RESIDENTS at a Teignmouth care home marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day with a celebration of food, music and memories.

The White House Care Home was alive with patriotic spirit as residents enjoyed a nostalgic singalong to the wartime classics of Dame Vera Lynn, accompanied by live music and cheerful participation from the team.

Residents also enjoyed a much-anticipated visit from “Apps” the ice cream van, with everyone enjoying a traditional Mr Whippy.

In honour of the occasion, the home’s chef Sam Colling-Smith dressed up and prepared a delicious spread.

The highlight of the day came with a surprise flyover of three vintage warplanes, which passed overhead shortly after residents and team members joined in the National Clap for Veterans.

Registered Manager Tracie Bowen said: 'Everyone really enjoyed the day.

‘The weather was perfect, the music was lovely, and it was heartwarming to see our residents singing along and sharing their own memories.

‘It was a truly special day for all of us.’

Residents shared personal stories of wartime experiences, bringing an added sense of poignancy and pride to the day’s events.

Resident Christa Hawkins, 98, recalled working as an interpreter for the RAF as a teenager.

She remembered returning to her parents when the war ended, feeling grateful that her father was too old to be called up.

Christa also met her husband during that time and married him two years later.

Mary Evans, 90, said: ‘I was young when the war ended, but I remember everyone cheering and talking when the news came through.

‘There were lots of street parties. My father, a Petty Officer in the Navy, returned home safely. I’ll never forget the cottages near Brooke Hill School and Second Avenue being bombed.

‘We had a basement shelter, and my mother used to make my sister and I sleep there.’