Care home organises wedding for resident's family

Lauren Adamson (left) wanted her grandmother Margaret Harris (right) involved in her special day

A care home resident has been left overjoyed after staff allowed her granddaughter to have a marriage blessing ceremony in the home.

Margaret Harris, 84, lives at Weald Hall Care Home in Epping, Essex and due to her dementia was unable to attend her granddaughter's wedding.

Care home staff organised a blessing for the couple - Lauren and Jack Adamson - on Saturday which allowed Mrs Harris to share in the celebrations.

Aunt of the bride and daughter of Mrs Harris, Debbie Standing, said the family were overwhelmed by the care home staff's generosity.

Debbie Standing (left) said the bride and mother of the bridge, Angie (right) were overwhelmed by the care home's generosity

Mrs Harris moved into the care home in December and requires 24 hour care so was not able to travel to the wedding which took place on Wednesday in East Grinstead, Sussex.

"Understandably that upset us all because we really wanted mum involved so the care home came up with the idea of doing something there which we jumped at," explained Mrs Standing, 51, who lives in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire.

"My sister offered to pay and they insisted on nothing, they wanted to do the whole thing themselves which was absolutely amazing.

"They took it upon themselves to actually plan the whole thing."

Lauren and Jack met eight years ago while they were both working at Stansted Airport in Essex

The care home staff including manager Danielle Barham spoke with the bride to arrange a blessing ceremony with a minister.

The couple, who live in Bracknell, Berkshire, invited immediate family for the ceremony in the care home's dining area.

The family decided it would be kinder not to tell Mrs Harris about Wednesday's wedding due to her dementia and instead treat the blessing as a second wedding.

They also included an area with a picture of Mrs Harris' husband, Ken, who died in 2020.

The family wanted Mrs Harris' husband Ken to be there at the ceremony and included a photo of him

"We got there [on Saturday] and it was totally overwhelming - it was absolutely stunning," Mrs Standing continued.

"Everybody was in their outfits on the day, we dressed mum up and they brought in a singer who had a piano keyboard.

"They did a three course meal, they laid out all the tables, it was perfect and mum remembered everything.

"She knew what was happening, she cried, she knew everybody, and she felt she was involved.

"My sister and my niece were so, so grateful. They were overwhelmed, they loved it."

Care home staff member Charlie (left) and manager Danielle Barham helped to organise the day for the family

Mrs Standing said this was not the first time Weald Hall Care Home had gone above and beyond for a resident.

"It's not just a care home - for the residents that are there, this is their forever home, the care home is more of an extension of our families rather than a care home," she added.

"They treat them like their own. Everybody is so welcoming, we know everybody by name, they are an amazing care home.

"It's not just a one off, they do it all the time. We've found a gem in them."

The couple and their family enjoyed a first dance, the cutting of the cake, and some dancing at the care home