'Thrilled' care home resident has first driving lesson aged 92

A care home resident has fulfilled a long held desire to get behind the wheel of a car by having her very first driving lesson – at 92 years old.

Vera Creasy, a resident at Care UK’s Whitby Dene, said she has always "felt left out" being the only member of her family unable to drive.

"Life got in the way," she said. "There was no money or time to learn."

After moving to Whitby Dene in North East London, the grandmother-of-four made a wish to get behind the wheel through the home’s Wishing Tree scheme, which enables residents to fulfil life-long hopes and aspirations.

Whitby Dene manager, Saad Baig, set to work making Ms Creasy's dream come true by getting in touch with the manager of the Young Driver school in Hillingdon who agreed to give her the first lesson.

Mr Baig said: “Every resident is different and we like to make sure they all feel at home here at Whitby Dene. Our wishing tree is a wonderful way to understand our residents better and see what is really meaningful to them. It is fantastic to be able to make their wishes come true.

“Driving has always been one of Vera’s unfulfilled life aspirations, and at the age of 92 it was fantastic to make this a reality. She was thrilled when she came back from her first lesson, as it was something she thought she’d never get the chance to do!"

Ms Creasy, a former secretary at Kodak, was born in 1926 and moved to Whitby Dene in 2017.

The purpose-built care home in Eastcote, Middlesex, offers residential and respite care for older people, including individuals with Alzheimer's and other types of dementia.