The Spellman Care Group, a collection of four care homes—Craven Nursing Home, Ghyll Royd Care Home, Springbank Care Home, and Steeton Court Nursing Home—united in a series of deeply moving services and community events to mark Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day. The commemorations, which spanned crafting, community parades, and solemn reflection across all locations, were especially poignant given the group’s recent re-accreditation under the Veteran Friendly Framework, underscoring their enduring commitment to honouring the sacrifices of the Armed Forces community.
The Remembrance Sunday weekend began with a focus on personal contribution and community presence. Residents at Craven Nursing Home spent Saturday creating beautiful, handmade poppy wreaths and decorating their units. On Remembrance Sunday itself, staff and residents proudly joined the wider community at the Skipton Remembrance Parade, where they had the honour of laying a wreath to pay their respects to the fallen.
Springbank Care Home demonstrated its deep connection to the forces community by participating in the ceremony at the Keighley Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday. It was an immense privilege to see their veteran residents, supported by dedicated staff, participate in the ceremony and lay a wreath. The service provided a cherished opportunity to share a moment of respectful silence with familiar faces from their Veterans Cafés, concluding with companionship and reflection at the Keighley Drill Hall.
Poignant moments of reflection took place within the homes on Armistice Day. Ghyll Royd Care Home gathered residents, relatives, and staff for a moving candlelit service, culminating in a particularly touching moment as one resident laid a wreath at the base of their beloved Poppy Tree. This beautiful tribute was made special by generous contributions of knitted poppies from the local community and was further enhanced by a canopy of twinkling illumination, providing a gentle, ethereal glow over the poppies.
Following the service, the D-Day Dollies captivated residents in the home’s Willow Lounge. They performed a delightful variety of classic wartime hits and took requests, ensuring the atmosphere remained one of joyful, heartfelt remembrance.
Meanwhile, at Steeton Court Nursing Home, the two minutes’ silence was observed at 11 am. Later that afternoon, two residents—including a former RAF serviceman and the home’s Armed Forces Champion—laid a poppy wreath at their local memorial, taking a quiet moment to salute all who have served.
The homes also combined creative arts and entertainment with solemn tribute. Steeton Court residents crafted lapel poppies to add to a beautiful giant ring of poppies and enjoyed a wonderful Remembrance special concert by Olivia Schofield. Springbank rounded off the period of reflection with a truly special morning, featuring a coffee morning and a fantastic memory box, kindly donated by Boots, which sparked emotional and happy memories amongst residents.
Following these moving commemorations, Spellman Care continues to actively support the Armed Forces community through its monthly Veterans Cafes. These popular gatherings, held from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm, rotate across all four Spellman Care homes, offering a vital space for local veterans, their families, and friends to connect and share memories. Veterans are warmly invited to join the final two Veterans Cafes of the year:
- 18th November at Steeton Court Nursing Home, featuring the “Thanks for the Memory Cabaret Show.”
- 10th December at Craven Nursing Home in Skipton, rounding the year up with a Christmas Special.
Philippa Young, Group Operations Manager at Spellman Care, commented: “What we saw this past week truly underscores the heart of Spellman Care. Moments of profound personal devotion, whether it was a tearful wreath-laying beneath a poppy tree or the unwavering salute at a local memorial, moved every person present. Remembrance for our residents is a deeply personal act of honouring lost comrades. Because we are a Veteran Friendly accredited group, we understand this significance. It is our critical commitment to ensure our residents have the space and support to remember, honour their unique histories, and keep those sacrifices alive.”
