Residents of Hope House care home in Accrington recently visited Blackpool Illuminations for the first time since the start of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

As they approached the coast, residents on the trip spotted the Illuminations lighting up the sky and began reminiscing about trips to see the lights with friends and family over the years.

The trip was organised by Hope House care home’s activity coordinator, Reehan Hooley. She said: “It’s been a tough couple of years with safeguarding rules preventing us from taking residents out and about.

“Missing last year’s Illuminations was really disappointing for a lot of our residents. For some it was the first time they hadn’t seen the lights for many, many years so we were really keen to make the most of the trip and enjoy some fish and chips.”

Irene Bamber, a resident at Hope House care home who took part in the trip, said: “It’s always such a nice night out to see the Illuminations. I’ve been countless times over the years with friends and family. I remember coming with my parents a lot of years ago, as well as bringing my own children and grandchildren, so it brought back lots of lovely memories.

“Now we can use the minibus to get out and about, I’m looking forward to lots more adventures.”