We have had a busy old time at Bonchester, we had our National Care Home Open Day in the later part of June where our theme was “through the eras.” All the staff enjoyed dressing up in lots of colourful clothes from the ’20s through to the present day and we were entertained by the one and only Robbie Wes,t who sang an array of songs from the swinging 60s, and we were joined by our very own Edward (Elvis) Presley. We had a fun afternoon and all the residents enjoyed a BBQ, friends and relatives visited and we had a very successful Raffle raising over £200 for our residents comfort fund. We are making the most of the Scottish Weather by spending a lot of time out on our patio area enjoying teas and coffees along with Michelle’s home-baking, also managing a few BBQ’s in the evening which the residents are thoroughly enjoying. We have had a few visits from Rose the Dachshund who is our new Pet Therapy Dog she is bringing so much enjoyment to our residents whose faces light up when they see her. We have had our first Fit Borders Session which most of the residents joined in, the sessions aim to improve balance and posture with gentle exercise to music, staff also took part and are attending training so we can continue to have regular sessions. An old friend of Bonchester Ann Douglas has said that she would like to visit every fortnight to carry out an arm and hand massage for our residents. She is fully trained in this area and our residents are very much looking forward to these pampering sessions. We are holding our next Residents meeting this Friday 29th July and are hoping for lots of new ideas and how we can improve our service. Over the next few weeks, we are putting together lots of fundraising days, some of the staff are attending a car boot sale at Ancrum and we are also in the process of organising a garden party. All monies raised will go towards our residents’ comfort fund. We also have a very brave staff member Cathryn who has said she would like to do a skydive to raise some money for the residents, rather her than me!! We will update you on how this goes. Lots to look forward to over the coming months.