The royal treatment – Kingston Vale care home residents celebrate the Platinum Jubilee in style

Residents at a care home in Kingston Vale have been enjoying a Platinum Jubilee celebration fit for a queen. 

Care UK’s Sherwood Grange, on Robin Hood Lane, celebrated the Queen’s official 70-year milestone with a week of jubilee inspired activities for residents and team members to enjoy. 

To celebrate, residents were first treated to a special visit to watch the Trooping the Colour event, before later enjoying an opera performance in the home’s garden by local singer, Harry Kersley. 

Ending the week in a quintessentially British fashion, the home hosted a garden party picnic, complete with sandwiches, scones and afternoon tea, thoughtfully prepared by the home’s head chef. 

Keen to mark the historical milestone, the care home team also planned a surprise performance from the D-Day Dollies, who performed music from the 1940s – much to the resident’s enjoyment. 

Residents have also spent time reminiscing about their own memories of jubilee celebrations gone by, including 79-year-old Rosemary Lester, who remembers watching the coronation on TV with her friends, aged nine. 

She said: “In those days, not many people had a television and for most people like us we had not seen any type of ceremony like that before. There was huge anticipation in the family – it was all very exciting. I remember afterwards we went to the cinema to watch it on the big screen!”. 

Jenny Proudlove, another resident at Sherwood Grange, also remembers the coronation after performing in the Girl Guides in Staffordshire on the big day. She said: “I was the leader of the girl guides, and had a special badge for being a Sargent. I loved it – all the camaraderie of the girls together. For the coronation we marched in lines in a parade in Leek – I was so proud!.”

Kristina Jacunskiene, Home Manager at Sherwood Grange, added: “We had a fantastic week celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee here at Sherwood Grange. 

“Memorable activities form a huge part of life at the home, as they can offer an alternative way for residents to express themselves, which can be incredibly beneficial for older people – especially those living with dementia. Themed activities like these can also help to prompt positive memories of previous celebrations and the associated emotions, which can be fantastic for decreasing stress and improving mood.                                                                                           

“We have many royalists here at Sherwood Grange, who were keen to mark the Queen’s incredible reign and celebrate in style. Everyone had a fantastic time, and we’re already planning our next royal knees up!”

To find out more about Care UK’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, please visit: careuk.com/platinumjubilee.

Sherwood Grange has been designed to encourage residents to live active and fulfilling lives, while remaining as independent as possible in a safe environment. The ‘Outstanding’-rated, state-of-the-art care home features a cinema, hair salon and art studio, and incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room, to facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.

For more information on Sherwood Grange, contact Customer Relations Manager, Richard Harvey, by emailing: richard.harvey2@careuk.com,call 020 4502 8956 or visit careuk.com/Sherwood-grange.