True united nations on show

Adam Hewitt • Published 29 Oct 2008 17:00 0 Comments

A CARE home flew the flags of global harmony for United Nations Day.

Austen House Nursing Home in Kilnsea Drive, Lower Earley, employs staff of 30 different nationalities, and has residents from eight different countries - including the four home nations.

For Friday's event, staff sang their own national anthems while sporting traditional costume, and hoisted flags from their homelands - as far away as Jamaica, Ghana and the Philippines.

Austen House activities manager Ann Garrett came up with the idea and said: "The day went better than we could ever have imagined, it really helped staff and residents bond. The songs especially were so well performed, really very moving."

Though she has lived in England for 46 years, her Irish blood showed strongly through her own heartfelt performance of Danny Boy and her championing of a mysterious drink called 'red lemonade' from the land of her birth.

Chef Maureen Iffil also proved herself up to the global culinary challenge, putting together a menu based on the national dishes of eight different countries.

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This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 30 Oct 08

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