Local care home resident had his wish granted with an emotional reunion
"We were thrilled to be able to fulfil this wish for Tony. He has many stories of his past that he shares with us all and his one wish was to be up close to his beloved tank, and for us as a home with the help of the Armourgeddon Military Museum, his one wish was granted. It was a very emotional afternoon for Tony, and staff"
Tony, a resident at Elm Bank care home in Kettering was a Centurion tank driver back in 1952 for 3 years, stationed in Germany. Speaking of his memories of that time in his life sparked the Activities Lead Tina to see if it would be possible for Tony to once again stand on top of the Centurion tank that he spoke so passionately about. Tony always spoke of his one wish, which was to see his beloved tank again.
Activities Lead Tina, said: “Tony has a model of the Centurion tank in his room that he built himself, and hearing his wonderful story of his days based in Germany and his longing wish to see a Centurion Tank again is what sparked the idea to make his one wish come true for him. We got in touch with the local Armourgeddon Military Museum to see if they had a Centurion tank and asked if it would be possible to get Tony to come and visit as a surprise. The wonderful staff at the museum went one step further, and organised it so that Tony could use suitable steps to climb to the top of the tank and stand on his tank and fulfil his wish.”
Tony said: "I had no idea where I was going or what I was going to see, when I seen the tank at the wall in the museum, I just stopped in shock. The tank just looked at me, and I looked at the tank, I had to go straight up to it and have a closer look. I was very emotional. I felt great when I was standing on top of the tank. When you have been looking after a tank like that for three years it meant so much to me, it more or less made cry, with happiness."
General Manager Larisa Bledea said: "We were thrilled to be able to fulfil this wish for Tony. He has many stories of his past that he shares with us all and his one wish was to be up close to his beloved tank, and for us as a home with the help of the Armourgeddon Military Museum, his one wish was granted. It was a very emotional afternoon for Tony, and staff.”
Our varied life enrichment programme keeps residents active, and provides a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to residents’ interests and abilities.
Elm Bank care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Elm Bank provides residential and dementia care for residents from respite care to long term stays.