All revved up – Leamington Spa care home takes motor-mad residents down memory lane

A care home in Leamington Spa made three residents’ wish to get up close with some classic cars come true.

Lifelong car lovers Michael Walton, 90, Richard Kimpton, 85, and Stephen Izon, 88, residents at Care UK’s Priors House, on Old Milverton Lane, all owned Jaguars and other classic cars throughout their lives. Attending lots of car shows and races over the years, they wished to visit a car museum to see some impressive vehicles once again.

Upon hearing about their unique hobby, the team at Priors House decided to get in touch with the Coventry Transport Museum and got busy organising a special trip for Michael, Richard and Stephen.

As part of the wishing tree initiative, the team at Priors House encourage residents to submit wishes, no matter how big or small. Priors House has also granted other wishes in the past couple of months, including taking shopaholic residents Joan Wellings and Sheila Rench out for a much-needed day of retail therapy at Leamington Shires Retail Park, as well as organising a day out to Jephson Gardens for residents to enjoy the outdoors. The team at Priors House encourage residents to submit wishes and continuously work hard to make their wishes a reality. 

On the day, the home arranged for the three motor-mad residents to visit the Coventry Transport Museum to admire the unique collection of classic cars on display. Michael, Richard and Stephen all relished their time at the museum, spending a happy couple of hours challenging one another to share facts about their favourite car models and recalling fond memories of when they used to drive some of the historic vehicles.

Michael said: “I really enjoyed my time at the Coventry Transport Museum – I saw many cars which I used to own and drive, so it brought back a lot of fond memories for me. The best part of the day was being able to see all the vintage cars."

Francine Summers, Home Manager at Priors House, said: “We had a wonderful time at the Coventry Transport Museum, and Michael, Richard and Stephen loved every minute of it.

“Michael, Richard and Stephen have always shared a deep passion for motor vehicles, expressing their love ever since they stepped foot in Priors House. With extensive experience in owning and driving vintage car models – it’s fair to say the three gentlemen would put our car knowledge to shame!

“The whole team worked hard to organise the trip and we’re delighted we were able to make this happen for them – the joy in their eyes when they saw their favourite car models said it all.”

Priors House is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. Designed to enable residents to live enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the care home has its very own cinema and hair salon, and there is plenty of space, both indoors and out, for relaxation and recreation. The home has a comprehensive activity program, offering a mix of themed events, group activities and days out.

To find out more about Priors House, please contact Customer Relations Manager, Maria Cridge, at maria.cridge@careuk.com, or phone 01926 675 217.

For more general information, visit careuk.com/priors-house.