Tag: Easter activities

Residents celebrate Easter in style

Staff and residents at Barchester’s Strachan House care home in Blackhall celebrated Easter with a whole host of different activities including an Easter Egg Hunt, hatching duck eggs, afternoon Easter tea for the residents and local community and Easter baking sessions.

Good Friday saw residents at Strachan House enjoy an eggs-tensive range of Easter activities, from an Easter Bonnet parade, egg painting and rolling, to enjoying live entertainment.

Easter Sunday saw residents also tuck in to a delicious tradional Easter lunch prepared by the home’s head chef Paul Gow after hosting a wonderful Easter egg hunt in the beautiful gardens of Strachan House. And if there was any more room from all that chocolate then there was an afternoon tea to relax with amongst family and friends!

General Manager Gordon Philp said “As always, we’ve all been looking forward to Easter. It’s such a lovely time of year – the residents love all the colourful Easter eggs and huge selection of Easter themed activities we had on offer.

“It’s really been an eggs-cellent few days!” 

Muriel who is 102 years old and a resident at Strachan House said: “It has been so lovely to spend time with our families and friends this Easter, though like every Easter, I think I’ve eaten too much chocolate!

” It was so wonderful to see everyone go to so much effort. I have really enjoyed having the ducks hatch and spending time playing with them”

Our varied life enrichment programme keeps residents active, and provides a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to residents’ interests and abilities. 

Strachan House is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering high-quality care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides nursing care, residential care, respite care.

Local Care Home goes quackers at Easter surprise!

 Strachan House care home in Blackhall is full of fluffy mischief on the run up Easter period!

Residents at Strachan House were pleasantly surprised to see 5 duck eggs arrive on the 4th April just in time to see them hatch for Easter. Children and relatives all throughout the day watched with the residents together as they witnessed the tiny lives come into the world.

Mandy Head of Activities said: “Sharing moments like these together on an intergenerational level is so touching.

“Making and sharing memories young and old is something we cherish here at Strachan House” 

General Manager Gordon Philp said: “Our residents have really enjoyed their unusual visitors at Strachan House.  We knew that having the hatchlings here would be a bit of fun for all our residents, especially as some find it difficult to go on many outings in our minibus. 

“We are always looking for new activities for the residents and over the Easter period we have seen the enjoyment and the therapeutic influence that the ducks have had on our residents. We can’t wait to see them grow.”

Resident Alex Laird was very excited and touched by watching the ducklings hatch: “As a child I used to love all the animals on the nearby farm.

“Easter has been so very enjoyable so far and it has been wonderful to be part of something special watching new little lives come into the world at Easter.”

Strachan House care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care home’s and hospitals. 

Strachan House provides residential care, nursing care and dementia care for 83 residents from respite care to long term stays.

Easter activities at Fort Kinnaird

With the Easter holidays upon us, Fort Kinnaird has announced a host of Easter activities to help keep the kids entertained.

From Easter-themed craft workshops at Hobbycraft to meeting small animals at Pets at Home – there’s something for everyone.

Meet small animals at Pets at Home

Pets at Home is running free pet workshops for kids in store from Saturday 1st – Sunday 16th April.

The 30-minute My Pet Pals sessions help to educate kids about responsible pet care and how to keep animals happy and healthy.

Children will have the chance to meet a range of small animals and learn how to look after them through a range of interactive activities, including making a foraging box for little furry friends. Book your free space here.

Get crafty at Hobbycraft

Hobbycraft is hosting a number of Easter-themed workshops throughout the break for kids to enjoy.

This includes clay making, designing Easter bonnets, and making their own Easter bunnies. Each session is hosted by one of Hobbycraft’s experts and has a small cost from £5 for the materials. To book a session, visit Hobbycraft’s website.

Watch the latest blockbusters at Odeon

With seven state-of-the-art screens, Odeon is showing the latest blockbusters this Easter break and adult tickets are priced at £3.25, the same as a child, for selected morning showings.

Top family picks include the highly anticipated Super Mario Bros. Movie which is out on 7th April, as well as Mummies and Little Bear’s Big Trip.

Pick up Easter activities to do at home

Hobbycraft, Wilko, Typo and WH Smith all have an array of crafting materials and ideas to keep the kids occupied at home. From painting Easter eggs and making Easter baskets to designing cards and hosting Easter egg hunts, there’s something for all ages to get stuck into.

Grab a bite to eat

Fort Kinnaird has a wide selection of family-friendly restaurants, so whether the kids want to tuck into Italian staples at Pizza Express or burgers at Bread Meats Bread, there’s something for all taste buds.

And at Fridays kids can eat for free during the Easter holidays, choosing from one of the restaurant’s kids meals when dining with an adult who’s a Rewards Member.

For more information on what’s on at Fort Kinnaird visit: 

https://www.fortkinnaird.com/

Get egg-cited at Dalkeith Country Park

Dalkeith Country Park launches its Easter events and activity programme 1st – 16th April 2023

FREE PICTURE: Dalkeith Country Park Easter Fun Activities Launch, Tue 21/03/2023: Getting egg-cited for Dalkeith Country Park’s Easter programme of events – Dalkeith Country Park launches its Easter events and activity programme 1 to 16 April 2023: Dalkeith Country Park’s Easter programme has launched with a huge variety of family events and activities. Including egg hunting, craft workshops, Fort Douglas (playwark) adventures, Bunny Fun Runs and the very first Dalkeith Country Park Duck Race along the River Esk. Pictured chasing the Dalkeith Country Park Easter bunny are (from left) Juliette Thomson (aged seven and from North Berwick), Phoebe Watkins (aged seven), Sadie Watkins (aged four), Alexandra Thomson (aged 11) and Elijah Mitchell (aged nine). (all children pictured with parental permission). More information in accompanying Press Release, visit www.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk or from: Amy Redmond, Content & PR Executive, Dalkeith Country Park – 07920 839 344 – aredmond@dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk Photography for Dalkeith Country Park from: Colin Hattersley Photography – www.colinhattersley.com – cphattersley@gmail.com – 07974 957 388.

Dalkeith Country Park’s Easter programme has officially launched with a huge variety of family events & activities. Create the ultimate Easter holiday day-out filled with egg hunting, craft workshops, Fort Douglas adventures, Bunny Fun Runs and the very first Dalkeith Country Park Duck Race. 

The programme launches with the amazing Duck Race along the River Esk, kicking off the Easter holidays. Families can then head out on the Golden Egg Hunt and search The Park for prize winning eggs, or bounce on over to Fort Douglas adventure playground. Finish off the Easter extravaganza hopping off all those chocolate eggs along the 1k or 5k Bunny Fun Run.

The Fort Douglas adventure park hosts an Easter activity area. Little adventurers are invited to hop on in and take part in the scavenger hunt, down slides, along wobbly bridges and flying down zip lines to collect a chocolatey prize. Once the hunt is done, join the bunny helpers to get creative and decorate eggs to hang on the Fort Douglas Easter tree. Children should keep eyes and ears open for an extra special guest who may just hop on in to say hello. 

FREE PICTURE: Dalkeith Country Park Easter Fun Activities Launch, Tue 21/03/2023: Getting egg-cited for Dalkeith Country Park’s Easter programme of events – Dalkeith Country Park launches its Easter events and activity programme 1 to 16 April 2023: Dalkeith Country Park’s Easter programme has launched with a huge variety of family events and activities. Including egg hunting, craft workshops, Fort Douglas (playwark) adventures, Bunny Fun Runs and the very first Dalkeith Country Park Duck Race along the River Esk. Pictured with the Dalkeith Country Park Easter bunny are Sadie Watkins (aged four) with Elijah Mitchell (aged nine). (children pictured with parental permission). More information in accompanying Press Release, visit www.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk or from: Amy Redmond, Content & PR Executive, Dalkeith Country Park – 07920 839 344 – aredmond@dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk Photography for Dalkeith Country Park from: Colin Hattersley Photography – www.colinhattersley.com – cphattersley@gmail.com – 07974 957 388.

And that’s not all! Restoration Yard will play host to an abundance of workshops for both adults and children. Adults can try their hand at the art of decoupage, creating a beautiful set of six hanging decorations or their very own unique plant pot. Scotts Apothecary are running a Spring Candle Making workshop, producing bespoke hand-poured candles that pack a blissful punch. 

Easter workshops for little ones include Spring Storytelling, Easter Cookie Decorating and Easter Craft Workshops. Parents can indulge in some well-deserved ‘me-time’ in The Kitchen or The Store, while little ones enjoy the workshops. 

Dalkeith Country Park’s Easter programme begins on Saturday 01 April with events, activities and workshops running throughout the Easter holidays until Sunday 16 April.

FREE PICTURE: Dalkeith Country Park Easter Fun Activities Launch, Tue 21/03/2023: Getting egg-cited for Dalkeith Country Park’s Easter programme of events – Dalkeith Country Park launches its Easter events and activity programme 1 to 16 April 2023: Dalkeith Country Park’s Easter programme has launched with a huge variety of family events and activities. Including egg hunting, craft workshops, Fort Douglas (playwark) adventures, Bunny Fun Runs and the very first Dalkeith Country Park Duck Race along the River Esk. With the Dalkeith Country Park Easter bunny are (from left) Elijah Mitchell (aged nine), Sadie Watkins (aged four) and Alexandra Thomson (aged 11) (all children picxtured with parental permission). More information in accompanying Press Release, visit www.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk or from: Amy Redmond, Content & PR Executive, Dalkeith Country Park – 07920 839 344 – aredmond@dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk Photography for Dalkeith Country Park from: Colin Hattersley Photography – www.colinhattersley.com – cphattersley@gmail.com – 07974 957 388.

Dalkeith Country Park Easter Events Programme 

EventDate(s)Booking Link
Fort Douglas Easter Activity AreaSaturday 01 – Sunday 16 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/fort-douglas-easter-activities/ 
Dalkeith Country Park Duck RaceSaturday 01 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/duck-race/ 
Golden Egg Hunt Saturday 01 – Sunday 16 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/golden-egg-hunt/ 
Spring StorytellingSunday 02 Apr – Saturday 15 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/spring-storytelling/ 
Kids’ Easter Cookie WorkshopSunday 02 Apr – Friday 14 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/kids-easter-cookie-decorating-workshops/ 
Easter Decoration WorkshopMonday 03 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/easter-decoration-workshop/ 
Kids’ Easter Craft WorkshopTuesday 04 Apr – Tuesday 11 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/kids-easter-craft-workshops/ 
Spring Plant Pot WorkshopWednesday 05 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/spring-plant-pot-workshop/ 
Spring Candle Making WorkshopMonday 10 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/spring-candle-making-workshop/ 
Easter Bunny Fun RunSunday 16 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/easter-bunny-fun-run/ 

To book online, visit:

Easter Events Calendar – www.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/events/ 

Go green this spring with a little help from The Leith Collective

The Leith Collective launches Easter Garden Amnesty, Rehome a Houseplant initiative plus Kids Go Green workshops

The Leith Collective has earned a reputation for being Edinburgh’s champions of sustainability, and now they’re helping even more locals go green with the launch of two new initiatives and a series of workshops this Easter.

First up, The Leith Collective has announced an Easter Garden Amnesty. Ideal for those planning to have a spring clear-out, locals can donate any unwanted garden tools, pots, or excess seeds to the shop. These will then be made available for others to collect completely free of charge. The hope is that it will inspire those who have never considered themselves to be particularly green-fingered to give nature a helping hand.

Discussing the initiative, The Leith Collective Founder, Sara Thomson explained: “I know how therapeutic gardening is and how beneficial it can be to an individual’s mental health. But the cost of buying tools can be a financial barrier to some people, especially in light of the rising cost of living.

“So, we thought an Easter Garden Amnesty would be a great way of supporting a circular economy – keeping tools in use, rather than going to landfill – and encouraging people to have a go at growing something.”

In addition to the Easter Garden Amnesty, The Leith Collective has also launched their Rehome a Houseplant initiative and are inviting locals to donate cuttings of houseplants which will be popped into jars of water to propagate in the store. These plants will then be available for others to take home completely free of charge.

The Leith Collective will also be hosting a series of green-themed workshops throughout the Easter holidays, including a Kids Go Green event where children can paint a flowerpot, plant a seed, take it home and watch it grow. 

So, whether you fancy adding a little greenery to your home with a new houseplant, or you have big ambitions to transform your local area with some guerrilla gardening, head to The Leith Collective for everything you need to get growing.

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/