December at our care home was filled with warmth, laughter, and plenty of holiday cheer! The festive season brought some very special visitors and a wonderful variety of activities that our residents truly enjoyed.

One of the highlights of the month was the return of our beloved water rescue, and therapy dogs, Yogi and Cindy, who always bring joy to our residents. This time, they were joined by the newest addition to their furry family – Buttercup, a 16-week-old Newfoundland puppy who, despite her young age, is already impressively large! Buttercup’s playful nature and sweet disposition brought smiles to everyone’s faces.

We also had a fantastic line-up of live music concerts that brought a festive atmosphere to our home. The talented musicians performed a mix of holiday tunes and classic favourites, filling the air with joy and allowing everyone to sing along or simply relax and enjoy the melodies.

In addition, we were treated to a delightful performance of Aladdin by the Presto Theatre. The colourful pantomime brought all the magic and fun of the season to life, leaving everyone thoroughly entertained.

As always, December wouldn’t be complete without a visit from our little Santa helper – Peanut. Dressed in his adorable Santa costume, Peanut was the star of the day, spreading joy and holiday spirit throughout the building. To add even more cheer, two jolly elves also paid a visit, spreading laughter and brightening everyone’s day.

We were also treated to a little winter wonderland when snow blanketed the ground, giving us the perfect opportunity to build the Northcote Snowman in the garden! Our residents were so excited to see the snowman take shape, and many gathered by the window to watch the fun. It was a beautiful sight that brought even more festive magic to our home.

It was truly a busy and joyous December, and the holiday spirit was alive and well in our care home. Our residents were all smiles, surrounded by the love of family, friends, and the Christmas cheer that filled our hearts.

Wishing everyone a very merry holiday season and looking forward to more wonderful moments in the new year!

 

In the lead up to Christmas, residents at Northcote Lodge were treated to an array of different entertainment from Nativity plays to Christmas Carol sing-alongs, Discos and even a Puppet Show.  Of course Santa himself made an appearance on the Big Day!

The following photographs are just some of the fun activities the residents enjoyed.

On Tuesday 5^th December the children from St Joseph’s Primary School visited Northcote and performed their very own version of the Nativity Play.  They also sang a variety of Christmas Carols which the residents and staff really enjoyed.  They were all adorable!

The Puppet Gang treated us to a fantastic show of varying  comical puppets.  One of the favourites was Elton John, who also gave us a song or two, as you can see!

They also mesmerised us with blowing some of the biggest soapy bubbles you have ever seen!

When the big day arrived Santa Claus appeared to wish the residents Merry Christmas and give them each a gift.  This was followed by a lovely Christmas meal, prepared by the Chef and kitchen staff. Relatives also arrived on Christmas Day and had coffee/tea and mince pies in the Café.

On Saturday August 5^th, we hosted our first Summer Gala since Covid.  We also took the opportunity to celebrate the 10 Year Anniversary of the opening of Northcote Lodge!

Residents, friends and families enjoyed a fun day from 10.30am-1.30pm.  Coffee/tea and home bakes were served, followed by a barbeque at 12.  Marian and Leonard our 2 Chefs, served hamburgers and hotdogs, unfortunately, as the weather was so bad, no-one ventured out into the garden (Marian and Leonard were protected from the rain by a large Gazebo – a typical Scottish barbeque !!)  Those who were inclined could enjoy a Bucks Fizz while chatting and mingling with friends.

The rain didn’t dampen our spirits though as we were entertained by the Lindsay School of Dance who performed a number of Scottish classic dances and also the Sailors Hornpipe dance.  The young dancers varied in age, however, were all excellent and so professional and really made the day for us.

Following the dancing one of our Trustees, Craig Pike, sang for us accompanied by his mother on the piano.  His mother is amazing, she is in her eighties and used to play the piano with the Jack Sinclair Showband, everyone had a great time singing along to songs old and new.

To take a break from the dancing, we had a few stalls to browse.  Our kitchen did a great job with the home bakes, supplemented by wonderful baking, jams and chutneys from some of our resident’s families and our very own Sheila who works Front of House.

We also had an artificial flower stall provided by Sheila a friend of Northcote.  Her flower creations and vases were amazing.

We also had our usual Tombola stall which was manned by Chris, one of our maintenance men and Jeff who has volunteered and been a friend of Northcote for many years.  Some people were very lucky winning multiple prizes.

The finale to the day was our Grand Raffle – in total the day raised £2,300 which will go toward our Resident’ Fund.  With Christmas now fast approaching, the money will be put to good use to provide lots of Christmas entertainment for the residents.

 

Grateful thanks to everyone who helped, donated and contributed to making the Gala a very successful and fun day!

So Cheers to the Next 10 Years!!

It has been a long time coming, since Covid restrictions and Aberdeen’s inclement weather, however after a glorious week of sunshine we had our first barbeque on Thursday 15^th June.

Miro and Marian our Chef’s, treated the residents and staff to hamburgers and hotdogs, with relish, salad and Miro’s special sauce to accompany the hot dogs.

Ice-cream for dessert was definitely on the menu due to the glorious weather 😊

As you can see everyone was in good spirits and apart from enjoying the food had a lot of fun!

Long may the good weather continue and roll on the next barbeque!

On Monday 22nd May, ‘Lucy’ an English Spot rabbit, came to stay at Northcote Lodge.

Lucy belongs to Agata who is one of the office and front of house team. Lucy was originally a ‘house’ rabbit, who lived with Agata’s family in Aberdeen. However, Agata thought Lucy would have a better life at Northcote and also felt it would benefit our residents, who love stroking and petting her. Lucy loves the attention too!

Lucy has her own hutch in the garden and also a run she can play in when the weather is good. Like all rabbits Lucy likes carrots, but her favourite treat is digestive biscuit!

Lucy is a very welcome addition to the Northcote Family and we all love having her here! She’s a beautiful rabbit with a lovely nature!

Saturday 6 May 2023

Given the historic occasion, everyone at Northcote Lodge was keen to celebrate the King’s Coronation.

Our Front of House and Café area were suitably decorated with bunting and Union Jacks, making us feel and look very patriotic!

On the special day, our residents gathered in the café area to watch proceedings on the television. They were treated to tea and coffee and a slice of ‘Coronation cake’, which was very kindly donated by Aberdeen City Council along with specially drawn pictures and bunting made by local school children. Our activities assistant Anne and Marian – our chef, were on hand to serve the delicious cake. Soup and sandwiches were also served in the Café for lunch, to allow the residents to watch the full ceremony and the King’s procession back to Buckingham Palace.

In the afternoon, a special ‘Coronation Party’ was held in the activities room to carry on with the celebrations. Music was provided by Fred, who is a special friend of everyone at Northcote and often entertain us at special events. All in all, everyone had a lovely day!

‘God Save the King!’

Northcote Lodge was officially opened on 26th November 2013, however we had our own celebration last month to kick off the New Year!

We had Bob Wilson, come in to entertain with music from bygone years up to the present which got everyone in the mood for a party. As you can see from the photographs, some even took to the dance floor!

Some of our residents and staff who have been here from the beginning are all photographed  enjoying the festivities! We are planning to have further celebrations in the summertime when the weather is better, so we can all enjoy sunshine.

Here’s to the next 10 years! Cheers! 

Following 2 years of muted celebrations due to Covid, all the staff and residents at Northcote were excited to properly celebrate Christmas once again.

Some of our ladies assisted with decorating the main tree situated in the Café, although there were trees and decorations throughout the Home, which made us all feel very festive!

In the run-up Christmas, our Activities staff were very busy organising fun events for the Residents. We had Christmas movies and sing-a-longs, entertainers, choirs and the choir from St. Josephs School, plus Theatre Presto with their very own rendition of ‘Little Red Hiding Hood’.

Our very own resident therapet dog, Peanut, who belongs to Karen our Activities Co-ordinator, did a shift in the office prior to a photoshoot at the Christmas Tree! Adorable!

 

Since Covid restrictions have been relaxed, the staff and residents took the opportunity to throw a party to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on Friday 3^rd June – a perfect opportunity to celebrate!

The café area was beautifully decorated with pictures of the Queen, bunting, Union Jack flags and balloons to get everyone feeling patriotic and in the mood for a party!

 

One of our ‘Friends of Northcote’ Fred, entertained the residents with anecdotes of times gone by during the Queen’s reign.  He also played well-known songs to sing-along to and for those who wanted to stretch their legs, they took to the floor for a wee dance

The first set were highland dances, to include the ‘Highland Fling’, ‘Sean Truibhas’ and ‘Barracks Johnny’.

All the residents and staff really appreciated the dancing display which was excellent!  Thanks go to Beverley, Elizabeth and Abigail for rounding off a very happy morning of celebrations.