“It was a jolly day” – Bromsgrove care home celebrates VE Day

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May 24, 2021

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

Care UK’s Chandler Court, in Recreation 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. Residents were treated to VE Day-themed treats specially prepared by Chandler Court’s chef, including cherry Bakewell tarts. Team members dressed in 1940s clothes to create an immersive experience, and residents were given the opportunity to share their memories of the historical day.

Among them was resident Tommy, aged 96. He celebrated VE Day at his County Durham school with his fellow classmates, and recalls: “It was a jolly day, I can remember the announcement in class and everyone was excited and cheering.”

Meanwhile, Solihull native Kathleen, 90, remembers organising a party in her garden, and inviting all of her neighbours to celebrate.

Dawn Covill, Home Manager at Chandler Court, said: “For residents, marking the VE Day anniversary is incredibly important, as many remember it as the day they knew they would be reunited with their fathers, uncles and brothers.

“While the current restrictions meant we couldn’t organise a true street party, we still wanted to do something special to mark the occasion, and the team worked hard to put together an indoor event to celebrate. Reminiscence activities can be incredibly beneficial for older people, especially those living with dementia, and although VE Day was 76 years ago and many of the residents were children at the time, it’s amazing to hear some of the small details they recalled during our event.

“It was great to hear some heart-warming stories from residents – they reminded us just how lucky we were not to have experienced a conflict of this scale in our lifetime.”

Chandler Court is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, dementia and nursing care, as well as short-term respite care. Designed to enable its residents to live enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the care home has its very own cinema, café and hair salon, and there is plenty of space, both indoors and out, for relaxation and recreation.

To find out more about Chandler Court, please call Customer Relations Manager, Paul Chambers, on 01527 907 849 or email Paul.Chambers@careuk.com

For more general information, visit careuk.com/chandler-court