Care home residents bring history to life

TWO local care homes, Bishopsmead Lodge in Bishopsworth and Osborne Court in Bedminster, have been bringing historic moments to life for residents as part of a ‘Heroes and Heroines’ event.

More than 100 Four Seasons Health Care Group care homes across the UK 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 fascinating and fun trip down memory lane.

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

The homes’ Magic Moments Coordinators have also created memory boxes full of things to help spark memories and prompt discussions including photographs and newspaper clippings, historical objects, poems, scents and music from different eras.

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

Resident June Hope, 83, added: “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 Magic Moments Activities Programme for the care homes, commented afterwards: “Our residents and team members have really enjoyed getting involved in this project, sharing their expertise and memories to bring history to life in a fun and entertaining way.

“There have been some wonderful conversations and it’s been a great opportunity to reminisce about the past.”

REFILL shop Zero Green has introduced a sustainable – and tasty – alternative to single-use coffee cups. Customers opting to take their coffee away can now choose edible cups.

The cups themselves are made of a robust wafer-style biscuit. They will hold a hot beverage for up to 40 minutes, and can then be eaten as a bonus snack.

In line with the veganfriendly values of the shop, all coffees are made with Tiger & Float oat milk, which is made in Bristol using UK-grown oats. The coffee beans are roasted instore by micro-roastery Unica.

Partners Rob Wooldridge and Anwen Bowers took over at Zero Green in July 2022. Since then, the pair have teamed up with Unica to introduce a small coffee shop area. The shop continues to stock plastic-free and refillable staples such as pasta, rice and lentils, as well as environmentally friendly cleaning supplies and health and wellbeing products.

Zero Green was created to help people in Bristol choose a