Chichester care home residents receive a flying visit from Peter Pan

Residents at Wellington Grange care home in Chichester received a sprinkling of seasonal fairy dust as they were treated to an intimate performance of Peter Pan.

Care home staff and residents watched a preview performance of songs and notable scenes, brought to them by Chichester Festival Youth Theatre, before engaging in a question and answer session where they found out how special flight scenes are staged in the performance.

Emily Hudson, activities organiser at Wellington Grange, said: “At the question and answer session, the cast cited the opportunity to perform as their main motivation to join the youth theatre.

“That definitely chimed with those residents who were in youth theatre themselves.

“In a one-to-one chat with a member of the cast, one of our residents said how nice it was to hear that the ambition he had when younger was exactly the same as for budding actors today.”

The home has an exclusive partnership with Chichester Festival Theatre which aims to bring interactive theatre experiences directly into the home, and previously enjoyed a performance of the musical comedy ‘Half a Sixpence’.

Vicky Gregory, corporate manager at Chichester Festival Theatre, said: “The cast really enjoyed performing at Wellington Grange and meeting the residents, some of whom might not be physically able to go to the theatre itself very easily.

“What an ideal chance to visit them in their home and sprinkle a little magic dust from the show.”

The performance was made all the more special as Tinkerbell was played by Darcy Collins, a part-time waitress at the home.

Ms Hudson, activities organiser, added: “It was lovely for our residents to see Darcy in a completely different light.”

Chichester Festival Youth Theatre provides weekly workshops for more than 800 young people, aiming to encourage young people of all abilities and backgrounds to develop artistic, personal and social skills.

click here for more details or to contact Wellington Grange