Seventies revival at Chestnut Lodge

Residents of Chestnut Lodge enjoyed a nostalgic trip down memory lane to the 1970s with a special theme day featuring music and fashions that sparked some great memories.

Gary Shackle, the home’s activities coordinator, said: “Our ladies and gents generally remember the seventies with great fondness, and many of them are pretty much word-perfect when they’re singing along to the pop songs.

“Their dementia means that more recent events can be hard to recall, but music which is familiar from their youth sparks memories of that time, and they had such fun singing along to classics like Night Fever, YMCA and Dancing Queen.

“They also loved putting on retro costumes and fashion accessories, and took great pride in describing their own clothes from back in the day.

“We put a lot of effort into creating a convincing atmosphere for our theme days, not just with music and fashion but including other cultural references like films and food.

“By way of contrast, we’ve also had a Chelsea Flower Show themed day this week, with a flower inspired quiz – and it was amazing how many flowers our residents could name.

“And they enjoyed taking a turn around our own pretty courtyard garden – in between showers.”