Chater Lodge Care Home and Neil’s Plant Hire in Ketton help resident’s wish to ride in a tank come true

A care home resident took an unusual trip in a tank.

Chater Lodge Care Home in Ketton has a ‘post a wish box’ where residents can make a wish for anything they still wish to experience in life. It was through this that they found out about Michael Cunningham’s dream to ride in a tank.

Staff pulled out all the stops to make Michael’s wish come true.

While tanks are not easy to come by, thankfully Neil Whatling from Neil’s Plant Hire in Pit Lane, Ketton, who collects military memorabilia, had a tank and was happy to help make Michael’s wish a reality.

Staff from the care home all wanted to be there to see the smile on Michael’s face. He was also accompanied by the home’s activities team.

In response to this wonderful surprise, Michael said: “I was on the verge of tears. It is such an amazing feeling to know that such a loving group of people care so much about me that they helped me to live out a dream – and I didn’t even ask.”

The care home’s general manager Zoe Postgate said: “We believe that every moment is worth cherishing. We want everyone we care for to know how important they are to us here at Chater Lodge. It is testament to the hard work and dedication of the team here in making our residents’ dreams come true. It was wonderful to see how happy Michael was – and the staff loved being a part of this as well.”

Chater Lodge Care Home, run by Barchester Healthcare, Chater Lodge provides residential care, nursing care and dementia care for 46 residents.