Published: Thursday, 21st May, 2009 1:00pm

Hats off to you

by Adam Hewitt

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HEADWEAR was the order of the day at Austen House.

The Lower Earley care home, on Kilnsea Drive, raised money for charity with a hat day - some silly and some splendid.

Staff, residents and visitors joined in the fun last Wednesday, collecting £40 for the charitable Barchester Healthcare Foundation, run by the care home"s owners.

Former music teacher Josephine Bitchell, who still plays the piano, was celebrating her 96th birthday, while activities manager Ann Garrett supplied many of the hats and said: 'It was lovely, such fun. I brought in all the hats I could find from over the years, some of the residents wanted to keep theirs.

'We spent three weeks decorating old hats for the day, they really enjoyed it and want to do more things like this. The men let us down badly, it was the women who really got stuck in. With some honourable exceptions like Michael John-Allen [pictured] - our own Captain Birdseye!'

On Wednesday, there is a Senior Information Day at the Home from 10am-4pm, with details about all aspects of life there.

For details call 0118 926 6100.

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