No such thing as tutu much of a good thing for Eye care home resident

 

A care home resident and former ballerina in Eye, Suffolk, visited a local ballet school for a magical morning celebrating her love of the dance. 

76-year-old Pam Allen-Jones, a resident at Care UK’s Hartismere Place, on Castleton Way, spent a morning with dancers from LTS Dance School—bringing back fond memories of her pirouetting days.

On the day, the dancers put on a magnificent performance, featuring impressive choreography on pointe. Pam joined in with the ‘Silver Swans’ class, specially designed for older people to improve mobility, posture, co-ordination and energy levels by the Royal Academy of Dance and led by Lily Turner Smith. 

After the show, Pam had the opportunity to speak with the performers and find out more about the art of ballet. Pam will now be attending the ‘Silver Swan’ class every month.

Pam took up ballet aged seven at a ballet school in Romford, and then went on to tap dance with her sister Shirley. In 1985, Pam dusted off her dancing shoes and danced with the Essex Dance Theatre.

The morning was part of the home’s ‘Wishing Tree’ Initiative, which encourages residents to put wishes forward, allowing them to reconnect with their younger years or try something completely new – from flying a plane to enjoying a fish and chip supper, no wish is too big or small.

Speaking about her morning of ballet, Pam said: “I miss not dancing, and I’m looking forward to going back!”

Claire Martin, Home Manager at Hartismere Place, said: “We had an amazing time watching Pam join in with LTS Dance School ballet dancers.

 “Dancing has played a big part in Pam’s life and she has many fond memories of dancing with her sister growing up. The activity gave Pam a wonderful opportunity to reminisce on her younger years, while watching and joining in with the ballet.

“Here at Hartismere Place, we are passionate about helping residents’ dreams come true, whether that be welcoming furry friends into the home, or a performance from ballerinas.

“We’d like to say a big thank you to the dancers, and we look forward to bringing Pam back to centre stage.”

Hartismere Place has been designed to deliver the very best standards of care and to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives. The home provides full-time residential, dementia, and short-term respite care. The team also operates a day centre, the Hartismere Place Day Club, which is open to the community throughout the week.