Party to Remember as Rotherham Care Home Celebrates Veteran Friendly Status
PROUD memories of national service and wartime efforts were shared when a Rotherham care home held a party to celebrate achieving “Veteran Friendly” status.
Whiston Hall Care Home, on The Manorial Barn Chaff Close, marked the occasion with a gathering of residents, staff, family members, and friends of the home – alongside local dignitaries.
The care home’s veterans were also in attendance, including Alan Taylor, 88, who served in the British Army’s Royal Signals Corps during his national service from 1956 to 1958, posted to Germany, Egypt, and then York.
Fellow resident James Broughton, 92, joined the Royal Engineers Corps when he was 18 and served two years in Hong Kong. Henry Graham, 94, served in the Army Medical Corps from 1951-53, training to the level of nurse.
Mary Barton, 85, served two years in the Auxiliary Corps at the Catterick Garrison, in North Yorkshire, where many of the residents completed their training. She was charged with driving officers around the base, during which time she met her husband, and the couple were stationed in Germany for 10 years.
Effie Copley, 99, worked in the Sheffield steelworks for two years during the Second World War, for which she was honoured as one of the “Women of Steel” with a monument in Sheffield city centre in 2016.
The spouses of veterans also shared their stories, including Lorna Gibbs, 86, whose husband served as a trainer of new recruits in the Grenadier Guards. And Janet Pearn, 79, who was a sergeant in the Army for eight years.
The party to honour the veterans and celebrate Whiston Hall’s Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF) status included live music from Keeley May Vocals, dancing, prosecco and bucks fizz, and a cake made by the care home’s chef, Deepak Pattar.
The Lord Mayor of Rotherham, Cllr Rukhsana Ismail, was among the dignitaries at the event – taking to the dance floor with fellow partygoers.
She said: “Whiston Hall’s accreditation for being Veteran Friendly is obviously something they take very seriously and are proud of. They are committed to understanding the veterans’ needs, providing tailored support and promoting respect and recognition for all their residents.
“Thank you to the incredible staff and management at Whiston Hall for creating such a joyous atmosphere – I just wish I’d worn my dancing shoes as I took a turn on the dance floor.”
Jake Richards, MP for Rother Valley, and Paul Thorp, Cllr for Sitwell Ward, also celebrated with residents and staff at the event.
Mr Richards said: “It was lovely to join the staff and residents at Whiston Hall Care Home as they celebrated becoming a veteran friendly location. The wonderful entertainment team put on a real show for the residents to celebrate this achievement.”
Marie Keaveney, activities coordinator at Whiston Hall Care Home, said: “It was an honour for us to be able to throw this party and pay our respects to our veterans. We have so many residents who themselves served or had spouses that did.
“It was a massive part of there lives and we are privileged to be able to know all of these fantastic people. The staff team has always got involved and it like one big family here at Whiston Hall.”
