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Care home residents brave the ice with staff

Aimee DexterEast of England
News imageLeonard Lodge Care Home Four people are sat in wheelchairs which are stood on a piece of plastic used for wheelchair ice skating. Four people are stood behind the wheelchairs with their arms in the air smiling.Leonard Lodge Care Home
Staff made the trip happen for (left-right) Millie, Yvonne, Barbara and Hazel

A care home has praised its "fantastic staff" after arranging for four of its residents to go ice skating.

Leonard Lodge Care Home in Brentwood, Essex, took the small group to Riverside Leisure Centre in Chelmsford on Tuesday.

Activities coordinator Lynn Amiri said one resident in particular, 97-year-old Millie, had the "best time".

"I had this crazy idea and our fantastic team of amazing staff stepped up and made it happen," she explained.

Millie's family bought her a new hat, scarf, and gloves especially for the occasion to keep her warm.

News imageLeonard Lodge Care Home Three people are taking a selfie and smiling at the camera. A woman on the left has long brown hair and is wearing purple glasses and a black top. A woman in the middle has a short grey hair under a pink hat, and is wearing glasses, a pink scarf and purple coat. Leonard Lodge Care Home
Staff at the home, Dani Marney and Nikki Rimmer, accompanied Millie for the outing

Yvonne, 80, another resident, said she never imagined that she would go ice skating for the first time at her age.

Fiona Crickmore, general manager of the home, said: "Our residents have not stopped talking about their experience and we now have a list of residents clamouring to get on the ice."

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