VE Day 80 celebrated in style at Eye care home

An Eye care home proudly welcomed the community to join residents and their relatives for a joyful and nostalgic celebration marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

Care UK’s Hartismere Place, on Castleton Way, pulled out all the stops to commemorate the poignant anniversary of Victory in Europe, and hosted a 1940s-themed street party with a live performance from local singer Justin Harrod, who serenaded guests with wartime songs from the 40s and 50s as they danced the afternoon away.

To embrace the spirit of the 1940s, team members at Hartismere Place dressed as Land Army girls. The home was also decorated in a ‘Feeding the nation’ theme, with two vintage tractors and a jeep displayed in the car park.

In addition, guests enjoyed refreshments in the coffee shop made using wartime recipes, such as fairy cakes and scones with jam and cream.

Resident, Myra Wildmun, aged 96, travelled to London with her mum and an evacuee named George to celebrate VE Day in 1945. Myra remembers hundreds of people singing and dancing in the street, and she also went to Downing Street where she thinks she saw Winston Churchill. 

Commenting on why it’s important that we celebrate VE Day, Myra said: “It’s important the younger generations know the sacrifices that people made so we can live in a free world."  

Claire Martin, Home Manager at Hartismere Place, said: “We had a fantastic time celebrating the 80^th anniversary of VE Day with residents, their families, and the wonderful Eye community. Everyone was in high spirits as we honoured this significant occasion, while also taking a moment to reflect on its poignancy. 

“I would like to thank the entire team at Hartismere Place for making this celebration possible, as well as all the guests who joined us for our party. A special thank you to Justin for keeping us all entertained with his wonderful singing.

“It was a privilege to commemorate this significant anniversary residents shared their memories of the past. It’s so important to enable residents to foster meaningful connections with the local community and for us to host nostalgic events that can prompt reminiscence, so our VE Day celebration was a roaring success.”

Hartismere Place, rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, has been designed to deliver the very best standards of care and to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives. The home provides full-time residential, dementia, and short-term respite care. The team also operates a day centre, the Hartismere Place Day Club, which is open to the community throughout the week.