Braemar residents celebrate Her Majesty’s 70-year reign

Residents at Braemar Lodge went all out to enjoy themselves for the Queen’s historic Platinum Jubilee.

Thanks to an application by our Home Manager Jackie Cash to Salisbury City Council, residents were invited to attend the lighting of the Beacon on Old Sarum.

One, Margaret Drage, said: “It was a joy to be there on such a magnificent evening. It was a marvellous experience.”

Jackie said: “Many of our residents are of a similar age to the Queen, or a bit younger, and it was lovely to enable them to be part of such a historic occasion, one that perhaps none of us will see again in our lifetimes.”

Amid Union Jacks, dancing and singing, Braemar Lodge also staged a festive ‘street party’ in the garden in honour of the occasion.

The Jubilee buzz began weeks before the extended Bank Holiday weekend with residents making themed artworks and decorations.

One initiative involved assembling a handmade Jubilee mosaic which everyone at the home was proud to put on display.

And resident Jennifer Whitaker even sent the Queen a poem. “I’ve always written poetry, ever since childhood,” she said.  “I call it ‘doggerel’, comic verse that doesn’t necessarily have a rhythm. My tribute to the Queen simply flowed, and it seemed absolutely fitting to send it to Her Majesty in this Jubilee Year.”

At Braemar Lodge and our other 20 homes across the south, commemorative Jubilee trees have been planted as a lasting tribute to Her Majesty.