Edinburgh care home residents 'step back in time' to mark 80 years since VE Day
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An Edinburgh care home commemorated the 80th anniversary of VE Day in style with 1940s-themed festivities.
Murrayside care home on South Beechwood, which provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care, went the extra mile on Thursday, May 8, as they commemorated the anniversary of the end of the second world war in Europe with a forties style party.
Mary Smith, 103, is a former Navy servicewoman reminisced on where she was when the war ended and played a special role in the care homes celebrations.
She said: 'On VE day I was in the middle of the ocean, it was the first time we sailed with any lights on! I helped light the lamp of light on the balcony this morning, and it's been a really special day for us all'.
Residents and staff welcomed their community in for the celebrations and enjoyed tea, cakes, vintage decorations, wartime music, and a live performance from Sarah Sings who provided the perfect atmosphere to dance along to the vintage tunes.
There was also the opportunity to share stories of times gone by and everyone was in high spirits as they connected with locals.
Suzanne Welsh, Home Manager at Murrayside, said: 'We had a fantastic time celebrating VE Day 80 with residents, their families and the wonderful Edinburgh community. Everyone was in high spirits as we marked this momentous occasion, but we also took time to reflect on the poignancy of the milestone.
'It was a privilege to honour this important anniversary and to see the residents enjoying Sarah's performance, delicious food and the company of the community as they shared their memories of times gone by.
"It's so important to enable residents to foster meaningful connections with the local people and for us to host nostalgic events that can prompt reminiscence, so our VE Day celebration was a roaring success.'
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