Porthaven Blog | Porthaven Care Homes

Meet Alison, Our Home Manager at Cotswold Gate

Date posted: 22nd January 2025

Alison has been in social care since 1993 and has worked as a home manager since 2005, during which year she achieved the Registered Manager Award. Alison has also held an English Nursing Board qualification in Managing Care for Older People since 2003. Throughout her career, Alison has maintained a strong relationship with the Care […]

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Lunch with Oxfordshire Dementia Action Alliance

Date posted: 22nd January 2025

Recently we were delighted to host lunch for an incredibly important cause, the Oxfordshire Dementia Action Alliance. Attendees at this meeting included representatives from the Alzheimer’s Society, Home Instead and the NHS, with everybody coming together to discuss how we can better support individuals living with dementia in our community. This meeting was a great […]

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Prioritising health and wellbeing of older people

Date posted: 6th December 2024

A meaningful, inclusive, and comprehensive activities and wellbeing programme is one of our four pillars of quality at Porthaven, alongside exceptional care, inspiring environments, and great food. In 2016, our leisure and wellness offering won an award for the Best Activities Team Development — which is particularly special as it has only ever been awarded […]

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Who to inform when moving into a care home

Date posted: 6th December 2024

Moving into a care home is an emotional transition for many and knowing when someone should go into a care home is different for each individual. However, ensuring you stay organised throughout the process is important to ensure the move goes smoothly. Remembering all of the people and organisations that you need to inform when […]

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Do dementia residents have to pay care home fees?

Date posted: 30th July 2024

At Porthaven Care Homes, around 70% of the residents that we care for are living with dementia and due to their memory loss and other symptoms, they are often unable to manage their financial affairs alone. So, who is responsible for paying care home fees and is there any funding available for dementia-specific illnesses? In […]

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Care home vs home care: Why choose a care home?

Date posted: 27th July 2024

As we age, we’ll likely each need a little care and support at some point. Whether that’s help carrying out day-to-day tasks, or assistance with developing medical conditions, it’s important that we take the time to choose the correct care for ourselves and our loved ones. What is the difference between a care home and […]

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Are Next of Kin Responsible for Care Home Fees?

Date posted: 24th July 2024

There is a lot to consider when moving a loved one into a care home, with one of the biggest considerations being how the fees are going to be paid and by whom. Unless a signed contract is in place, the next of kin is not responsible for the care home fees of their loved one. This article […]

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Choosing a Care Home: A Complete Guide

Date posted: 21st July 2024

Your complete guide to choosing a care home Selecting the right care home for your loved one is a significant decision that requires careful consideration and research. It means finding a place where they will be safe, well cared for, and supported to enjoy their best quality of life. In this article, we will provide you with a guide […]

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When Should Someone Go Into a Care Home?

Date posted: 15th July 2024

As we age, our health, needs, and capabilities all inevitably change. At some point, the question of whether a care home is necessary may arise. While this is a deeply personal, and often difficult decision to make, it is an important one. Ensure you consider all factors involved in order to prioritise the well-being and quality of life […]

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March Marie Curie fundraiser

Date posted: 7th July 2024

This year we took part in Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal by hosting a traditional pub quiz complete with prizes for the winners! Alongside visitors from our local U3A and Women’s Institute, our residents, their loved ones and our team members had a brilliant evening competing in the quiz, which included a general knowledge round, […]

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Our multi-talented Steve

Date posted: 4th July 2024

Recently our fantastic Chef Steve, who is also an artist, started an art group for our residents, which has gone down a treat and continues to grow. Each session, Steve brings a piece of art in for our residents to work on, and our activities and wellbeing team have been overjoyed to see how keen […]

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Lovely lambs

Date posted: 1st July 2024

In April we were visited once again by our friends from Inspiring Animal Therapy, who brought with them a range of fascinating animals to meet our residents. Included in their visit this time were rabbits, chicks, lizards and even a few cuddly lambs! Our residents love animals, so this opportunity to spend quality time with […]

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Marie Curie coffee morning

Date posted: 28th June 2024

As part of this year’s Marie Curie Great Daffodil Appeal we decided to invite our local community to join us for a coffee morning fundraiser in our café. Attendees were wowed by our chef’s homemade lemon cake, which paired perfectly with a cup of tea or coffee. During the event we also held a raffle, […]

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A day out at the farm

Date posted: 25th June 2024

In March we were lucky enough to be touched by a spot of spring sunshine, so we decided to take a trip to Bucks Goat Centre! Our residents thoroughly enjoyed getting up close to the farm’s friendly goats, who we are sure are also looking forward to the summer months ahead.

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Lovely Leo

Date posted: 22nd June 2024

Earlier in the year, we were visited by the fantastic Leo and his trainers Jennie and Peter, who are part of Hearing Dogs for the Deaf. This charity works to train fantastic dogs like Leo to alert deaf people to important and life-saving noises that they may otherwise miss, such as a smoke alarm or […]

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Wonderful Wiltshire Air Ambulance

Date posted: 19th June 2024

In April a number of our residents visited the team at Wiltshire Air Ambulance to hand over a cheque for £343.90, which we raised through several recent fundraisers for this life-saving charity. During our visit, we were given a talk by one of the team’s paramedics, and our residents had plenty of questions for the doctor […]

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Haiku workshop

Date posted: 16th June 2024

To mark International Haiku Day, we were lucky enough to enjoy a special visit from award-winning poet, John Hawkhead. John led a haiku workshop for our residents, which was well-attended and thoroughly enjoyed by all. One of our residents even wrote a haiku so beautiful that John said it was worthy of being in the […]

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St. George’s Day

Date posted: 13th June 2024

In April our residents and team members had a fantastic time celebrating St George’s Day by slaying their very own dragon! In preparation for the day, our talented resident Jill kindly designed a superb dragon for us to take turns slaying in true St. George spirit. Afterwards, everybody sat down and enjoyed a glass of […]

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A day at the farm!

Date posted: 10th June 2024

Recently our residents enjoyed a trip to Odds Farm Park to meet their new Easter additions to the farm, which included beautiful lambs, piglets and baby goats! It was wonderful to witness the wonders of nature up close as we interacted with various friendly animals in a fun and engaging environment, and everybody agreed the […]

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St. Patrick’s Day

Date posted: 7th June 2024

To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, our Activities and Wellbeing Coordinator Mags and Client Services Manager Carmen visited Chalfont Park Sports Club with hats full to the brim with delicious mint chocolate treats! Gearing up for an exciting cricket season ahead, the club’s manager Jerry is looking forward to welcoming our residents to Chalfont Park once […]

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Valentine’s bake off

Date posted: 4th June 2024

In February we hosted a delightful Valentine’s Day event filled with sweetness and music! Our residents, team members and friends from our local community came together for an amazing baking competition, a lovely pianist performance and a great opportunity to celebrate platonic, familial and romantic love. Our chef Kiaran and guest judge Angela, who formerly edited […]

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Cheese and wine

Date posted: 1st June 2024

Earlier in the year, our residents enjoyed a serene cheese and wine evening accompanied by beautiful music performed by cellist, Helena Roswell. In preparation for the event, our Client Services Manager Laura and Activities and Wellbeing Coordinator Josie visited a number of local businesses in Cheltenham, including Tivoli Wines and Maison Chaplais, to hand select […]

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Our international Marie Curie fundraiser

Date posted: 29th May 2024

As part of this year’s Great Daffodil Appeal, we hosted a vibrant Caribbean party here at Thirlestaine Park complete with steel pan drums and a themed bar! Our residents had a fantastic time dancing to the uplifting and soulful Caribbean music produced by the talented Julie’s drums, and most of our team when passing by […]

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Wonderful wedding reminiscing

Date posted: 26th May 2024

To celebrate Valentine’s Day we asked our residents to share their wedding photographs with us so that we could showcase them as part of a photography exhibition in our lounge. We then invited our residents’ loved ones and members of our local community to join us and reminisce with our residents as they looked through […]

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Fundraising for Marie Curie

Date posted: 23rd May 2024

As part of the annual Marie Curie Great Daffodil Appeal, we held a community bake sale and invited everybody to sample a variety of delicious homemade treats baked by our residents and team members. There were a huge selection of cakes on offer, including clementine cake, lemon drizzle and a particularly playful colourful sponge cake […]

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Let’s get gardening!

Date posted: 20th May 2024

To mark National Gardening Week, we decided to get started on our sustainable garden for this year’s Porthaven Garden Challenge. With the help of friends and family, our residents and team got to work clearing out the winter crops and preparing for summer by planting plenty of flowers, fruits and vegetables. We all had a […]

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Burns Night celebration

Date posted: 17th May 2024

Earlier in the year we invited our friends, neighbours and community to join us as we celebrated the life and works of Robert Burns with a spectacular Burns Night lunch. Our marvellous kitchen team produced a mouth-watering meal for everybody to enjoy that included Highland salmon, haggis, neeps and tatties, which we enjoyed whilst listening […]

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Easter chocolate workshop

Date posted: 14th May 2024

This year Easter was a time for our residents to spread joy in a truly delicious way! Led by Raanan from R&M Fine Chocolate, our chocolate egg decoration workshop became the highlight of the season. With creativity in abundance, our residents poured their hearts and souls into creating their very own chocolate masterpieces, and the […]

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Marie Curie community fundraising

Date posted: 11th May 2024

We are thrilled to share that our recent quiz night in aid of Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal was a great success! The incredible support we received from our local community made all the difference in raising vital funds for such a meaningful cause, and we would like to say a huge congratulations to our […]

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Wine tasting with the Lion and Swan

Date posted: 8th May 2024

In March, our residents and their loved ones celebrated Drink Wine Day here at Astbury Mere with a delightful afternoon wine tasting. Jessica and Jay from the fabulous Lion and Swan in Congleton curated a splendid array of wines, each with its own unique story and flavour profile, for us to sample. Jessica and Jay’s […]

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Out for a swim

Date posted: 5th May 2024

Our residents and team members love to utilise the fantastic facilities on offer in Farnham, which includes the brilliant Farnham Leisure Centre. Having recently launched a community sports programme, our residents took a trip to the leisure centre for a private swimming lesson, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. While some of our residents hadn’t […]

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Excellent Easter celebrations

Date posted: 2nd May 2024

Our spring was packed with exciting Easter activities, including themed baking, arts and crafts and a visit from our local primary school. During this visit, we were joined by the wonderful individuals (and animals!) from Pony Pals, who brought with them rabbits, guinea pigs and even a duck! Alongside these events, sunshine walks in our […]

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Afternoon tea for two

Date posted: 29th April 2024

Here at Bourne Wood Manor we are always looking for ways to help our residents celebrate special occasions, so when we were gifted afternoon tea for two by The Bush Hotel we knew our lovely residents Ewart and Val would enjoy the experience. The pair had a splendid time sampling various different sandwiches, scones and […]

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Fantastic firefighters

Date posted: 26th April 2024

Recently we received a visit from our local firefighters, who joined our residents and visitors for a chat all about the vital work they do supporting our community. Everybody was then treated to a tour of the fire truck, which we all found incredibly interesting. Whilst having a look around, our resident Annie took the […]

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International Women’s Day

Date posted: 23rd April 2024

We were delighted when our wonderful resident Monica’s daughter, granddaughter and two great granddaughters visited us for a spot of coffee and cake on International Women’s Day! Seeing the four generations of women together was amazing, and Monica was delighted with the photograph we captured for them.

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Happy 100th Birthday, Joyce!

Date posted: 20th April 2024

In February our lovely resident Joyce celebrated her 100th birthday with afternoon tea organised by our kitchen team, which she shared with her loved ones. Much like many of our centenarians, Joyce was delighted to receive her customary birthday card from His Majesty the King, which she had been eagerly anticipating. Joyce was born in 1924 […]

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Joie de vivre!

Date posted: 17th April 2024

In an effort to promote life-long learning and our residents’ wellbeing, we have recently introduced a new regular French class led by Liz from Languagility, with the aim being to stimulate minds, encourage personal development and cultivate an atmosphere of joy and discovery. Fuelled by Liz’s contagious enthusiasm, each session is a playful and engaging […]

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Amazing animal friendships

Date posted: 14th April 2024

Here at Prestbury House, we are regularly visited by our friends from Inspiring Animal Therapy, who always bring a smile to our faces. Led by dynamic duo Lilo and Nellie the dachshunds, the team always bring with them a number of feathered friends and, most recently, two lovely baby lambs. With their tails wagging, Lilo […]

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Two brilliant birthdays!

Date posted: 8th April 2024

On the 28th of March, our home celebrated two very special birthdays as our fantastic Home Manager Rachael turned 30 and our lovely Senior Carer Rakitha turned 40. As a home, we decided to pull together and surprise the pair with an aptly decorated home and some gifts, which they both thoroughly appreciated. To celebrate their […]

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Getting started in the garden

Date posted: 5th April 2024

As we get closer to the summer months, we have started working on our garden to ensure it looks its best. With the help of our Maintenance Technician Ion, we have been planting fruits, vegetables and herbs in an effort to make our garden more self-sustaining in line with this year’s Porthaven Garden Challenge. We […]

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Congratulations Cecilio!

Date posted: 2nd April 2024

Congratulations are in order for our wonderful team member Cecilio, who was promoted to Activities and Wellbeing Lead earlier this year! This promotion was incredibly well deserved, with many of our residents expressing how much they enjoy spending time with Cecilio and taking part in the activities he organises. This fantastic news follows the completion […]

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Physiotherapist Pasha

Date posted: 30th March 2024

We are incredibly blessed here at Chiltern Grange to not only have a brand new gym but also our very own enthusiastic physiotherapist, Pasha! Pasha worked as a physio for over ten years in India before joining our team, and when he is not working he enjoys playing cricket, listening to classical music and reading […]

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Our unsung hero

Date posted: 27th March 2024

We would like to say a huge congratulations to our wonderful Deputy Manager Jane for recently receiving an ‘Unsung Hero’ award from Acute Training Solutions. Jane was nominated for her positive attitude, great listening skills, hard work and dedication to our home. Jane is a favourite amongst our residents and team members for her compassion […]

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Renaming our suites

Date posted: 24th March 2024

As part of our fantastic recent refurbishment, we decided to enlist the help of students at Stokenchurch Primary School in renaming our residential, memory and nursing suites. This challenge was embraced with much enthusiasm, and we received lots of creative ideas from students of different ages. After some deliberation, we settled on our three winners […]

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A trip to Denbies Vineyard

Date posted: 21st March 2024

To mark Drink Wine Day, earlier in the year we took a trip to Denbies Vineyard for a look around their fascinating facilities. Our residents learnt more about the history of the vineyard before enjoying a wine tasting of their best red and white wines, which was a brilliant experience to take part in. For […]

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Spreading the love

Date posted: 18th March 2024

Our residents felt a warm glow in their hearts this Valentine’s Day as we reminisced on famous couples in music and cinema history with the ever-popular Tim from Dawson Talks. Afterwards, we had a love song singalong and discussed our favourite romantic moments from different films, which included ‘Gone with the Wind’ and ‘The King […]

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Perfect St. Patrick’s Day!

Date posted: 15th March 2024

This year our Lavender Oaks residents celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a performance by the incredible Kevin Lowan, who wowed us with his singing and fiddle playing! Decked out in our best themed accessories, our residents and team members had a great time dancing along in our café. Thank you, Kevin!

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National Cheese Lovers Day

Date posted: 12th March 2024

Here at Tonbridge House, we love a good cheese board, so we knew we had to take part in a day dedicated to one of the world’s most beloved and versatile foods…cheese! To mark the occasion, our kitchen team put together a mouthwatering selection of fine cheeses and crackers for our residents to tick into […]

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Another brilliant Burns Night

Date posted: 9th March 2024

For this year’s Burns Night, our residents and local community got together to enjoy a very Scottish celebration. Our kitchen team provided a traditional haggis cooked to perfection followed by homemade shortbread, Dundee cake and fantastic whisky-flavoured cupcakes, which were thoroughly savoured alongside a wee dram! Attendees were also entertained by Paul Fey, who gave […]

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A visit from marvellous Maggie

Date posted: 6th March 2024

In March we were treated to a visit by Maggie the Shetland pony, who joined us from Pukka Ponies Equine Rescue in Maidstone to put a smile on our residents’ faces. To begin with, Maggie spent time visiting our residents in their rooms so that everybody had the opportunity to give her a fuss, and […]

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Magical music

Date posted: 29th February 2024

Music plays a big part in life here at Hartfield House, so recently we were thrilled to have the wonderful Krishna and Radha perform for our residents! Krishna and Radha, whose mother is part of our lovely night care team, treated our residents to some amazing music and songs, which everybody thoroughly enjoyed. We are […]

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Spring has sprung

Date posted: 26th February 2024

Back in November, we planted plenty of seeds ready for the spring, and recently we have begun to see the rewards of our hard work as our daffodils and tulips have begun to bloom! As part of this year’s Porthaven Garden Challenge we are striving to make our garden more sustainable, so we have installed […]

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The Falkland Arms

Date posted: 23rd February 2024

Here at Falkland Grange, we always make sure to reflect our residents’ interests and hobbies in the activities we offer within our home, gaining this insight during conversations with them and at our monthly resident meetings. Following such feedback, we are extremely excited to have recently unveiled The Falkland Arms, our very own pub pool, […]

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Sea-faring visitors

Date posted: 20th February 2024

Our lovely resident John recently gave a very warm welcome to his firm friends Marco and Alan, who came to visit for a reunion ten years in the making! The trio reminisced on their time sailing the world together on impressive ships such as The Tenacious and The Lord Nelson, with Marco being the chief […]

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Celebrating in style

Date posted: 17th February 2024

Earlier this year our residents, their loved ones and friends from our local community enjoyed a fantastic Burns Night taster menu prepared by our award-winning Head Chef, Sam. Sat in our stunning private dining room, those in attendance were also treated to live entertainment by a visiting bagpiper between courses. Afterwards, everybody shared lively stories […]

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Marie Curie fundraiser

Date posted: 14th February 2024

As part of this year’s Great Daffodil Appeal, we held a fabulous fundraiser complete with entertainment by the marvellous Mini Concerts, food prepared by our talented chefs and a raffle. The main event was a delicious afternoon tea, which included freshly baked scones, yellow cupcakes and banana bread and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. With […]

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Happy Birthday, Pamela!

Date posted: 11th February 2024

In March, we celebrated our lovely resident Pamela’s birthday. To mark the occasion, our talented chef made a delicious birthday cake that we presented to Pamela as we sung happy birthday. Pamela kindly shared her superb cake with her fellow residents and our team and then spent the rest of her special day celebrating with […]

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Marvellous minibus travels

Date posted: 8th February 2024

Our residents here at Upton Mill thoroughly enjoy their weekly trips out and about on our minibus, and so far this year we have been lucky enough to visit a number of fantastic places. Some of our favourite trips have included a visit to the Aerospace Museum in Bristol, a scenic drive around the beautiful […]

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Time in the garden

Date posted: 5th February 2024

The weather may have been a bit unpredictable during the first half of this year, but that hasn’t stopped us from taking every opportunity to get outside and enjoy our beautiful gardens! Our Healthcare Assistant Annie, who is a keen gardener, regularly comes into our home on her day off to meet with our residents […]

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Blooming Marvellous!

Date posted: 2nd February 2024

Our residents always look forward to their monthly flower arranging classes with Chris, and as we stepped into spring several of our ladies enjoyed an Easter-themed session crafting some wonderful yellow chicks! Observing Chris’s kind and caring approach, it is no surprise to learn that she was a nurse for over 15 years, specialising in […]

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Pampering with Dignity and Grace

Date posted: 30th January 2024

Here at Deer Park, we believe it is the extra special touches we offer that make all the difference. This includes hairdressing, beauty and therapy treatments by Paula from Dignity and Grace in our stunning home salon. With a degree in dementia science, Paula’s vast experience means that all of our residents can enjoy a […]

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Golf with Dave

Date posted: 27th January 2024

Earlier in the year, we were thrilled to have the opportunity to take our resident Dave for an afternoon of golf at our local driving range, Ridge Golf Club. Having previously played at his local club and in Portugal, Dave has a real passion for golf, so he thoroughly enjoyed getting out on the green […]

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Love is in the air

Date posted: 24th January 2024

This year our residents celebrated Valentine’s Day with a fantastic event attended by the Mayor and Mayoress of Maidstone. Attendees were entertained by live fiddle playing, enjoyed homemade canapes and had the opportunity to view wedding photos belonging to our residents and team members. Leading up to the event, our activities and wellbeing coordinators led […]

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Brilliant Burns Night

Date posted: 21st January 2024

In January we enjoyed a wonderful Burns Night celebration where our residents were treated to a selection of Scottish staples, including haggis and shortbread. As per tradition, our fantastic guest bagpiper piped in the haggis before walking around our different suites so that all of our residents could hear his superb music. Afterwards, we all […]

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Lea Grange Sneak Preview

Date posted: 22nd September 2023

On Wednesday we invited the Town Mayor of Harpenden Councillor Fiona Gaskell and her Consort Philip Gaskell to join us for a sneak peek of our newest home, which is currently being built in Harpenden. Joined by members of Kori Construction Limited and Condy Lofthouse Architects, our superb construction and architectural teams, members of our […]

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Meet our Home Manager, Narcis

Date posted: 14th September 2023

Narcis joins us with nine years of experience in the senior care industry, before which he worked as a firefighter and paramedic. Narcis has been a qualified nurse since 2014, which is also the year he moved to England. Throughout his career, Narcis has been a Home Manager for several other care providers. Looking to […]

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Introducing our Client Services Manager and Home Manager

Date posted: 11th September 2023

We are thrilled to introduce our very first team members, Denise and Narcis! This dynamic duo are joining us as our Client Services Manager and Home Manager respectively. Starting in our Windsor head office, Denise and Narcis have spent the day getting to know our senior management team and learning more about what it means […]

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Classic car visit!

Date posted: 1st August 2023

Last month Eric from Bodycraft in West Horsley kindly brought his Jaguar E-Type to Hartfield House for our resident car enthusiast John to marvel at! John was delighted to see this classic car parked outside our home, and he had a fantastic time inspecting the vehicle’s pristine engine and asking plenty of questions. John has […]

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Armed Forces Day

Date posted: 3rd July 2023

In June we took a trip to the Macclesfield Cenotaph with our resident Pat to pay our respects to members of the armed forces both past and present. With an army instructor for a father, Pat was born and raised in a military household, and later went on to marry an army officer. Throughout her […]

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Porthaven Care Homes Recognised as a Top 20 Mid-size Care Home Group

Date posted: 23rd March 2023

Carehome.co.uk, which determines its ratings based on reviews from residents, service users and their family and friends, recently recognised Porthaven Care Homes as a top 20 rated mid-size care home group. With a group review score of 9.8 out of 10, this is the eighth year in a row that Porthaven have been presented with […]

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24th National Care Awards 2022: Porthaven’s Victory

Date posted: 13th December 2022

Here at Porthaven we are thrilled to announce that we were awarded ‘Best Care Home Group over 10 settings’ at the 24th National Care Awards on Saturday 26th November. The National Care Awards honour the very best within the long-term care sector by recognising those who display unending dedication towards providing exceptional care. We competed […]

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Porthaven Chefs Go Foraging with Mark Hix MBE

Date posted: 9th November 2022

At Porthaven Care Homes, food has always been one of the pillars of quality we pride ourselves upon. Our chefs play a key part in the health and wellbeing of our residents and so we ensure they are trained well and have a constant source of inspiration to create exceptional dish after exceptional dish. Over […]

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