Bideford care home invites local veterans to join their D-Day event

A Bideford care home is inviting local veterans to join their event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day next week.

Kenwith Castle care home is holding an afternoon of reminiscence with a street party and live entertainment on Thursday 6 June in honour of 80 years since D-Day, which will see commemorative events take place across the UK and France.

Local veterans who may be alone on the day are invited to join the care home residents for their special event. Some of the residents are armed forces veterans or have family or relations who served, including D-Day veteran, John, who celebrated his 100 birthday earlier this year.

There is no cost for veterans to attend the event, but places must be booked in advance by Monday 3 June.

Joanne Passmore, Home Manager at Kenwith Castle care home, said: “At Care South, we are home to many veterans and relations of those who served in the forces, so we wanted to pay tribute to them and give our thanks to all of those who fought for their country, including John who was part of the D-Day landings.

“We would like to welcome any local veterans to enjoy the company of our residents for an afternoon and take in the peaceful surroundings of our care home.”

Kenwith Castle resident, John, was part of the D-Day landings and travelled right through France and Germany as a driver.

While in Germany, he met his late wife, Betty, who was in the WRAF and they were married at the end of the war. En route to their honeymoon, John was tasked with driving Hermann Goering’s staff car to an American airbase to be flown over to the US.

The D-Day landings of 6 June 1944 was the largest seaborne invasion in history. Along with the associated airborne operations, it marked the beginning of the liberation of France and western Europe.

Kenwith Castle, which is run by the not-for-profit charity Care South, provides specialist residential, respite, and dementia care.

The care home features fully-furnished rooms with ensuite facilities and a 24-hour call bell system, with a range of communal lounges overlooking a landscaped garden.

Kenwith Castle has a dedicated activities team who organise a daily programme of events to bring residents together to socialise and build friendships.

The wider Kenwith Castle care village includes assisted-living bungalows which benefit from a beautiful lake offering peaceful surroundings with countryside views and the dedicated onsite

Kenwith Pavilion cafe and shop which stocks an array of everyday essentials.

To book a place at the D-Day event, call Kenwith Castle care home on 01237 470060.