Residents of a local care home and their neighbours came together for a unique social distancing garden party to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) on 8 May 2020.
Keen to mark the occasion despite the current lockdown and social distancing regulations, the residents and staff at Ruddington Manor in Wilford held a 1940s-themed garden party and delivered personal handwritten letters to invite their closest neighbours to open their doors and windows and enjoy the day with them.
Well known Nottingham singer Jayne Darling provided the entertainment. With iconic 1940s styling and flawless vocals, she brought the music of the period to life in the care home’s garden with a range of popular songs from the era that ended with a rousing rendition of wartime favourite “We’ll Meet Again.”
The event provided a superb way to commemorate the anniversary while observing the current lockdown restrictions and was a great boost to morale for all involved. Residents at Ruddington Manor were able to enjoy the celebrations from their rooms or balconies, or head out into the garden while keeping a safe distance from others for those able to go outside.
A themed buffet and refreshments were delivered to all residents by room service and everyone involved waved their union flags with pride coming together to observe the two minute silence at 11am and raise a toast to heroes past and present at 3pm.
Wellbeing coordinator at Ruddington Manor, Amy Simpson, commented: “VE Day and the anniversary are hugely important events for our residents who remember the wartime vividly and are always keen to reminisce and share their stories, so the ‘social distancing’ garden party was the perfect solution given the current situation.”
Ruddington Manor resident Jean Rivette agreed, she said: “Today was a wonderful way to mark the occasion and it really brought back fond memories for me.”
Local neighbour Natalie Johnson commented: “It was a lovely surprise to get the invite through the door, the singer was fantastic and it really made our VE Day garden picnic a day to remember.”
Ruddington Manor is an expertly designed, state-of-art 66-bed care facility with an exceptional clinical offering, including residential, nursing and dementia care services. The care home features elegant private bedrooms with en suite wet rooms, stylish communal lounges and dining rooms, plus secure beautifully landscaped gardens. For further information, or to arrange a viewing, please contact home manager Tracy Johnston on 0115 981 5956 or email [email protected]. Alternatively, please visit www.newcarehomes.com.
