Mildenhall Lodge resident meets new neigh-bours on special visit

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Jul 18, 2019

A wish came true for a care home resident in Mildenhall when she went on a surprise trip to visit some familiar friends.

Elsie Palmer, a 98-year-old resident at Mildenhall Lodge care home, on St John’s Close, was given the opportunity to return to her roots and visit a local farm. 

Elsie and her husband, Harry, who married in 1944, owned a farm together in Lakenheath, keeping pigs, cows, horses and sheep. Born in Sedge Fen, Elsie worked on a farm from the age of 17 when war broke out and she joined the land army, picking potatoes and apples. She then met Harry, who owned his own farm, and they built the business up together. Continuing the family tradition, two of her three sons also now own crop farms. 

After speaking so fondly of her life on the farm and memories of riding her horses, the Care UK team members at Mildenhall Lod

ge decided to arrange a special visit to Church Farm in Stow Bardolph, to give Elsie the chance to relive some of her happiest memories. 

During the visit, Elsie was able to see all of the animals and had the chance to hold rabbits and meet the piglets and horses.

Katy Hughes, home manager at Mildenhall Lodge, said: “Everyone at Mildenhall Lodge knows how much Elsie loved riding her horses and how special her farm was to her. We were thrilled to be able to grant Elsie’s wish to revisit a farm and give her the chance to see some of her favourite animals again.

Elsie added: “I had a wonderful day and I was delighted to be able to spend some time with the horses. Before having my own farm, I also worked on one during the war, and so visiting Church Farm brought back a lot of happy memories.