Salvation Army care home residents win fashion competition

Residents at a Salvation Army care home in Sussex showed that creativity and skill have no age limit by winning first prize in a fashion competition.

Villa Adastra in Hassocks is one of 12 homes run by the church and charity across the country and offers dementia care. Residents there got involved with an upcycling fashion competition set by Glenda Roberts, The Salvation Army’s national director of Older Peoples Services.

Lauren Tweddle, activities leader at the care home said participants had to go to a charity shop, buy items to be upcycled and then make them into a new item of clothing? to be modelled by team members. Photographic evidence was also required.

After Lauren took residents Ann and Amelia to their local charity shop and they chose two pairs of curtains and a duvet set, the team got to work on the reversible four piece outfit, made up of a jacket, top, shorts and skirt front. Over the next few weeks, they created templates for their outfit, prepped the fabric and began making the outfit with the help of Phyllis, Villa Adastra’s oldest resident, at 99.

Phyllis had been a dressmaker for years and made most of her children’s clothes while they were growing up. She spent a morning on a sewing machine sewing the shorts for the outfit.

Lauren said: “Phyllis had restricted movement so she was worried she wouldn’t be able to do it but her muscle memory took over and it was just like riding a bike. She told me how much she missed being on the sewing machine.”

Other residents helped make the jacket and offered to model the final outfit which included a hat. They even created a handbag and a purse with leftover material and when complete, the finished outfit was modelled by Joan.

The finished outfit is now on display in the home’s dining room and Lauren praised everyone who took part.

She said: “I couldn’t be prouder. The residents involved in the project are 85 and over and many had never sewed or crocheted as a hobby in the past,  but jumped at the chance to be a part of the competition.
It was fantastic to see how many grasped the concept of the competition and understood that we were in it to win it.”

All  Salvation Army care homes were invited to take part, with other entries from Youell Court care home in Coventry, Sir Samuel Kelly care home in Belfast and Dewdown care home in Weston Super Mare coming joint runners up. 

Villa Adastra residents enjoyed an afternoon cream tea to celebrate winning the competition.