Quorn care home creates spectacular poppy display

A care home in Quorn has been getting creative to mark Remembrance Day.

Residents and team members from Care UK’s Lonsdale Mews, on Farley Way, worked together to create a show-stopping, illuminated river of poppies. 

Made of an estimated 1,700 poppies, all of which were either knitted or created out of plastic bottles by the home’s ‘knit and natter’ club, the river of poppies was built over more than three months, with help from members of the community, including the Quorn WI and residents’ families. 

To complete the display, the home also decorated one of the windows of the home with a hand-painted Tommy silhouette and an RAF plane. 

Inside, the home has also organised a special Remembrance Day display, including a knitted soldier’s head, hat and boots created by a relative, and a World War II RAF jacket.

June Taylor, one of the residents involved in the project, said: “The more we knitted, the more it grew. We have enjoyed ourselves enormously, because we felt like we were doing something worthwhile.”

Toby Sturgess, Home Manager at Lonsdale Mews, said: “We are so proud of the team, residents and everyone who has worked tirelessly to create such a beautiful display.

"Crafts, as well as other creative activities, have many therapeutic benefits for older people, particularly those living with dementia, by keeping their brains busy and providing a sense of purpose. More importantly, Remembrance Day holds a very special meaning to residents, as many of them may have served in the forces or lived through World War Two and heard stories from their parents or older siblings.

“We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who contributed to our beautiful display by creating a poppy; every single one of our visitors has been absolutely amazed by the result. We’d like to invite everyone to come and stop by to see it for themselves – it’s even more spectacular at night!” 

Lonsdale Mews offers full-time residential and dementia care, as well as short-term respite. The home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hairdressing salon and café. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.