Hamilton care home residents enjoying a VE Day street party at Avonbridge Care Home with a socially-distanced singer and a visit from the ice cream van.

Hamilton Care Home Residents Enjoy VE Day Street Party

Hamilton care home residents have enjoyed a special street party to celebrate VE Day in true 1940s style.

The team at Avonbridge Care Home know how important commemorating VE Day is to many of their residents. Determined to make sure the day was filled with happy and meaningful memories, they went to great lengths to capture the atmosphere of May 1945.

In the run-up to the event, residents enjoyed creating their own bunting with the help of the home’s Oomph On Demand digital activities platform. Creating their own personal designs during craft sessions, the Avonbridge residents were able to help staff give the home a street-party feel. In addition to the bespoke bunting and Union Jack flags, homemade ration book-style menus for the street party lunch completed the theme.

An Afternoon of Surprises

As an extra special treat, Keri, one of the residents’ favourite singers, arrived to perform outside of the home’s large front windows. Wearing Union Jack bowler hats, the Avonbridge family joined in with all the great wartime songs from the comfort of their lounge. This was a significant moment for the home, with Keri the first live entertainer to visit in over a year due to Covid-19 restrictions. As you would expect, residents were up dancing and singing along with excitement.

Ian Young, who lives at the Hamilton care home, said: “It was brilliant being entertained by a singer again! We have been watching concerts but nothing compares to seeing someone live and in-person”

After a lively performance, there was another Great British treat with the arrival of an ice cream van! As residents enjoyed a Flake ’99, they shared memories of their own experiences of VE Day 76 years ago.

Martha Whip, aged 101, said: “I remember having parties like this out in the streets when the war ended. Every family would be out celebrating so today has reminded me of that.”

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