A Fareham care home proudly welcomed the community to join residents and their relatives for a joyful and nostalgic celebration marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

Care UK’s Parker Meadows, on Redlands Lane, pulled out all the stops to commemorate the poignant anniversary of Victory in Europe, and hosted a 1940s-themed street party with a lively ukelele performance by Uke-Annot be Serious!, who provided the perfect atmosphere for a dance and a sing-along.

On the day, guests also enjoyed buffet-style refreshments from the wartime era and traditional English games.

Resident Kay Farrington, aged 90, shared her memories from the war.

Carers Vanda. Lucy and Zhao at Parker Meadows on VE Day.

She said: “My father was in the war, so I didn’t know him until I was 11 – he was a stranger to me. I remember raiders were coming over every day, and we knew the specific sounds of the German planes and the English planes. We also knew the sounds of the ‘Doodlebug’ flying bomb – a sound I still remember today. When the engine stopped, the bomb fell.

“War should never be forgotten. As each generation passes, we need to remember the fallen.”

Also in attendance at the special commemorative event was Jeannette Poulter, Lay Minister at St John’s Church.

She said: “Today brought back positive memories I had in the Women’s Royal Navy Service and the comradeship we felt together.”

The day was full of fun, laughter and dancing.

Lukasz Mikolaj Irzabek, General Manager at Parker Meadows, said: “Here at Parker Meadows, we had a fantastic time celebrating VE Day 80 with residents, their families and the wonderful Fareham community. Everyone was in high spirits as we marked this momentous occasion, but we also took time to reflect on the poignancy of the milestone.

“I’d like to thank the entire team for making this celebration possible and all the guests who joined us at Parker Meadows for our party, as well as the talented performers from Uke-Annot be Serious who put on an impressive performance.

“It was a privilege to honour this important anniversary and to see the residents enjoying the incredible ukelele performance, some delicious food and the company of the community as they shared their memories of times gone by.

“It’s so important to enable residents to foster meaningful connections with the local community and for us to host nostalgic events that can prompt reminiscence, so our VE Day celebration was a roaring success.”

Residents at Parker Meadows celebrating VE Day.

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Parker Meadows incorporates plenty of space for hobby and leisure activities. The home provides full-time residential care, nursing care, dementia care and respite care, in addition to independent living bungalows on-site. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge and dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.

To find out more about Parker Meadows, please call Customer Relations Manager Joe Gould on 01329 889 571, or email [email protected]

Further information can be found online at careuk.com/parker-meadows

VE Day 80 celebrated in style at Fareham care home