18th April 2024 • The HERALD • Page 51 v SAY YOU SAW IT IN THE HERALD v WE CARE, YOU CARE Badgers Holt Residential Care Home We offer home from home comfort l 24 hour waking care l Entertainments l Open visiting hours v DAY CARE AVAILABLE v Telephone Mrs G Rayner or Mrs D Younger on (023) 8084 9310 www.badgersholtresidential.co.uk Care Quality Commission - Overall Rating Outstanding Carers Pull Strings to Make Wish Come True for Ex-harpist Georgina, 89 harp and a smaller lap harp made by Derwent Harps. Liane said: “When I saw the home’s plea for a local harpist to help fulfil a wish, I messaged straight away offering my help. Playing gives me so much joy and I love being able to pass on that joy of hearing and playing to others. Woodpeckers are truly amazing by fulfilling people’s wishes. When I arrived, seeing Georgina’s face light up with surprise was amazing. It was such a pleasure listening to her stories of when she played the harp and also hearing the questions the other residents were asking both Georgina and myself. Seeing Georgina play the harp brought so much happiness to all of us there. It’s one to never forget.” Woodpeckers is one of seven Colten Care homes o cially rated Outstanding by care sector regulator the Care Quality Commission. A local care home recently made a resident’s heartfelt wish come true with a surprise opportunity to play the harp again for the rst time in more than 60 years. Georgina Chesters, a former member of the National Youth Orchestra (NYO), said she was “absolutely astounded” when a professional harpist arrived at Colten Care’s Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst as a special birthday treat. Liane Hopkins not only performed herself but brought along two traditional lever harps, one big, one smaller, so Georgina could play too. Residents and sta , accompanied by Georgina’s visiting daughter Emma and granddaughter Eleanor, watched as Liane spoke with the delighted 89-year-old and invited her to pick one to try out. All eyes were on Georgina as, gently and with a huge smile on her face, she settled into position, held one of the harps and began to let her ngers pluck and run across strings for the rst time since her teenage years. It was the rst time that Emma, a piano teacher, had actually seen her mother play the harp even though she knew it was a big part of Georgina’s youth. Georgina said: “I was absolutely astounded by this surprise. It was amazing; I loved every minute of it.” Sian Harris, Companionship Team member, said: “Georgina has often spoken of her time as a harpist, playing as part of the NYO. She has shared many stories including how she once left her harp on a railway platform and how she was too scared to tell her father, but, luckily, it was returned in one piece. Over time, she unfortunately stopped playing and has told us she ended up selling her harp to pay for a car. In all the time Georgina has spoken about playing the harp she has always said that she could never do it again, as it’s so hard on your hands, but in January, as part of a reminiscing activity she actually said her wish was to play again, even just one last time. That was it, I hit the ground running to make this wish come true.” While the rest of the home was sworn to secrecy, Sian searched through social media for a harpist to come and visit, adding: “I thought it would be like finding a needle in a haystack so I was surprised when more than 30 people from all over Hampshire and as far afield as Somerset offered their services to come and play. From that list I picked Liane. Our staff and some of the residents knew about this special surprise for Georgina and everyone kept it a secret. You could see by the smile on Georgina’s face how much she was enjoying and appreciating it. She was absolutely thrilled and overwhelmed when Liane invited her to play too. She had tears in her eyes when we told her we had been planning that all along. Georgina tried both harps. After half a century of not touching one, it was a very moving moment when she started playing. It sounded lovely, amazing.” Born in Cardi and now based in Romsey as a performer and teacher, Liane has a repertoire ranging across all styles of music. She played to her Woodpeckers audience in the intimate, relaxed setting of the home’s lounge for more than an hour, performing pieces such as Somewhere Over the Rainbow, I Vow to ee My Country and the Irish classic Danny Boy. e instruments she brought were a large lever Salvi Ana Georgina Chesters, enjoys the chance to play the harp again for the first time since her teenage years
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