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Dolls House Brings Back Childhood Memories For Nonagenarian

92-YEAR-OLD Margaret Tolson has been reunited with her favourite childhood memory after moving into a Sandiacre care home.

Her hand-made dolls house, created over 80 years ago, has been moved into her room at Longmoor Lodge Care Home, on Longmoor Lane.

Margaret, who prefers to be called Gwen, made the dolls house with her grandmother when she was just 10 years old – keeping it in storage until she had the space to erect it again.

Lacking the room in her home in Chilwell, it wasn’t until she moved into the care home that she saw the dolls house again.

Her son Richard surprised her by installing it in pride of place on her dresser.

Gwen said: “I didn’t have room for the dolls house in my own house but now, living at Longmoor Lodge, the dolls house lives with me and gives me daily memories of the times enjoyed with my Grandma.”

Gwen caught diphtheria as a child so was kept out of school, spending a lot of time with her grandmother, who used to look after her.

They took regular trips into Nottingham on the bus to shop for furniture for the dolls house, decorated with old paper found lying around.

Her grandmother ran a café in Nottingham, which Gwen would regularly visit, queuing up for cobs and teacakes to feed the birds.

The café’s main customers were soldiers stationed at Chetwynd Barracks, in Chilwell, who Gwen used to entertain by tap dancing.

Gwen said: “I miss those days but I’ve got lovely memories of them. And now, having the dolls house with me, it has brought it all back.”

Samantha Ely, home manager at Longmoor Lodge Care Home, said: “Gwen has been with us for almost a year but it wasn’t until recently that she saw the dolls house again.

“It has been hugely uplifting for her and you can really see the impact it has had. She wakes up with a smile in the morning, having been reminded of some of her fondest childhood memories.”

 

 
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