Newmarket care home resident, 99, returns to sailing roots

It was all hands-on deck for a 99-year-old former sailor when her Newmarket care home arranged for her to hoist the sails one last time.

 

Care UK’s Kentford Manor, on Jeddah Way, pulled out all the stops for resident Peggy Saunders when they discovered her sailing past.

The team quickly set to work organising a visit to The Woolverstone Project at Woolverstone Marina, where Peggy, who was up bright an early on the day, met the team. On arrival, Peggy chatted with Operations Manager, Graham Seabrook, sharing her story and lifelong love of sailing – noting that the most important thing for her was simply getting back on the water and feeling the sea breeze in her hair once again.

Reflecting on her experience, Peggy said: “It was fantastic to be sailing on open waters again. It brought back so many memories. I knew exactly what the Sonar skippers were talking about and my knowledge of sailing language came back to me straight away. It was just like riding a bike again.”

During the sail, Peggy reassured Kate, who has accompanied her from Kentford Manor, that they were safe and that the boat’s movements were completely normal: “This is called sailing!” She said.

Born in 1926 in Lincolnshire, Peggy grew up in the countryside, which helped shape her calm yet adventurous spirit. After marrying her husband, Tony, the couple moved to Staffordshire to start a family and later relocated to Cambridge for Tony’s work with the regional health authority. 

It was in her 50s that Peggy and Tony decided to share a new passion in sailing.

“We bought our first boat, a modest vessel named Pegasus,” Peggy said. “But we quickly grew bored of simply travelling back and forth along the riverbanks and we wanted something a little bigger. So we invested in our first proper sailing boat, Weatherbird of Orwell, which gave us the freedom to explore the open sea.”

Eager to become skilled sailors, Peggy and Tony took and passed their sailing tests at the Royal Yachting Association – a moment they are both incredibly proud of. Their love for sailing led them to buy another boat, Sophie, and their passion for adventure carried them on a memorable 23-hour non-stop trip from Ipswich to Holland. 

Reminiscing on the relaxing journey, Peggy said: “It was the quiet sea all around us that I enjoyed most. Meeting new people and hearing their stories was another joy of the trip. 

“Sailing wasn’t always perfectly peaceful. Tony and I had the occasional silly argument, but being confined to the small space of the boat helped us resolve our differences quickly, often much faster than we would have on land.”

These fond memories convinced Peggy to hang her wish to sail one last time on the Kentford Manor Wishing Tree, a special Care UK initiative that enables residents to revisit old hobbies and passions or try something new. Whether it’s a fish and chip supper, a skydive or watching a football match, no wish is too big or small for the team to try to grant.

Julia Forsyth, Customer Relations Manager at Kentford Manor, said: “We regularly organise activities and events that promote positive wellbeing and bring back happy memories from residents’ younger years. It’s been so rewarding to see how much of a positive impact the Wishing Tree initiative has had in creating new experiences.

“When the team heard about Peggy’s sailing past and her wish for another adventure, we knew we had to make it happen. It was incredibly emotional seeing Peggy sail again! The visit elicited fond memories and she shared some lovely stories from her adventures with Tony. 

“Peggy laughed and beamed the whole time she was out on the water and was clearly in her element once more. We’d like to say a huge thank you to The Woolverstone Project for making Peggy’s day and letting her take to the sea once again!”

Kentford Manor provides full-time residential, dementia and nursing care, as well as short-term respite care. Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, the care home incorporates plenty of space for leisure activities and hobbies. The building has been configured into a number of suites to facilitate the creation of close-knit communities and encourage social interaction among the residents.