John’s Special Reunion at Preston Glades

Life is full of magical moments and we were delighted to support one of our long-standing residents John to reconnect with his passion for volunteering. Before joining our shared home community three years ago, John dedicated his life to volunteering at a local church youth club, supporting young people to raise aspirations and live fulfilled and meaningful lives.

Here at Preston Glades, we are always looking to engage with our local community and John always happily joins us on our trips, spending time in the places he used to visit regularly. When we heard a new café was opening just across the road, we had to check it out and John didn’t hesitate when we asked if he'd like to join. 

The wonderful John.

Our residents sat down to enjoy their meal when John’s voice caught the attention of a fellow diner, Martin. John had taught Martin as a teenager in a local youth club and became his mentor. He and his wife built a caring relationship with Martin which led to them fostering him at the age of 14. The pair hadn’t seen each other in 25 years, but when they saw each other, it was like no time had passed at all. Martin sat at John’s table and over lunch, the two caught up and reminisced, sharing stories about time spent together and their lives since.

“I was flabbergasted when I saw him.” – John

Seeing the joy from their reunion, the team invited Martin and his wife to join our live music at our care home in Preston the following week. It was heartwarming to see them chat away, creating more memories together. Martin and his wife plan to visit John at our nursing care home regularly and we are proud to be on this journey with them. 

These moments are testament to Each Other Care’s values of being positive and light-hearted, authentic, creating relationships and there for each other. Preston Glades’ strong ties to the community make reunions like John and Martin’s possible. Seeing John’s happiness reminds us of the impact creating and supporting relationships have on enriching the lives of everyone in our shared home community here at Preston Glades care home.

We never know when a small outing might lead to something even more special. John and Martin’s story highlights the power of the connections we build every day and we are proud to give our residents at our nursing and residential care home in Preston the chance to make new ones or rekindle the ones that meant so much.

We wonder who we’ll meet next. 

To learn more about life at Preston Glades residential, nursing and dementia care home, follow us on Facebook here.