RAF veterans of HC-One’s Grey Ferrers care home in Braunstone, Leicester enjoyed a reminiscent visit to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Visitor Centre in Coningsby.
The trip was organised by Activities Coordinator, Nikki Reed, who arranged for Residents to receive VIP treatment and a personal tour around the centre.
Two Residents in particular, 90 year-old Colin Pickton and 85-year-old Stenson Day, were very excited by the trip due to their background in the RAF during national service.
After beginning his RAF career in the reserves working for the war duty, Colin went on to become a Pilot Officer on the Meteor 7 plane before working as an Aeronautical Engineer at Rolls Royce. He also worked on the Rolls Royce Spitfire, which is now proudly stationed at East Midlands Airport.
Stenson, meanwhile, was a nerk in the RAF and helped manufacture parts for Spitfire planes.
Fellow Residents Janet Strong and David Stabler joined the trip, with David possessing more than 1,000 hours’ experience flying private gliders and therefore having a keen interest in the field.
The Grey Ferrers Residents were delighted to be taken on their private tour of the centre, admiring the different planes and sharing memories of their past experiences of flying.
Vikki Reed, Activities Coordinator at Grey Ferrers, said: “At HC-One, we make every effort to provide stimulating opportunities to our Residents that bring back positive memories from their younger life.
“Our Residents thoroughly enjoyed the trip to see the different planes at the visitor centre. Colin and Stenson were in their element as they had the opportunity to share memories of the different planes they worked on in the RAF. The day certainly did bring a smile everyone’s faces!”