Newbury care home celebrates VE Day in 1940s style

Home news

May 19, 2015

Residents at Winchcombe Place were joined by serving forces, including representatives from Denison Barracks in Hermitage, for a trip down memory lane to celebrate VE Day.

Winchcombe Place was decorated with 1945 memorabilia for a celebration reminiscent of the street parties which were widely held in Newbury and beyond at the time of the Allied victory in Europe to mark the end of the Second World War

After lunch, everyone gathered to listen to a recording of Winston Churchill’s speech, and there was live music from The Good Companions which took everyone back to the 1940s.  To make the day even more special, guests included representatives from the Royal Engineers – the regiment which resident John Lill served in during his military career.  Finally carers from Winchcombe Place also accompanied a number of residents to the VE Day celebrations in Newbury Park.

Denise Cleaver, home manager, said: “There can be little doubt that the Second World War played such a huge part in the lives of so many and here at Winchcombe Place we wanted to honour VE Day in as fitting a way as possible.

“We wanted to evoke the spirit of the street parties and other celebrations which were held at the time, while also bearing in mind the poignancy of the end of the war and paying tribute to those who made such a massive contribution to King and country.

“We were delighted to be joined by representatives from the Royal British Legion and the serving forces, and residents had a wonderful time reminiscing as they were taken back to the mid-1940s for what proved to be a very special day.”