Fairytale party warms the heart

Photo: Picture: ANTHONY MILLER

TIME for tea . . . Alice has a practice run at hosting the tea party with (from the left),Rene Ford, Anastasia Ingham (senior care assistant), Edith Pogson and Vera Booth

A SPECIAL tea party will brighten the day for residents of Laurel Bank Day Centre and their visitors.

A life-sized figure of Alice in Wonderland will host the gathering at the Shaw day centre’s summer fair.

And the Chronicle was given a sneak preview of how the event will take shape when a photographer was invited to the Kershaw Street service ahead of the week-long fair.

The fair takes place every week-day afternoon next week from 1.30-3pm.

Visitors will get the chance to have their photograph taken with Alice, challenged to hunt for the grinning Cheshire Cat at the topsy-turvy party.

Guests will also be invited to tuck-in to a banquet of mouth-watering delights concocted by head cook, the Queen of Hearts.

Home-made crafts will be on sale and there will be fund-raising tombola, bric -a-brac stall and games.

Deputy leader of Oldham Council, Jackie Stanton is also the authority’s Cabinet member for adults and health.

She said: “It’s fantastic to see how much creativity and effort has gone into planning this wonderful event.”

Laurel Bank is one of a number of day centres across Oldham which helps older people keep their independence and offers involvement in community life.

The model of Alice was made by service users and staff.