An 88-year-old living with dementia was given a flying surprise during a World War II-themed family event at the care home he is a resident at.
David Darton has been an aviation enthusiast all his life and moving into Weald Hall in Epping in 2021 means he still gets to pursue his passion as the home is located next to North Weald airfield.
Through Weald Halls ‘Magic Moments’ scheme, which was started by the home’s lifestyle team and aims to enrich the lives of residents with meaningful activities or one-of-a-kind events and experiences, David got to fly in a Cessna C172N from North Weald after being dropped off in a World War II jeep.
Danielle Barham, care home manager at Weald Hall Care Home said: “I can honestly and truly say I love my job and I’m so proud to work at Weald Hall. Our lifestyle team does the most amazing things for our residents. They ensure our residents have an exciting and engaging lifestyle programme that includes activities, events and surprises.
“We are so pleased we could make David’s wish come true and look forward to being able to do the same for our other residents.”
David added: “The experience given to me by the staff at Weald Hall was excellent and I really enjoyed it. It was a brilliant day. Going in the WWII jeep added to the realism of the experience and brought back memories of when I served in Malaya. I used to drive the same jeep. “It was a really enjoyable and great day, I’m happy I got to have this experience.”
The flight took place during Weald Hall’s World War II day on Saturday 1st July.