A 91-year-old Sale care home resident has enjoyed a special trip down memory lane after staff arranged for him to revisit his motoring past.
Care UK’s Oakfield Croft resident Mike Dunn with Matthew from Bentley Manchester
Mike Dunn, who lives at Care UK's Oakfield Croft on Oakfield, spent seven years working for Rolls-Royce and Bentley at the historic Pyms Lane factory in Crewe. When staff discovered that Mike was keen to reconnect with his former career, they decided to make his wish come true with a special visit to Bentley Manchester.
Mike worked at the Crewe factory from 1983 until his early retirement in 1990. During his time as Engineering Director, he helped re-engineer the Silver Spirit and Mulsanne models and introduced the Bentley Turbo R.
Having listened to Mike's fond memories of his engineering days, the care home team contacted Matthew, a Rolls-Royce Master Engineer based in Knutsford, and arranged for the pair to meet at Bentley Manchester. Mike was treated to an exclusive look at an impressive collection of luxury cars, including Bentleys, Bugattis, Lamborghinis and Ferraris.
He also had the chance to chat with Matthew about his career, sharing stories from his time in the industry and discussing how cars and engines have changed over the years.
Reflecting on his special day, Mike said: "I had a lovely day seeing all the cars brought back so many memories."
The experience was organised as part of Care UK's Wishing Tree initiative, which encourages care home residents to share their dreams and wishes, whether that's reconnecting with a former hobby, revisiting a special place or trying something completely new.
Roxanne Walsh, home manager at Oakfield Croft, said: "It was wonderful to see Mike reconnect with his past career. He always speaks so passionately about his time working as an engineer for Rolls-Royce and we just love hearing all his memories from working at the site in Crewe!
"Moving into a care home doesn't mean having to leave the past behind and we're always trying to find ways to enable residents like Mike to reminisce and continue doing the things they love. He thoroughly enjoyed his time looking around and chatting with all the staff. It was a lovely trip down memory lane!"
Oakfield Croft in Sale provides residential, dementia and short-term respite care. The home has been rated 'good' across all five areas by the Care Quality Commission and offers facilities including a cinema, café and hair and beauty salon.
