A son has spoken of his joy at being able to make a face to face visit with his mum at her care home on Mothers Day.

Peter Lenney presented mum Rosemary with flowers and cards as he met with her in the conservatory at Spring Lodge, Woolverstone after nearly six months of restrictive distancing.

Government rules have meant families have not been able to visit relatives in care homes, except for one nominated family member and even then only behind screen and wearing full PPE, and that has caused a large amount of frustration, leading to campaigns to ease restrictions.

Although Peter still had to undergo a rapid flow test today, and wait outside the home for half an hour before he could go in and enjoy a 40 minute visit, he said it was worthwhile.

"This a huge improvement for both of us," he said. "No screens, it is more relaxed which makes for a better atmosphere. The staff do their absolute best with the visiting room but this is much better.

"It has been difficult for many people, for example my wife would love to be able to visit too. It has been tough for families of those in homes but at least we have had technology to help us. We are really looking forward to more being able to visit."

Rosemary, a former telephonist at the Ipswich exchange in Portman Road and an actor/singer in the chorus at the Ipswich Dramatic Society, often appearing at the Gaumont Theatre, has used Zoom to stay in contact but relishes the personal contact.

"It is lovely be able to see him," said Rosemary. "We have always been a very close family and we always used to go pop in and to visiting, and to have some food."

Rosemary has lived at Spring Lodge with her second husband William, better known as Derek, since last November, and Peter is relieved and delighted the tough choice has proved to be the correct one. The family chose Spring Lodge after speaking with other homes and deciding the Woolverstone home was the right place for Rosemary and Derek to be together.

"It was a difficult decision but it was made easier because it was the right decision," said Peter. "The circumstances were such that mum could not stay at home. Her husband could not manage the stairs and something had to give. Coming here was perfect as they could take both and it was such relief for us.

"We worried before but now we know we know we have done the right thing. We see all the pictures from events and now we have a lot to look forward to.

"As restrictions are eased we can bring the grandchildren and perhaps go for walks along Shotley marina or over to Felixstowe seafront for fish and chips."

Donna Owen, Spring Lodge manager, was delighted to see families allowed back in to enjoy closer contact with their relatives, and believes it will also boost morale among residents and care home staff.

"It has been a huge lift for everyone," said Donna. "It is lovely for the residents and their wellbeing, lovely for the relatives. We know many people in care homes are not well and for the very ill it could be the last time they see them.

"The benefits will be huge though and so these visits will bring back that buzz and life back into homes.

But Donna also cautioned: "Everyone is still a bit worried, It is OK to say everyone can come in but for two years we have been trying to safeguarding people and all of a sudden it is alright to come in. It is still new and we need to continue to do our best to keep everyone safe."

As always, staff at Spring Lodge pulled out all the stops to make it an enjoyable day for their residents and were helped by Laurel Farm Garden Centre that donated a range of flowers to brighten Mothers Day.

" We have donated these flowers to Spring Lodge to hopefully bring a smile to the residents faces," said Doreen Harvey, co-manager at Laurel Farm Garden Centre. "We know that these times have been very hard. Everyone loves flowers and we are over the moon to be able to donate the flowers to Spring Lodge."

The flowers were displayed throughout Spring Lodge and carers also handed out gifts to residents.

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