King Charles and Dolly Parton visited pensioners in their care homes… but it was not all as it seemed.
Bosses hired lookalikes of His Majesty and the country singer legend to hang out with the OAP residents.
Doppelgängers of GBBO favourite, Paul Hollywood, actresses, Dame Joan Collins and Helen Mirren, also turned up.
It allowed the elderly residents to achieve their childhood dreams.
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Hallmark Luxury Care Homes, which has 22 homes in the country, came up with the idea.
Joan Plant, who is 100-year-old was given the opportunity to draw Mirren at her care home in Admiral Court in Leigh-On-Sea, Essex.
The lookalike posed in a chair as the pensioner sketched her on a canvas.
Margret Steddon, 83, shared her life-long dream of working with dogs.
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The care home’s Hopes & Dreams Concierge programme then arranged for a dead ringer for the king to visit the home in Hutton View in Brentwood, also Essex.
The pair spent the day training corgis together.
Pat Shepard, was offered the opportunity to spend the morning with a Dolly Parton double before a performance of Coat of Many Colours together.
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The 77-year-old previously shared a love for singing since joining the school choir.
Kay Nevin, 90, was over the moon when she was able to challenge the Collins lookalike to a game of Rummikub at the care home Leigh-On-Sea.
Dorothy Dell, also 90 was shocked after she had her cake decorating skills judged by the Hollywood doppelgänger.
Sarah Savidge, Hopes and Dreams Concierge at Hallmark’s Admiral Court, said: “Age is just a number to us at Hallmark, we make it our mission to create special moments for residents, both big and small every day.
“We truly believe that you’re never too old to have the experience of a lifetime.
”Our residents are an amazing group of people that want to push the boundaries, challenge themselves and give new things a go, and it gives us all so much joy to make this happen – and as part of our job!”
“Hallmark’s decision comes as an independent study revealed that there is clearly an appetite for new experiences from the older generations, with more than a third (37%) of those over 66 saying they were at least 60 years plus before they started a new interest, hobby, or activity in life.
“The research also revealed the breadth of experiences enjoyed by those over 66, with hobbies from DIY to gaming ranking as some of the top pensioner pursuits.
And pensioner plans for 2024 are even more adventurous, with the golden oldies looking for the chance to take up wild new hobbies like Martial Arts and DJ-ing.”
Sarah continued: “We’ve already made some amazing moments happen for residents, and everyone at Hallmark is excitedly watching to see what other hopes and dreams we can help come true across our homes.”
“The study also revealed the top ten list of surprising hobbies, interests and activities.
”Briton’s pensioners would love to have a go at in 2024, which includes learning a new language, writing books and even metal detecting.”
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