Tag: Belleville Lodge

If you go down to Belleville today, you’re sure of a big surprise

Residents at an Edinburgh care home enjoyed a teddy bear takeover as they reminisced about childhood memories over a picnic.

Mansfield Care’s Belleville Lodge invited its residents to bring along their own teddy bears and soft toys for an afternoon of fun.

Along with the teddy takeover was an array of homemade cakes and tea as the residents discussed their favourite toys they, and their children, used to play with when they were younger.

While teddies were the most popular guests at the picnic, a toy dog and a knitted black cat called ‘Snuffles’ were also in attendance.

Belleville Lodge Matron, Margaret Russell, said: “There were lots of smiles and everyone enjoyed holding and touching the soft toys and passing them around for a cuddle.

“One of the highlights of the day that made everyone happy was to see all the teddies and soft toys lined up together for a portrait photo.

“We all joined in to sing along to “The Teddy Bears’ Picnic” and everyone, both staff and residents, agreed that we’d had a lovely afternoon.”

Operating 11 care homes across Edinburgh, the Borders and west of Scotland, Mansfield Care is designed to provide bespoke care to an exceptional standard with state-of-the-art facilities.

Specialising in small, friendly residential care homes, staff work under an ethos that is inspired by the kind of care we would wish for ourselves in later life – supportive, friendly, bright, positive, empathetic, respectful and homely.

The highly trained staff ensure a commitment and continuity of care to each resident with a dedicated home manager and wellbeing coordinator to plan activities according to resident’s wishes.

To find out more about Mansfield Care visit, https://www.mansfieldcare.co.uk/

City care residents get a taste of the outdoors with first post-lockdown outings

RESIDENTS at Edinburgh Care Homes have had the chance to experience their first organised outdoors activity after a year of lockdown, with a visit to Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic and Saughton Gardens.

Apart from the short trips to the end of the garden and stints in the home’s purpose-built outdoor seating area, residents at Mansfield Care’s Eildon House and Belleville Lodge have not been on a day out in more than a year.

Pre-lockdown, trips out were a regular staple for residents, with visits to the Royal Yacht Britannia, the National Museum and the Zoo.

Now with all residents and staff fully vaccinated and restrictions easing, carers at the homes organised garden outings as a special treat for the residents.

Staff from each care home planned and assisted the residents to travel to and from the Botanic and Saughton Gardens, which is only a short walk away.

Fiona Shale, Activities coordinator at Eildon House said: “While some of our residents do still feel more comfortable remaining indoors for the time being, the vast majority have been very excited to get out and about again.

“The Botanic Gardens were very accommodating with our visit and it all went off without a hitch, although we made sure the residents were well wrapped up for the unpredictable weather.

“We spent the majority of the time in the Garden of Tranquillity which is a new area of the Botanic Gardens that has been created specifically for people with dementia. As the name suggests, it’s a lot quieter than some of the other areas, with beautiful landscaping and water features giving visitors a peaceful and safe space to enjoy.”

Residents from Belleville Lodge took a trip to Saughton Gardens enjoying the rose and herb garden in the sun.

Margaret Russell, Manager at Belleville Lodge said: “The residents really enjoyed looking at all the flowers. The herb garden was a resident favourite and we even tasted some of the different herbs.

“One of our residents, Heather Salzen (above), is a Botanist so she really enjoyed her day out and was telling us all about the plants.

“It was a great day out. We ended our tour of the garden with a cup of tea and refreshments in the garden café and sat outdoors as the weather was lovely.”

With activities requested, led and coordinated around the interests of the residents, Mansfield Care staff are dedicated to creating a homely, supportive and exciting environment, putting the needs of its residents at the forefront of everything they do


Fiona added: “Our priority is keeping the lives of our residents as enriched as possible. It’s been a very tough year not being able to do the range of activities we normally would, but we’ve been keeping residents entertained through the likes of craft activities such as painting, physical seated exercise and also reminiscence story telling.

“Following on from our Botanic Gardens trip, we’ve got some excellent stuff in the pipeline for later this year and look forward to resuming our regular frequency of outings.”



Mansfield Care operates 11 small, friendly and residential care homes in Edinburgh, the Borders and the west of Scotland.

Inspired by a golden rule ethos of providing the care we would wish for ourselves in later life, Mansfield Care offers bespoke care that support residents’ health and wellbeing.

For more information on Mansfield Care, visit: https://www.mansfieldcare.co.uk/

Edinburgh care provider logs on to virtual viewing trend

TWO Edinburgh care homes have invested in new technology to offer potential residents and their families virtual viewings from the comfort of their own homes.

Mansfield Care has produced virtual tour videos for seven of its 11 care homes across Scotland, including Belleville Lodge and Craighall House in the capital, showcasing both the interior and exterior of each to give an accurate representation of the building.

The care provider hopes the videos will allow potential residents or family members looking on their behalf to get a feel for the services without leaving their home, whilst reducing the number of people entering the premise.

Mansfield Care’s founder, Andrew Hume, said: “It is important for us to continue to adapt and innovate our processes and services as the care industry becomes more digital.

“On top of this, virtual viewings are a way to keep our current staff and residents safe, whilst making the process easier for those looking to make the move to one of our homes.

“Virtual viewings will allow potential residents to see the apartment almost in person from the comfort of their own home for convenience, safety and to enable people who cannot travel easily to conduct a viewing.”

Personalised virtual viewings can be arranged for those interested in moving into a care home with one of Mansfield Care’s staff on hand to answer questions, and provide more information about the home and its care services. 

Mansfield Care specialise in small, friendly residential care homes in Edinburgh, Borders and west of Scotland; each designed to an exceptional standard with state-of-the-art facilities.

The Mansfield Care ethos is inspired by the kind of care we would wish for ourselves in later life – supportive, friendly, bright, positive, empathetic, respectful and homely.

Easter at Belleville Lodge: Bonnets, Bunnies and Buns!

RESIDENTS at an Edinburgh care home are welcoming the Easter holidays with a splash of creativity with personalised Easter bonnets ahead of an eventful weekend. 

Featuring an Easter Egg Hunt, Easter Service and a visit from the Easter Bunny, the staff at Mansfield Care’s Belleville Lodge has gone above and beyond to give residents an exciting Easter.

Leading up to the festivities, residents have spent the last week decorating bonnets by making paper flowers and bunnies to decorate their hats.

Following the arts and crafts, residents will be able to attend an Easter service along with festive hymns, followed by fresh hot cross buns in the lounge.

On Sunday, if weather permits, the residents will hopefully be able to take part in an Easter egg hunt, organized by the staff in the Belleville Lodge garden with a visit from the Easter Bunny.

Margaret Russell, Manager at Belleville Lodge said: “With the current restrictions we are unable to have a church service so we thought we would have one ourselves on Good Friday, and have a few Easter hymns.

“The residents love afternoon tea; so we’ve also planned one after the Easter service with Hot cross buns.

“Easter is a really special time of year for some of our residents and so we always make an effort to do something special. The residents love decorating Easter bonnets, it’s a very relaxing and creative activity for them.”

Mardie Esterkin, 87, a resident at Belleville Lodge said: “It’s a nice ceremony and celebration to have.

“The place is decorated with bunnies and a Happy Easter sign hanging above the window. It’s just nice to celebrate this happy occasion. Easter is a lovely time of year.”

Bet Gordon, another resident at Belleville Lodge who took part in the decorating said: “It is a special time of the year as spring is coming. The home is decorated with lots of daffodils which is lovely.

“I love the afternoon teas with Matron, she always makes them so special.

“I am looking forward to the Easter Egg hunt in the garden and the visit from the Easter Bunny.”

Belleville lodge is one of 11 care homes operated by Mansfield Care who specialise in running small and friendly residential care homes across Edinburgh, the Borders and the west of Scotland.

The dedicated staff at Mansfield Care put the needs of its residents at the forefront of everything they do, keeping an active social planner around the interests and requests of the residents.

Led by an ethos of providing the care we would wish for ourselves in later life, Mansfield Care offers bespoke care that supports resident’s health and wellbeing.

For more information on Mansfield Care, visit: https://www.mansfieldcare.co.uk/

Pet therapy helps care home residents enjoy a weekly ‘paws’

ANIMAL-LOVING pensioners at a city centre care home have been enjoying pet therapy sessions for more than a decade, thanks to dedicated staff and resident pup, Sophie.

Staff at Belleville Lodge in Edinburgh recognised how much joy and comfort the sessions brought to their elderly residents and made the decision to ensure they could continue throughout the pandemic.

During the sessions, residents reminisce about their pets over the years, cuddle up with Sophie, the resident west highland terrier, and look at pictures of animals and nature, while sharing stories in small groups.

The carers have found pet therapy has amazing benefits for residents with and without dementia, from increased mood and social interaction to improved nutrition and physical activity. It’s also a fun activity for residents who can share their pet histories and find out interesting facts about different animals.

Margaret Russell, Matron at the home operated by Mansfield Care, said: “We find the sessions are excellent for our residents wellbeing and spirits. Before the pandemic we had two other dogs who visited regularly, a black lab called Orchid and a border terrier named Ruff, who residents are looking forward to reuniting with when it’s safe to do so.

“Anyone with a pet will know just how relaxing and calming spending time with an animal can be. As well as relieving the feelings of loneliness and isolation, pets can reduce stress, lower blood pressure and promote a sense of overall wellbeing.

“With such a powerful range of physical and mental benefits, it’s not surprising that pet therapy is being introduced into many care homes to improve the lives of elderly people and dementia patients across the UK.

“Even when a resident has advanced dementia, you can see the change in their face and the comfort they find when petting a dog – their faces completely light up as they stretch out their arms to welcome them.

“We’ve found it so important to keep activities that residents enjoy going throughout the pandemic, so we have made sure to incorporate pets and animals into our activity programme.

“When we couldn’t physically welcome any pets into our lounge area, we would download pictures of our residents favourite animals for our residents to talk about.

“Everyone thoroughly enjoys hearing one another’s stories and leaves the sessions feeling happy – which is the main reason why we have our extensive activity programme.”

Belleville Lodge offers space for up to 25 residents, including some twin rooms, in the heart of Edinburgh.

Mansfield Care operates 11 care homes across Edinburgh, Borders and the West of Scotland, specialising in small homes which offer bespoke, friendly care and boast state of the art facilities.

The care provider specialises in small, friendly, residential care homes across Edinburgh, Borders and West of Scotland, providing individualised care in state of the art facilities.

The Mansfield Care ethos is inspired by the kind of care many would wish for later in life – positive, empathetic, respectful and homely.

To find out more about Mansfield Care visit, https://www.mansfieldcare.co.uk/