MGB in his bonnet – care home resident gets a visit from the iconic car he designed

Home news

Dec 18, 2019

A care home resident who designed the MGB sports car had a roaring success with a parade of cars visiting the home.

A legend in the motoring world, Don Hayter worked for MG cars for 42 years, becoming the chief design and development engineer, leading the team that created the MGB and Roadster models. These became some of the most iconic British sports cars of the time – with the MGB even being featured in the James Bond film, The Man With The Golden Gun.

The care team at Millers Grange, on Curbridge Road, discovered that Don sketched the original concept and was responsible for the design of the MGB body, and so arranged for him to take a look at his proudest achievement once again. They set to work to make this come true, and arranged for the MG Car Club, from Abingdon, to visit the home.

This isn’t the first time the team at Millers Grange has granted a wish – the care home has a Wishing Tree initiative which allows residents to suggest ideas for activities they would like to do. This allows them to live fulfilling lives – from skiing to a fish and chip supper, no wish is too big or small.

Don had a lovely afternoon chatting with the members of the MG Car Club, reminiscing about the cars, and swapping stories about his time working for the prestigious company.

Steve Reader, home manager at Millers Grange, said: “It was a pleasure to see Don revisit one of his biggest career milestones, especially as he had not seen the car for some time. We firmly believe that life in a care home doesn’t have to be predictable, and it was lovely to celebrate and reminisce about Don’s incredible achievements – it clearly meant a lot to him.

“We would like to thank the MG Car Club for coming down with their cars; it was a really special day!”

Millers Grange provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care. With 52 ensuite bedrooms, it has been designed to deliver the very best standards of care to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence. It also features space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hairdressing salon and café.

For more information about Millers Grange, email James MacLeod, customer relations manager, at james.macleod@careuk.com or call 0333 321 8351.

For general information, please visit careuk.com/millers-grange