“A great weight lifted off our shoulders” – Kidderminster care home celebrates VE Day

Home news

May 24, 2021

A care home in Kidderminster marked the Victory in Europe Day anniversary with a special event. 

Care UK’s Brook Court, on Oldnall Road, hosted a street party-themed event to encourage residents to reminisce and celebrate this historical milestone.

The home was adorned with flags, balloons and homemade bunting specially for the occasion, with Debbie Miles performing vintage songs outside the home. Residents were also treated to a special VE Day inspired menu prepared by Brook Court’s chef, including cakes, and given the opportunity to share their memories of the historical day.

Among them was resident Frances Bloore, aged 83. Born in Brierley Hill, she remembers the big parade outside her house, and joining in by banging on a dustbin lid while one of her neighbours made a canopy out of bed sheets.

For Bryan Tingley, aged 85, VE Day went a bit differently – stuck in bed with scarlet fever at the time, he recalls hearing the sounds of the street parties roaring outside without being able to join in the fun. His father was part of the Chindits, a special operation unit involved in the Burma campaign during the war – luckily, he was able to return when Bryan was 10, only realising the war ended once he stepped foot in Britain.

Gill Pratt, Home Manager at Brook Court, said: “VE Day was 76 years ago, yet some residents remember it like it was yesterday.

“Many of them were still children at the time, so VE Day marked the beginning of a more worry-free childhood, while some residents remember being reunited with family members who had gone to war. Needless to say, this was an emotional time – which we all felt during our celebrations, even decades later.

“We had a wonderful time hosting our indoor ‘street party’, and it was great to hear some heart-warming stories from residents – events like these are a wonderful way to encourage reminiscence, which can be really beneficial for older people, especially those living with dementia. We’d like to say a big thank you to Debbie Miles for making our day extra special and to residents for sharing their memories with us; they reminded us just how lucky we were not to have experienced a conflict of this scale in our lifetime.”

Brook Court is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing, dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. The care home, which features 67 en-suite bedrooms, has been designed to enable its residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hairdressing salon and café.

To find out more about Brook Court email Customer Relations Manager, Kay Mayes, on kay.mayes@careuk.com  or call on 01562 814 715.

For more general information visit careuk.com/brook-court