Streets filled with flags” – Sutton Coldfield care home celebrates VE Day

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May 24, 2021

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

Care UK’s Mercia Grange, on Lichfield 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 cakes specially prepared by Mercia Grange’s chefs, and were given the opportunity to share their memories of the historical day during a poetry workshop.

Among them was resident Joyce Brandson, aged 95, from Alum Rock in Birmingham. Joyce’s brother, Donald, served in the Forces during the war. She remembers her mum being a good cook and helping make the food for a street party on VE Day. She recalls: “All the streets were filled with flags and everyone was happy.”

Thomas Bampfield, Home Manager at Mercia Grange, 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 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.”

Mercia Grange is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing, dementia, and short-term respite care. The three-storey care home, which features 67 ensuite bedrooms, has been designed to enable 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, hair salon and café.

To find out more about Mercia Grange, please call Customer Relations Manager, Aleksandra Luczynska, on 0121 314 3196, or email  aleksandra.Luczynska@careuk.com

For more general information, please visit careuk.com/mercia-grange