A JOYFUL care home resident in Buckley has brought smiles to those she sees with her singing and dancing.

Ethel Evans, who has lived at Lexham Green Residential Nursing Home in Buckley since January, has become a local celebrity after videos were shared of the 91-year-old singing and dancing with staff in a bid to lift spirits across the town during the lockdown.

Diane Workman, deputy manager of the care home, said: “We used to have the residents sat in the main lounge area for activities but for safety we are now keeping people apart by quarantining people to their own rooms. Staff do take the residents out for walks along the corridor and in the garden area where we filmed Ethel and her dancing.

“The video is just a snippet of what is Ethel through and through, she's so bright and bubbly. In the beginning, we took these videos to share with family members as we obviously can’t have visitors during the lockdown – it just isn’t safe.

“She’s such a friendly woman and she waves to people as she passes them and sings ‘We Will Meet Again’.”

The Leader:

Ethel Evans has been entertaining residents at the care home and the wider Buckley community with her singing and dancing

The video posted to the Buckley Resident’s Group on Facebook and drew in dozens of comments saying how lovely it was to see someone else in good spirits which in turn spread to others seeing the video.

Diane added: “We posted the video wider because we just wanted to share this moment of joy and let it brighten people’s day and bring a smile to their face. I did tell Ethel that we shared it and we looked through the comments together and she is made up to be a local celebrity.

“The morale in the home with staff as well as residents’ changes from day to day because of the situation being so unprecedented but Ethel always seems to bring a smile to your face. She is a true star.”