Marshland St James care home makes resident’s police wish a reality
A former West Norfolk policeman has returned to his ‘beat’ as part of an initiative to make wishes come true.
Ray, a resident at Hickathrift House care home in Marshland St James, had an incredible career in the Norfolk Police Force and always wanted to return to his favourite station Downham Market.
So as a surprise staff made his wish a reality by arranging a visit to the station hosted by PCs Iain and Chris from the local policing team.
Ray has lived at Hickathrift House for almost a year and is beloved by staff and residents alike. Staff at the home were delighted to be a part of making his dream come true, as they knew how much it meant to him.
Ray’s daughter and granddaughter also attended the trip as they wanted to be there to see the smile on Ray’s face when his dream was achieved.
Staff found out about Ray’s career when he first arrived at Hickathrift and through conversations with Ray and his family, it was clear how important this visit was to him.
Hickathrift House has a ‘Post a Wish’ initiative where residents can write their goals, passions, and meaningful things they would like to do and the team works on helping them complete these ‘wishes’ throughout the year.
Through the ‘Post A Wish’ initiative, the team set out to make Ray’s dream of reliving his career a reality.
It all started when PC Iain Fisher and his colleague from the local policing team visited Hickathrift House for a community coffee and chat with residents, staff, and locals in August.
The visit sparked incredible memories and stories for Ray and the officers shared photographs of him and found his retirement news article announcement which led to Ray beaming with pride.
Shortly afterwards, Ray expressed his interest in going to Downham Market and the Hickathrift team worked with PCs Chris and Iain to arrange this special trip.
PC Iain and others were more than happy to welcome Ray, his loved ones, and staff for a morning of swapping stories and sharing photographs over a cup of tea.
PC Fisherand the police archivist found incredible photographs of Ray throughout his career and Ray’s daughter and granddaughter brought his suitcase full of memories and memorabilia.
The whole group felt honoured to witness this momentous occasion and hear these incredible stories from Ray.
At the end of the visit, PC Fisher presented Ray with his own hat and Ray was thrilled to wear it once again. Ray’s daughter Sue said: “Of course not smiling like they didn’t do back in the day.”
In response to this wonderful surprise, Ray said: “The trip has taken me back. I remember so many stories, so many faces. I’ve had a good career and met some good people along the way. Thank you so much for bringing these memories back. It’s been great.”
Paula Colman the home’s general manager, 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 Hickathrift House.
“It is a 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 Ray was – and the staff loved being a part of this as well.”
