Mansfield care home residents bring heroes and heroines of history to life

More than 100 Four Seasons Health Care Group care homes have taken part in the project, which saw residents exploring some of the events and people that have built history, as well as sharing their own knowledge and stories for a trip down memory lane.

Homes taking part included The Sycamore & Poplars Care Home, on High Street, Warsop, and Lawn Park Care Home, off Lucknow Drive, Sutton.

An Extraordinary Afternoon Tea Party kicked off the event, with residents dressing as some of their favourite historical characters to see what sort of conversations people like Tutankhamun, Queen Victoria and Neil Armstrong might have if seated together for a cuppa and cake.

Staff also created memory boxes to help spark memories and prompt discussions, including photographs, newspaper clippings, historical objects, poems, scents and music from different eras.

Resident Sylvia Heys, aged 84, said: “I had a super time finding out about some of the people who’ve made history. I was Neil Armstrong at our afternoon tea and told everyone what it was like to be the first person to stand on the Moon.”

Fellow resident June Hope, 83, said: “I thought history at school was boring, but this has been so much fun. If my lessons had been like this, I might have paid more attention.”

Steve Gardner, who heads up the care homes’ magic moments activities programme, said: “Our residents and team members enjoyed getting involved in this project, sharing their expertise and memories to bring history to life in a fun and entertaining way.”