Sorting office visit gets Peter’s stamp of approval

A resident at Tadworth Grove Bupa Care Home went back in time as he reprised his role as a postman for a day.

As part of Bupa’s #NeverTooLate initiative, which sees care home teams make resident’s wishes come true, one resident, Peter Knight, aged 85, expressed his desire to visit a sorting office and be ‘hands on’ again.

Peter, who started his career as a postman when he was 21 after leaving the military, was in this role until he retired at 60. After retirement he missed his co-workers and the role he played within his community.

During the visit, Peter had the opportunity to sort some of the letters, and even learnt how parcels are delivered using a DPA scanner. He was given a postie jacket, bag, cap, and a handful of elastic bands that Peter said ‘’are very handy to have’’.

Peter was very grateful to have the chance to re-enter a sorting office, saying: “The visit brought back a lot of memories of a more able self. I always loved being part of a close community and bringing joy by delivering letters and parcels.”

Peter was accompanied on the visit by visit by Soonita Shaw, home manager; Angela Toma, clinical services manager; and Neil Haynes, maintenance operative – who actually worked with Peter at the delivery office over twenty years ago.

Mr Haynes said: “The visit brought back some fond memories for Peter. He was telling us stories about his deliveries and the colleagues he used to work with.”

Tadworth Grove Bupa Care Home is situated in Epsom and welcomes residents in need of nursing or residential care, including those living with Parkinson’s and early-stage dementia. For further information, please visit https://www.bupa.co.uk/care-services