some beautifully coloured butterflies and ended the visit with a cuppa and cake in the coffee shop. #gallery-124 { margin: auto; }...

Local schools

We are always delighted to welcomed back pupils from one of the two local schools we have forged excellent links with. Recently, we had another fantastic intergenerational activity with the children from Llanfoist Fawr Primary School. We all took part in an eggheads quiz and chatted about our favour...

A big sing and dance

We always make a big sing and dance about things at Foxhunters and our ladies and gentlemen wouldn’t have it any other way. Everyone is always up and on their feet when we have entertainers in the home and there was plenty of this during January and February, including our Burn’s Night c...

Pet therapy

There’s nothing like a bit of pet therapy to lighten the day and as you will see from the photographs, our ladies and gentlemen always look forward to the visit of our PAT dog Rosie. Rosie helps to bring back lovely memories of when our ladies and gents will have owned dogs, or other pets, the...

Intergenerational care

Our intergenerational care project with Hereford College of Arts continues to go from strength to strength. During January and February, we were delighted to welcome students back into the home to work with our ladies and gentlemen. It’s a great way for young and old to mix and everyone benefi...

Keep Dancing

It’s always a highlight when our dance teacher Danielle comes to the home and in February she took everyone through their paces, whether seated or standing. She makes sure everyone is involved, regardless of their mobility and always leaves our ladies and gents with smiles on their faces when ...

Find a job you love

“Find a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” And when it comes to working at Brockington House, Keith Sullivan couldn’t agree more with the words of American writer Mark Twain who first coined this phrase. It took Keith a little longer to find the job he truly lov...

Lyndsey is living proof

Lyndsey Tyndall is living proof that, in life, if you want something badly enough and you’re prepared to work hard, eventually you can get there. Lyndsey, 33, works at Pine Martin Grange, and with the help and support of the home’s owners, Dormy Care Communities, has just qualified as a Nurse As...

Using his skills

Having spent the bulk of his career working in some of the most highly rated restaurants in the world, Alex Thomas is now using his skills in a different way by enhancing the experience of residents, staff, and visitors at our four homes. Alex works in Regional Business Support for Dormy Care Commun...

The finer things in life

Dormy Care Communities has teamed up with the UK’s largest specialist wine retailer to ensure the ladies and gentlemen in our homes can enjoy even more of the finer things in life. The new partnership with Majestic Wine ensures that the wines on offer in our homes are on a par with many top re...

A bit of magic

We have been able to bring a little bit of magic to our ladies and gentlemen at Pine Martin Grange after introducing a new interactive light projector which enables them to play stimulating games. Provided in partnership with Social-Ability and designed and manufactured in the UK, the Happiness Prog...

National Trivia Day

Today is National Trivia Day, a day when we can celebrate our knowledge and a chance to get our ‘thinking caps’ on. Playing brain games and staying mentally active can significantly help to reduce and slow down the potential negative mental effects brought on by growing older, and can potential...

Animal magic

Animal magic came to Brockington House with residents able to enjoy close contact with a wide range of beautiful creatures. Local company Animals Interactive brought a menagerie to visit our ladies and gentlemen, which extended far beyond the usual therapy dogs. Rabbits, tortoise and meerkats, an ow...

Christmas Fete

What a fantastic afternoon we have had here at Foxhunters today. We held our Christmas fete and there was lots of fun and excitement! We would like to say a huge thank you to all the stallholders for making our lovely mini-market such a success. And thank you to the very talented Richard Bevis fo...

Llanfoist school choir

A Visit From Santa

Christmas Carols

Christmas Flower Arranging

New Years Eve

Making Christmas Decorations

Christmas Card Crafting

Christmas Carols

Christmas Flower Arranging

Sharing her memories

Beryl Morgan spent her working career helping to put bad people in prison, and now she enjoys sharing her memories with the ladies and gentlemen at Foxhunters. There’s always a crowded room when Beryl gives one of her talks, with people rapt by her description of life as a Forensic Scientist. Bery...

Generations of people

There are generations of people living in Wales, and further afield, who have Lilian Jones to thank for teaching them how to speak Welsh. Lilian spent her entire career teaching, with the Welsh language and music her two specialisms. She taught in schools in Wales and England with her husband Geoff,...

Anita Jones

Up until very recently, 88-year-old former postmistress Anita Jones was very active – still able to drive, attending history classes, singing, and going to church, among many things. Unfortunately, falls which resulted in a broken leg and hip affected her mobility, so her family realised she neede...

Seal of approval

When it came to choosing a care home for their mum, Margaret Groom’s family knew that it would need to be somewhere their late father would have given his seal of approval to. That’s because Margaret was “the shining light” in their dad Fred’s life and he would have expected nothing but th...

5th anniversary

One of Wales’ oldest ladies was among the residents who celebrated the 5th anniversary of Foxhunters recently. Lorraine Steele was one of the first residents to move into the home when it opened in 2018 and joined other residents in raising a glass to the home when it marked its fifth birthday rec...

Latest book

A picture of life in the South American country of Venezuela in the late 1960s is the latest book from Bramshott Grange’s very own published author, Doreen Binks. The book, Letters from Venezuela 1967-1969, is compiled from the letters Doreen sent to her mother during her time living in the countr...

National Safeguarding Week

It’s National Safeguarding Week, an opportunity to highlight this hugely important subject and one we take incredibly seriously at Dormy. Across our Dormy Care Communities, safeguarding and protecting the ladies and gentlemen who live with us is our absolute priority every day of the year. Their w...

The joys of cycling

Residents at Foxhunters Care Community have been able to experience the joys of cycling the easy way thanks to a link-up with a local charity. Co-ordinated by the Volunteering for Wellbeing Project at the Bridges Centre charity in Monmouth, ‘Cycling Without Age’ sees volunteer “pilots” take ...

The right company

With a father who used to design golf courses, Heather Treharne knew she had chosen the right company to work for with Dormy Care Communities. Dormy is a golfing term meaning you can’t be beaten and it’s an ethos which runs throughout all four of our homes, including Foxhunters where Heather wor...

A Visit from Llanfoist Fawr Primary School

In the week their visits to the home featured in the Abergavenny Chronicle, we were delighted to welcome back the children from Llanfoist Fawr primary school today. The children are doing a project on World War One and the ladies and gentlemen shared memories and stories to assist with their work, a...

Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo

After such a lovely trip last time, today we returned to the Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo in Symons Yatt. We had another great time looking around at the plants and different butterflies. It’s an amazing place to go for a walk and sensory experience. And you even get butterflies landing on your he...

A Trip Out

Pumpkin Carving

A recipe for success

Combining a team bonding exercise with fundraising proved a recipe for success for the kitchen team at Brockington House. Lead by Head Chef Cihan Wiltshire, the fab five took on the challenge of the Race for Life in Birmingham and set a fundraising target of £250 for cancer research. They smashed t...

Awards season

It cannot have escaped your notice that we are well and truly in the midst of awards season with not a day going by without an organisation or awards ceremony being highlighted on social media platforms or in the sector press. Competition within the care sector is well known – you only have to loo...

Pumpkin Carving

A Garden Centre Visit

And one trip was not enough so in the afternoon we visited the Blue Diamond garden centre to see the start of the Christmas decorations and the grotto they are preparing. Our group loved looking in the garden area at the trees and plants and also looking at all the decorations for the coming festive...

A Trip to Hereford Cathedral

the Dormy Awards

The Cider Museum

A Performance from Martin

A Group Art Session

Flower Arranging

A visit to the Clockhouse

The Dormy Awards

Word of the day

A wide range of activities

The vibe in October was distinctly relaxed at Pine Martin Grange! The ladies and gentlemen opted to enjoy a wide range of relaxing activities including pampering sessions, flower arranging, gardening, poetry, hand massages and getting creative painting and crafting. The regular Knit and Natter sessi...

Brain Training

The Dormy Awards

Fun with the projector

Professional dream

Olivia Jones is hoping the experience she is gaining as a carer at Foxhunters will ultimately help her to realise her professional dream – not that she is any rush of course! Olivia joined the home two years ago, following in the footsteps of her mum who also works in care, as Nurse. She would one...

First impressions

The first time Leah Mort saw Foxhunters was on the day she started work as our Home Director and it would be an understatement to say first impressions definitely counted in her case. “It was the amazing large chandelier you see when you enter the home; that did it for me and still does every day ...

What to expect

Fiona Lunnon knew exactly what to expect when she started work as a Nurse at Foxhunters because 12 months previously her dad had been a resident here. As a regular visitor, she saw first-hand the quality of care provided at Foxhunters. “I liked the staff and how attentive they were,” Fiona says....

A Field of Dreams moment

It may not quite have been a Fields of Dreams moment, but for Donna Dyson, it was a case of if you build it, she will come. That’s because when Donna saw Foxhunters being built, she knew immediately that she was going to end up working then, and she was correct! Donna has been our Activity Coordin...

The real love of his life

A year spent in a laboratory experimenting with rapeseed was enough to convince James Thomas that a career in biochemical engineering was not for him. Instead, he decided to pursue the real love of his life, hospitality and catering, and this eventually led him to his current role as Executive Chef ...

A chance conversation

A chance conversation in a hotel brought Louise Clarkson to Pine Martin Grange and it certainly worked out well for her and our ladies and gentlemen who benefit from the wide range of activities that exercise their mind, body, and soul! Until she became our Activities Coordinator, Louise had worked ...

Without one you don’t have the other

“I see my role as championing our staff and ladies and gentlemen who live in our home because without one you don’t have the other.” That’s the approach Helen Lacey takes in her role as Home Director at Pine Martin Grange and it’s as an ethos which has served her well during her career. Al...

A picture paints a thousand words

They say a picture paints a thousand words, so in Derek Foster’s case that must amount to millions and millions of words! That’s because in his working life, Derek was a professional photographer. He set up his own photography business with a partner in Hereford 1954 and it was major success, wi...

Feel at home

Having worked in community care before she came into residential care, Tracey Doherty knows exactly how important it is for people to feel at home – and she says this is exactly what Brockington House does. “It doesn’t feel like a residential home at all,” says Tracey. “I remember when I l...

Very creative

Whether it’s engraving dashboards, designing shop displays or working in photography, Tara Chatterly-Russell has always been very creative. Which is what made her the perfect choice to be our lead Activity Coordinator when Brockington House opened in 2019. Tara ensures that our ladies and gentleme...

A luxury hotel with care

“It’s like a luxury hotel with care.” That’s how Home Director Shann Thomas perfectly summarises what it is like living and working at Brockington House. Shann should know what good care and good hospitality looks like, having spent her career in both sectors. She left school aged 16 to foll...

The best of both worlds

As a Registered Nurse and Deputy Home Director, Alun Woodhouse says he has the best of both worlds at Brockington House. It means he gets to experience the home from every angle – with his clinical and non-clinical hat on. And having also previously worked in a private hospital where no expense wa...

The beauty of the home

Anna Zajacova has worked at Bramshott since it opened in 2018, so few people know the home better than her. But she says that even after five years, she never ceases to be amazed by the beauty of the home and, more importantly, how good the care is. This should come as little surprise, given she is ...

Role models

Bramshott Grange Chef Frank Fatura has two very different role models when it comes to cooking – his mum and Gordon Ramsay. “One thing I always remember from growing up in Slovakia was my mum’s cooking and it still inspires me today,” said Frank. “With Gordon Ramsay I am a big admirer of h...

A checklist

Mark Spittles can provide a checklist of why he enjoys being a Nurse at Bramshott Grange so much. In no particular order, the list would be: The CEO of the company is a Nurse. You feel appreciated. You get more time with the ladies and gentlemen in our care There’s a bright, fresh feel to the pla...

The home that never sleeps

It’s the house that never sleeps.” That is how Neil Freemantle refers to Bramshott Grange and it means in his role as Maintenance Assistant, there is always something to do. Whether it’s changing a lightbulb, unblocking a toilet, decorating a room, descaling a shower head and much more, Neil, ...

The top of her profession

Pamela Norfolk is a perfect example of someone who has worked hard to get to the top of her profession after entering it later in life. Bramshott Grange’s Home Director hadn’t even thought about a career in care until her 40s, but after being made redundant from her job in sales (previously she ...

Falls prevention technology

Dormy Care Communities has become the first in the UK to roll-out a ‘revolutionary’ Scandinavian state-of-the-art falls prevention technology in a project which is already seeing impressive results. We have partnered with Norway-based Sensio, to install RoomMate, a revolutionary safety sensor. T...

Pine Martin Grange Raft Race

When they took part in an iconic local raft race it proved to be a real team effort for Pine Martin Grange, with everyone contributing their efforts! Colleagues from across the home decided to take part in the local Wareham Wednesday Raft Race, the culmination of a summer of community events. Peo...

Flower Arranging

An Afternoon of Puzzles

A Game of Skittles

A Bramshott Dance Class

A Donation from our Fete

Bramshott Grange Fete

Our Dog Show

The Happiness Programme.

A Visit from Hereford FA

Halloween Crafts

A Trip to Oakchurch

Elvis Day!

Macmillan cofeee afternoon

Last of the summer sun!

Roald Dahl Day

Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo

A Trip Out for Tea and Cake

A Trip to St Woolos Cathedral

Bridging the generation gap

      A project which is aimed at bridging the generation gap between children and the elderly, with a particular emphasis on helping those with dementia, is being hailed a success. During the 2022/23 school year, children from Llanfoist Fawr Primary School and Llanvihangle Crucorney Primary Sch...

Community link up

          A community link up that brings different generations together has provided insight and interest for young and old alike. As part of a civic award being undertaken by children from Liphook Junior School, year 6 pupils aged 10 and 11 have been making regular visits to our ladies and g...

Daredevil Liv

Like her father before her, daredevil Liv Button recently took the plunge to raise money for a charity very close to her heart. The 22-year-old dived out a plane from 10,000 feet as part of a fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Society. Liv chose that particular charity because she works in the housek...

Our Four Legged Friends

Across our Dormy Care Communities, some of the most popular visitors we welcome into our homes have four legs and wagging tails. Today is National Dog Day and we wanted to say a huge thank you to our four-legged visitors who truly brighten the days of the ladies and gentlemen who live across our com...

Dormy Cruise Week Highlights

Casper came to visit

Staff and Family BBQ

Dog Show and Fete!

Dormy Cruise Week Highlights

Enjoying the Garden

Morning Walks

A Visit from Rosie

Dormy Cruise Week Highlights

Morning Ball Games

Summer Crafting

A Morning on the Trishaw

Maltese Baking

Cruise Week Highlights

Gardening Club

Out for a Pub Lunch

Elvis Day Prep

We’ve been getting prepared for Elvis Day, creating some wonderful ‘back-drops’ for our celebrations. We were joined by Christa’s daughter and grandson who helped with some of the arts and crafts including painting. The ladies really enjoyed having the help and we think we...

Music for the Mind

Dance Class

Making Bird Feeders

On Canada Place today we’ve been creating bird food to tempt our feathered friends into the garden – and we’re certain they’ll be delighted to visit us! Packed with seeds, nuts and a healthy dose of lard, they’ll definitely be appealing! We also made fat balls for th...

A Trip Out

Working in our Nature Garden

Crafting Bird Feeders

Pet Therapy

A bit of Gardening

A visit to the RNLI

Crafts with friends and family

Picking Veggies

Off We Go!

Arts and Crafts

Ball Games

Parachute Exercise

Cheese and Wine Day

Banjo Brian

Shuffle Board

Scarecrow Building

Bramshott Grange Chef bids for care home chef of the year title!

THE heat is on for Dormy Care Communities Chef Frank Fatura who has made it through to the regional finals of the Care Home Chef of the Year. The competition challenges chefs to not only come up with a two-course meal that tastes and looks delicious but one that is also nutritionally well balanced a...

In The Press: Portrait of the Year

A HEREFORDSHIRE care home recently hosted a ‘Portrait Artist of the Year” competition, a collaboration which brought together its residents and aspiring young artists from local colleges. The event, believed to be the first of its kind held by a care home in the UK, was hosted by Brockington Hou...

Garden Walks

Quoits!

Summer Garden Club

Pugsey and Gus

Foxhunters Festival

Forget Glastonbury or Isle of Wight, the best festival to be at this year was the Foxhunters Summer Festival! With stalls and music, a falconer visit and balloon sculptor, even the rain couldn’t dampen the fun! In true festival style, everyone embraced the damp weather and carried on regardle...

Ball Games

Ambling Club

Morning Stretching

A Morning in the Garden

Thankful Thursday Gardening

A Trip out on the Trishaw Bike!

A little trip to town today. We were invited to take a look at the new trishaw bike that will be visiting us weekly starting next Wednesday. The charity “cycling without age” is going to help us get out and about and explore the local area, so watch out for more about this in the coming ...

A Visit from the Guides

Alex the Memory Man

Mini Tennis

A Comment from one of our Volunteers

“Why do I volunteer? Mainly because I like sharing and luckily for me I’m time – rich.  I began at Foxhunters having been trained by a charity known to Monmouthshire Libraries called The Reader. I love books, I love reading, and I especially love reading aloud.  So when I was given ...

Volunteers Week

IT”s Volunteers Week, a wonderful opportunity to mark the fantastic and positive contribution volunteers make across the country.   At Dormy Care Communities, we particularly value to contribution of volunteers both from within our homes and from the local communities around them.   Many...

A Visit from Liphook Junior School

Arts & Crafts

Baking Rock Cakes

Pet Therapy

The Kings Cornonation

What a lovely weekend we have had celebrating the coronation. Yesterday we were all glued to the TV watching the ceremony and today it was time to party in style with our ladies and gentlemen and their families. Pam started things off with a toast, then it was great food, great entertainment (courte...

The Kings Coronation

Flower Arranging Class

Garden Club

Tyler James and Dancing

Making the most of the sun!

Expressing ourselves through Art

The Coronation

The Choir for Good

Crafting for our summer fete

Working hard in the garden

Enjoying the Sun

The Coronation and VE Day

To celebrate VE Day we watched a documentary hosted by Tony Robinson and then enjoyed a slice of this lovely coronation cake. Janet and Joyce are ready and Nora loves her little coronation themed planter and plant. Some of our ladies and gentlemen are watching the ceremony in their rooms and others ...

The Brockington Bakers

Banjo Brian getting us all dancing!

Planting ready for summer

Tending to our Garden

It’s Defintely A Marathon And Not A Sprint For Alan

AN ‘ultra’ marathon effort by our very own Alan Jordon has helped to raise money for a charity dedicated to supporting people living with dementia. Alan, who works as a gardener at Foxhunters, recently ran 42 miles in an incredible seven hours in his first-ever ultra-marathon. The 58-year-old co...

Meet Frances Hancock

Frances Hancock is one of a select group of people who truly deserve to be referred to as a ‘Pioneer’. In fact, that was the name given to her and the 14 other women who were the first women to be ordained priest in Hereford almost 30 years ago. Frances, who is aged 88 and now living in Brocking...

Wioletta and Cookie deserve a round of ‘a-paws’ for charity walk

A DOG is a man’s best friend certainly does not apply to Wioletta Guzy and her beloved dog Cookie and between them they recently raised £670 for a charity very close to her heart. Wioletta and Australian Labradoodle Cookie walked 100 kilometres during March as part of Dementia UK’s Walking Chal...

A trip out in the Sun

This Years Vegetable Patch!

An Easter Craft Session

Easter Baking

Afternoon games

Art Session

10 Pin Bowling

Garden Club

Craft Session

Easter at Brockington

Duck Pond!

Easter Bakers

Magic Table Games

Potting at Brockington

Cheering on Alan

Amblers Club

Easter games

Memory rainbow and reading

The importance of Nutrition and Hydration

Good nutrition and hydration are vital to everybody’s health and well-being, but as we continue to age, this is not always as easy to maintain. It is believed that 25% of elderly people experience mild chronic dehydration and 10% are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. Older people are more l...

Activities for people who walk with purpose

Many of the ladies and gentlemen who live in our homes will have had pets at sometime during their lives, whether that’s a cat, dog, or even a goldfish. There’s a reason we call dogs man’s best friend and why studies have shown that cats can lower stress and anxiety. Our furry friends have a p...

The Puuurfect Companions in our Homes

Many of the ladies and gentlemen who live in our homes will have had pets at sometime during their lives, whether that’s a cat, dog, or even a goldfish. There’s a reason we call dogs man’s best friend and why studies have shown that cats can lower stress and anxiety. Our furry friends have a p...

Brockington House in Luxury Care Home Guide

A HEREFORD care home has been named as one of the top 100 luxury care homes in the UK for the third consecutive year. Brockington House, which is situated on Hafod Road, is featured in the Knight Frank 2023 Luxury Care Home Guide. The 70-bedroom home is owned by Dormy Care Communities, a company whi...

Foxhunters in Luxury Care Home Guide

DORMY CARE COMMUNITIES FEATURED IN LUXURY CARE HOME GUIDE A LUXURY care home group has had two of its homes included in a prestigious national guide recognizing the finest residential care settings in the UK. Foxhunters in Abergavenny, Wales, and Brockington House in Hereford, both feature in the Kn...

A Trip Out

Arts and Crafts

our 5th birthday

baking delicious shortbread

International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day saw us celebrating the women we admire most. We spoke about women who had left a mark on history, with a photo quiz including famous women in politics , science and other professions . We also chatted about family members who we admired; Eileen spoke about both gra...

Felting Workshop

St David’s Day

World Book Day

Music from Craig Balien

Snow Day

St David’s Day

An Afternoon of Music

World Book Day

International Women’s Day

Animal Therapy

Animal or pet therapy has long been proven to have both positive physical and mental benefits on people and this why it has become an integral part of the activities programmes at Dormy’s four homes. It’s particularly beneficial for people living with dementia because it’s a way of unlocking h...

Our Magic Tables

At Dormy Care Communities, improving the quality of life for people living in our homes is one of our key goals and we are continually investing in new technology to enable us to realise this goal. An example is the introduction of a Magic Table in two of our care homes – Brockington House and Fox...

Our Gala Dinner!

Yellow Brick Theatre Company

Flower Arranging

An Afternoon of games

A Valentines Pampering

Enjoying the Dorset Sun

Rosie the PAT dog!

Spring Sunshine

Dancing feet!

A Trip to the Garden Centre

Samantha Hockey Art Lesson

A Valentines Meal

Queen of Hearts Tea Party

Shrove Tuesday

Valentines Day

Mindful Colouring

Pancake Race

An afternoon of music

Paper Thistle Flowers

Chinese New Year

Quoits!

Chinese New Year Art

Puzzling

Burns Night Celebration

Painting to Music

This afternoon we enjoyed a painting to music session. We took our inspiration from pieces we already had in the home and listened to classical music then put our interpretation of that on to paper. A lovely calming sensory activity and we really liked the end result as everyone’s picture...

Holli Singing for us

A Garden Walk in the Fresh Air

Game of Quoits

Darts in the Bar

Bramshott Bakers

An Art Class with Llanfoist Primary School

Book Club

This morning Lis continued to host our book club. We read more of her book “I couldn’t even boil an egg” which has been very interesting. Lis told us of some of the crafts they used to sell in Isfahan and we are now hoping to try and recreate some of the items she saw. Lis also sha...

An Art Session with Samantha Hockey

Making Bird Feeders

National Winnie the Pooh

Chinese New Year Crafts

Scrabble Club

Chinese New Year Crafts

Relaxing Tai Chi

An Afternoon of Games

Christmas Collage

New Year Book Club

Queens’ Jubilee Reminiscence Box

New Year New Knitting Challenge

Practicing Piano

A visit from some creatures!

Deal or No Deal

New Year Dominoes Challenge

Our Christmas Ballet

Christmas Poetry

Yellow Brick Theatre Co

Christmas Crafts

The Bluebird Storyteller

Love to Sing Choir

Some Christmas Carols

Christmas Singer

Christmas Party

Mini Golf

Our Christmas Fete!

A Christmas Surprise

A visit from Llanfoist Primary

Celebrating 105 years!

A Christmas Party

Brockington Bakers at Christmas

A Christmas Craft Session

Making Wreaths

Christmas Jumper Day

Christmas Card Designs

When generations come together

Doreen’s book club

Ballet Prep

Prepping our Christmas Cake!

A trip to the Garden Centre

Flower Arranging

Singing and Dancing Entertainment

A Visit from Molly

Cocktail session

Christmas is coming!

A Visit from Animals Interactive

A Trip to the Butterfly Zoo!

What a wonderful day! This morning we enjoyed a visit to the Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo Such an amazing experience and lovely to see so many beautiful butterflies. We then popped over to the Old Court Hotel for some refreshments! Some of our ladies and gentlemen who couldn’t attend today̵...

Garden Dash!

Music from Craig

It’s beginning to look alot like Christmas

A Christmas Trip

A Christmas Bake

Remembrance Service

Pebble Poppies

Friday Jazz

Scrabble Challenge

Art Class

A Comical Murder Mystery

Entertainment from Eddie

Llanfoist Fawr Primary School Visit

Knit and Natter!

Remembrance Day

A visit from Herefordshire FA

A Trip out to Town

Remembrance Service

Mindful Colouring

Our Christmas Project

Autumnal Art

Tin Can Alley

A visit from a furry friend

Water colour painting

Tover Table Fun

Halloween arts and crafts

Pen Pals

This morning we had our letters delivered from Llanfoist Fawr Primary School PTFA We took turns in reading the letters and discussed the questions the children asked us. We had such a lovely visit from them last week and it was so nice to be able to put faces to the names of those writing to us...

The Christmas card competition has begun!

An afternoon of BINGO

Llanfoist Fawr Primary School Come to learn

Generations came together today as we welcomed Llanfoist Fawr Primary School PTFA to our home. We had a fantastic afternoon with the teachers and children. We talked about work they’re doing at the moment and reminisced about some items our ladies and gentlemen used and remembered their par...

A visit from Mossy

Autumnal Art Session

Indoor Putting

A Morning of Scrabble

A Morning Art Session

Art Class

Book Club

Did you know we have a shop?

Planting on our Balcony

Our New Art Project

Knitter Natter

A Bird Display!

Some Interesting Mail

Pumpkin Decorating

Water Colour Painting

An Autumn Drive

A Visit from Louis

Trick or Treat!

Some Spooky Arts and Crafts

A Trip to: Thailand

A Trip to: New Zealand

Today we visited New Zealand! We had a quiz and enjoyed some homemade New Zealand Anzac biscuits, they went down a treat. The boys learnt the Haka for us and visited everyone to show it off! We also watched a travel documentary all about the nature & culture of the island! ...

A Trip to: Hawaii

Today we embarked on a trip to Hawaii! Our home was decorated and themed in all the communal areas! We played games, ate delicious exotic summer food and all tried hula dancing! Everyone loves our themed days and there is always plenty of laughs! Keep an eye out for where we go next! ...

A Day of Creativity

Arts & Crafts

This morning we had a painting master class, we looked at some very well-known paintings and tried to recreate some of our favourites. We focused on Andy Warhol and decided to use the Mona Lisa as our canvas! We then painted her in the style of Marilyn Monroe’s pop art painting. Lots an...

Homegrown is Almost Best!

Art with Samantha Hockey

Making a Collage

An Afternoon of Crafts

Poetry Group

The Bramshott Bakers

Summer Holiday Garden Games

Flower Arranging

Afternoon Arts and Crafts

Sandcastle Building

Roald Dahl Day!

A Day of Pampering

Our Dormy Rose

Colouring Therapy

Our Wildlife Board

Creative Writing Session

This afternoon we enjoyed another creative writing session hosted by Dody and a knitter natter session hosted by Betty! Working on our new project, we have started making scarfs again for our local church to give out during the winter months. We all enjoyed working on our first few paragrap...

Baking Club

Winners of Best Vegetable Garden 2022

Sue and her HUGE sunflower!

Visiting our Personal Trainer

Courtyard Golf

Skittles in the Sun

Floral Therapy!

Best Residents Garden 2022

Home Grown is Best!

Water Colour Art Session

The Ice Cream Van Arrives

Building Sand Castles

The Bramshott Bakers are Back!

We’re All Going on a Summer Holiday

Afternoon Cream Teas!

Glastonbury Themed Festival

Colette Mooney Visit and Talk

Today we enjoyed a visit from Colette Mooney. She gave a very inspiring talk on wildlife and how we can protect it in our garden. We took a walk around outside and looked for all kinds of bugs and discussed our thoughts on what we could do. We then made our own origami butterflies Colette ...

Tover Table Session

Italian Themed Cookery Class

A Day Trip to the Garden Centre

Word Games

Giant Connect Four

National Cup Cake Day!

Continuing our Art Project

A Little Morning Trip

Spending Time in the Garden

The Bramshott Bakers are Back!

Our Finished Fairy Garden!

A Garden Tournament

A Garden Quiz

Abstract Art Project

Skittles in the Sunshine

Our 3rd Birthday

Arts and Crafts

Mindful Colouring

Mindful colouring followed by an art appreciation session. We learnt about Vincent Van Gogh. We had a discussion about his legacy and what inspiration he gives to others. Frances liked his rustic style and Sue liked the fact he painted in a style that must have seemed unimaginable at that time ...

Music from Marcus

Shopping for some New Flowers

Enjoying Some Welsh Dancing

Art Class with Fresh Flowers

Picking Flowers in our Beautiful Garden

Coffee, Cake and a Quiz!

Creative Arts Session

Discovering our Ancestry

A Morning Workout

A Trip to the Seaside

Putting Practice

Parachute Fun in the Sun

A Lovely Trip Out

Dog Therapy

Afternoon Tea for Family and Friends

Arts and Crafts for the Garden

Beautiful Weather at Bramshott

Sunshine and Casper the PAT Dog!

An Afternoon Art Class

Remembering James

A Coffee Morning with Cake!

Knitter Natter and Puzzles!

An Artistic Morning

A Trip to Keepers Pond

Enjoying the Sunshine

Cheese And Wine Afternoon

A Game of Pictionary

Crafting Paper Flowers

Banjo Brian!

Hedgehog House

Picking Our Own Flower Arranging

Growing Our Own Veg!

Nothing nicer than #growyourown fruit and vegetables and we have been working lots on our garden lately. Today we picked a crop of lettuce for the kitchen to use. Some of the ladies and gentlemen also assisted with the weeding and tending to our flower beds. You can still enjoy the things you l...

Courtyard Archery

A Visit From an MP

Quoits in the Sun

Art Class: Monet

Vintage Cars!

Celebrating the 4th July

A Little Water Colour

Home Grown Always Tastes Best!

A Trip to the Garden Centre

Quick trip to the local garden centre to pick up some plants then home to work on our garden project. We picked up some wonderful things. We are excited for the Dormy Care garden competition and are working hard on making our grounds look fabulous #dormyinbloom #gardeninglife #project #plantsp...

The Fruits of our Labour! Or Veg!

Some Musical Entertainment

Enjoying the Sun!

A Visit from a MP

A Really Wild Afternoon!

Painting some Pots!

An Ice Cream Visitor!

Learning to Knit!

Some Morning Pampering

Fudge made by the Brockington Bakers!

A Beautiful Day in the Garden

Wimbledon Themed Hats!

Play Your Cards Right

A Few Morning Games

A New Word Challenge

Pétanque in the Sun

An Afternoon Art Session

Garden Games

A Day of Gardening

Bowls in the Sun

An Afternoons of Entertainment

Freshman Great Pond

Jubilee Collage

Ping Pong in the Sun

Friday Fizz and Entertainment

Working in the Garden in the Sun

Ambling Club in the Sun

Sunny Entertainment

Art Class!

Garden Games

Shortbread Baking

Table Tennis

Flying A Kite

Jubilee Flower Arranging

Platinum Jubilee Celebrations

Queens Green Canopy

Jubilee Time Capsule

Trooping the Colour

Play Your Cards Right

Jubilee Fun and Games