With a nod to London Fashion Week, residents and staff at Chyvarhas Residential and Nursing Home in Callington organised their own fashion day.

Local theatre group Primraf lent a variety of costumes to help rekindle memories and ignite conversation. An RAF uniform created lots of nostalgic giggles but, for Betty, it was Denise Eaton’s red hat that brought the greatest joy.

Denise is the activity coordinator at Chyvarhas who dreamt up the fashion day idea. She brought her hat in to add to the stylish proceedings and Betty wanted to wear it. 

“The hat is now Betty’s,” she laughs. “She kept it beside her chair for three days afterwards and loves it so much I’ve let her keep it!”

Chyvarhas is a 36-bed former Cornwall Care home that is now run by award-winning national care provider, Sanctuary Care.

“We’re very grateful to Primraf for lending us the costumes free of charge,” said Chyvarhas home manager Michael Dickinson-Smith. “Organised activities are an important way of stimulating memory and encouraging participation and our fashion day certainly achieved that.

“We are passionate about getting to know our residents individually, so we understand what matters to them and what makes them happy. Their smiles and laughter enrich their lives and ours.”

Denise Eaton is now planning a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party to mark Halloween.

“We’ll be creating outfits during our arts and crafts sessions and our tea that day will be served on an array of strange cups and saucers,” she said. 

An occasion, it seems, for a newly acquired red hat.