Wirral Life January 2020 | Page 19

WL HESWALL CARE HOME SERVES UP A CHRISTMAS TREAT FOR WIRRAL VETERANS Staff at a Wirral care home hosted a special festive lunch for veterans of the Second World War. Decades later, the Cleaver Hospital served the local community until closing its doors in the early 1980’s. The team at The Hazelwell, a care home in Heswall which offers residential, nursing, palliative and respite care, partnered with charity Age UK to organise the Christmas dinner which was also attended by the Mayor, Cllr Tony Smith. Eventually the site was redeveloped and now under the ownership of Heswall Care Limited, The Hazelwell Care Home opened in 2016 providing care on an ‘all inclusive’ basis. The Hazelwell care home manager Sue Ball said the occasion served as a fun social event and a chance to give thanks to a ‘special group of people’, and a way to raise money for the charity. The care home has a long history linked to the war. The site, where The Hazelwell is now situated, was once a children’s hospital until they were forced to be evacuated to North Wales due to the outbreak of the Second World War. The Home Guard - an important defence organisation of the British Army and The Fire Service - then used the hospital site as a local base during the conflict. Sue Ball said: “We enjoyed partnering with Age UK and welcoming war veterans from the Wirral who did so much for this country to the home for another special lunch with residents of The Hazelwell. “Christmas is a time that’s all about memories and we will always be proud of our heritage and the important site we are based on so it was lovely to get together with local veterans at this special time of year and celebrate an early Christmas dinner together.” For more information about The Hazelwell contact Sue on 0151 342 9654, email [email protected] or visit www.thehazelwell.com. wirrallife.com 19