Angela’s cracking talent

One of the residents at the The Warren care home has surprised staff and fellow residents with revelations about her stunning craftwork.

Angela, who is 89, has been at The Warren for just under a year but had never told her story until her son, Nick, went in with a beautifully crafted ostrich egg, with a snow scene inside.

Activities co-ordinator Kirstie Bush said: “There were carollers all around the Christmas tree inside the egg, children ice skating on the lid of the egg, and it was all handcrafted, hinged and sitting on a bed of snow with dog walkers and children building snowmen.”

When Nick told her that Angela had made it – along with many others – Kirstie had to find out more.

Married in her early 20s, she had two sons but her husband fell ill and she was widowed in her late 40s.

Looking for something to occupy her time, she joined the WI as well as other clubs, one of which held a craft afternoon once a month.

“One particular class was Fabergé egg crafts, and she was intrigued to see what it was all about,” said Kirstie.

She soon became involved in the club and the art, and has made more than 100 beautifully decorated eggs since then.

To start with, the class members collected ostrich, duck and chicken eggs and blew them individually, but eventually specialist equipment was bought.

The classes stopped in 2020 because of covid-19, but Angela had still been enjoying the craft at the age of 85.

Christmas activities kicked off with a visit to the Norwich Winter Wonderland.

Residents looked at the lights and the Christmas market, where they enjoyed drinking hot chocolate as they watched the ice skating.

Other events lined up at The Warren include Don’t Dine Alone, where you can join them for Christmas Day lunch or the community café that happens each Wednesday between 2pm and 4pm.