Local care home, Sunrise of Banstead, treated their residents to a trip down memory lane on Monday 20 July. It was an afternoon of entertainment, organised by The Not Forgotten, a British Armed Forces charity serving ex-service men and women.

The charity recently launched ‘Those Not Forgotten Years’, a nationwide outdoor concert tour, reaching thousands of residents in care homes, boosting morale and lifting spirits.

Fifty of the residents at Sunrise, together with staff, dressed for the occasion in red, white and blue. Everyone sang along, waved flags and tapped their feet to popular musical classics from the 30’s through to the 60’s. Amongst the popular songs of the war years, was a tribute to Dame Vera Lynn who sadly died earlier this year.

Suzanne Garston, General Manager, Sunrise of Banstead said: We always celebrate the VE day event within the community but to have visitors come and share this with us at this difficult social distancing time has been amazing and it is very important to our residents to have these special dates not forgotten. It was an emotional but happy time spent today.”

The Not Forgotten charity, has proudly supported veterans since 1920. Their purpose is to help combat loneliness amongst the Armed Forces communities, through social activities and challenge holidays.

Brigadier James Stopford, CBE, CEO of The Not Forgotten said: “Sadly, events to commemorate VE Day, VJ Day and D Day could not take place properly this year, so we were determined to help WW2 veterans and those who have served their country mark these important days by bringing the celebrations to them.”

The Not Forgotten was originally based on the principles of providing social activities and recreation to the Armed Forces community. It was formed to help combat isolation and loneliness for those who had been injured in the service of their country. Today the charity supports care homes across the UK.

With social distancing putting a dampener on their activities during the start of this year, they are now back in full swing and said they are ‘bloomin’ delighted to get the show back on the road.