RESIDENTS at a Wokingham care home have been busy making memories during lockdown – by creating their very own model village.
The large-scale creation was borne out of the visiting restrictions that have hit the sector as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
And now The Berkshire Care Home on Barkham Road has its very own miniature collection of homes and buildings.
It was organised by the brighterkind-run centre’s Magic Moments Club coordinator Blerina Cuka.
She said that they wanted residents to have a big project during these strange days and that the village was packed with memories.
First on the list was a church, requested by Betty Spaans, aged 89.
Connie Brownjohn, 90, wanted a bakery just like the one in the village where she grew up and Sheila Wilson, 88, had fond memories of walking along a canal when she was younger.
Louise Hill, 89, said the village should include the residents themselves, plus a dog and also a garage as she remembered spending a lot of time having
to have her car fixed.
Michael Mace, 83, thought that the only essential building to have was a pub.
The residents also made models of the homes they used to live in and decided to add their room numbers at the care home on the doors.
Betty said: “I’ve loved doing this, it’s very beautiful.
“The pretty houses and the bridge over the canal are my favourites.
“I could sit here all day admiring it.
“I’ve told my daughter and son all about our village and I can’t wait for them to see this.”
And a delighted Ms Cuka said: “We encouraged our residents to get involved by reminiscing about their younger days and helping to build our model village.
“The idea was to bring back and share happy memories with each other and do something that everyone could contribute to.
“It took us about two months to make and during that time we had lots of fun, enjoyed plenty of trips down memory lane and drank lots of tea.
“We are still considering what else we can add to our village, so it could soon become a town.”
