Heritage gallery at Newcastle-under-Lyme care village marks Remembrance Sunday

Residents at a Newcastle-under-Lyme care village recently gathered to mark Remembrance Sunday in the village's dedicated heritage gallery.

Dementia specialist care operator, Belong, held a Remembrance Service for residents and the local community on Sunday 8 November.

The National Service of Remembrance in London was livestreamed, and visitors were encouraged to view an original edition of The Sentinel from 1915, which had been donated to the village's heritage collection by a local person.

Amongst the pages of the Staffordshire Weekly Sentinel (5 June 1915) are the faces of men from the area who lost their lives in WWI and details of local services that supported the nation's wartime efforts.

There is also a 'Potteries Doll for the Queen' story, noting a special gift for Queen Mary, consort of King George V.

Resident Vera, 96, who was nine years old when the Second World War began, said it was important for her to watch the service every year.

She said: "Even today, it is sad to think about the men that went to war and never came back.

"When I think of all these battles and fighting that people like me have lived through, it's so sad."

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Another resident, Ken, said that watching the service was "very, very moving".

Samuel Bell's tearoom (image via Nub News)

Ken added that there are often activities hosted in the heritage gallery and the people that live there enjoy making the most of them.

He said: "We always use the facility here, and whatever is on, we tend to be there. It is really appreciated that there is often something on here."

The on-site Belong Heritage Gallery is housed in a 17th century building that has previously been home to a pottery, a pub, a school annex, and more recently the popular nightclub Maxims.

The gallery traces the history of the building as well as housing a library, a tearoom, a working pub, an arts and crafts room, and changing historic displays for the residents, and the public, to enjoy.

Emma Palin, experience and heritage coordinator at Belong Newcastle-under-Lyme, said: "You find that a lot of families want to come and spend time in these rooms, and they get used frequently."

She added: "We've got an arts and crafts room, people can come to the pub any time during the day, and the library is open all the time.

"Having that option and choice is important, particularly for our residents that live with some form of dementia or need additional support.

"Having the choice to be able to free flow into safe spaces is quite significant."

The Burgess display at Belong Heritage Gallery (image via Nub News)

Current displays in the gallery include items from the local Philip Astley Centre collection and an exhibition about the town's Burgesses and the former resident who became the first woman to be admitted as a member.

Belong is also working on a 'Maxim's memory' project which allows visitors to explore the stories of local people who frequented the building when it was a nightclub between 1969 and 2006.

Alongside the displays, Belong has also put together reminiscence boxes which allow residents to interact with familiar items from previous decades.

Emma added: "Reminiscence and history-based activities are some of the most significant activities we do, particularly for residents that lived in the local area.

"That is why we put so many different displays up and the residents and tenants are always really proud to share them with their families and their friends."