Balkerne Gardens Trust

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Balkerne Gardens Trust

Delivering individualised care, community living, and trusted support for later life in Colchester.

Guided by our values: Respectful - Dedicated - Trusted - Inclusive 🌿 The Trust is a long established not for profit organisation registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide nursing and residential care in two Care Homes and care and support to individuals in their own homes. It is also a Registered Social Landlord and is regulated by the Homes and Communities Agency.

15/06/2026

👋 Meet Sally!
Sally joined Balkerne Gardens Trust in 2024 after spending many years working in retail and management. Following redundancy, she decided to follow her dream of working in care and supporting others in the community.
Starting her journey with our Care at Home Service, Sally now works as a Support Worker at Parsley House, where she helps residents maintain their independence and enjoy life to the fullest.
When she's not at work, Sally enjoys spending time with family and friends, exploring the arts, taking long walks in nature, and getting stuck into a good book. 📚🌿

12/06/2026

Worried that moving into sheltered housing might mean losing your independence?
At Balkerne Gardens Trust, we believe your home should always feel like your home.
Want to have family over for the weekend? You’re always welcome to invite visitors, and we even have a comfortable single guest room available to book for overnight stays.
Our sheltered housing community is designed to help you keep living life your way, with the freedom to make your own choices and enjoy the things you love most.
And if you ever need a little extra support, reassurance, or simply a friendly chat, our team is always here for you.
Because independent living doesn’t have to mean being on your own.
💜

10/06/2026

At Balkerne Gardens Trust, we care about more than just our local community – we care about local wildlife too. 🐦

When the recent wet weather arrived, a young seagull chick took an unexpected tumble from its nest. Thankfully, our team was on hand to help, and after a quick rescue mission, the little one was safely returned home.
Of course, not before we managed to snap a photo of our feathered visitor! 📸
We've decided to name him Sid, Balkerne Gardens’ newest mascot ❤️

08/06/2026

Meet Jack, one of our Care Assistants at Cheviot Nursing Home!
In this video, Jack shares his experience of working within Balkerne Gardens Trust and how rewarding he finds it.
Here at Balkerne Gardens, we are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where staff feel valued, supported, and appreciated.
If you're considering a career in care, we'd love to hear from you. Visit our website to explore our latest vacancies and discover where a role with Balkerne Gardens Trust could take you.

06/06/2026

Are you a seafood fan? These residents from Freda Gunton Lodge certainly are! 🦪🦐
A recent day trip to West Mersea gave everyone the chance to enjoy the fresh sea air, take a stroll around the harbour and, of course, sample some of the area's famous seafood, including oysters, mussels and prawns.
One resident, Mary, summed up the day perfectly:
"I'm nearly 95 and this is the first time I've eaten a mussel. It was lovely."
It's never too late to try something new, especially when it's fresh from the coast!

03/06/2026

Just before the bank holiday heatwave arrived, we got our giant gazebo up in the gardens ☀️

It quickly became the perfect shady spot for residents and staff to relax, enjoy the warm weather and take in the beautiful surroundings.

The timing couldn't have been better... although now, with storms and strong winds on the forecast, we're wondering whether it's time to take it back down again! 🌧️💨

British weather really does keep us guessing. Here's to hoping the sunshine makes a return soon! 😎

30/05/2026

🍰 It’s impossible to stay on a diet when you work at the Trust... there always seems to be a baking session, cake sale or coffee and cake morning happening somewhere!

Last week was no exception as Cheviot hosted a huge, and we really do mean huge, bake sale filled with all kinds of sweet and savoury treats, alongside some lovely handmade gifts too. There was a fantastic turnout with many people coming along to show their support... although we suspect most came for the cake.👀🍪
It was a lovely day with plenty of smiles, good conversation and some very full plates enjoyed by all.

29/05/2026

Fresh flowers and friendly faces make a lovely combination 🌸

A huge thank you to Florist Colchester for their kindness and ongoing support of our Freda Gunton Lodge residential home. We’re so excited that they’ll be regularly donating beautiful flowers to help keep our home looking bright, welcoming and full of colour.
Such a thoughtful gesture and one we appreciate so much 💐

27/05/2026

It’s time to share something exciting… Cheviot’s brand new Seed to Table initiative 🌱🍅
This hands-on project takes residents on a full journey from planting tiny seeds to enjoying the final, delicious results. Along the way, they’ll nurture fresh produce in our raised beds before it heads straight to the kitchen, where our talented chefs turn it into flavour-packed meals 👨‍🍳🥕

Our garden is a true community effort. Some beds are lovingly looked after by residents, while others are cared for by pupils from Paxman Academy junior school, a partnership we’re incredibly proud of 💚

And there’s more growing behind the scenes…
We’ve welcomed 500 wriggly helpers all the way from Yorkshire to start up our very own wormery 🪱 These little workers will spend the next few months transforming kitchen scraps into rich, natural compost... the perfect fuel for our growing vegetables.

From seed to soil, to plate, every step is part of the experience, and our residents have been involved from the very start.
A brilliant project bringing together sustainability, wellbeing, friendship… and of course, some seriously good food 🌿🍽️

25/05/2026

We love a good memory throwback 💜

Today we’re looking back 15 years at one of our incredible Cheviot residents, Rosina, who at 82 years young took on a challenge many people would think twice about 😮👏

Rosina raised an amazing £5,000+ for Marie Curie Cancer Care by abseiling down the side of Colchester Town Hall, with friends and family cheering her on every step of the way. After making it safely back to the ground, there was only one way to celebrate such an achievement... a well deserved brandy 🥃

What an incredible memory to look back on and a reminder that age has never stood in Rosina’s way 💜

Address

Balkerne Gardens Trust
Colchester
CO11PR

Telephone

+441206543517

Website

https://www.balkernegardens.org.uk/

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