A Hythe care home resident has experienced the thrill of reliving her old job in the laundry room at the age of 92.

Carpathia Grange Care Home resident, Ethna McCormack, worked in the laundry room of a home for more than 30 years until she retired in 2001.

Ethna’s return to the laundrette at the home where she lives was part of the home’s Wishing Tree Initiative, which encourages residents to reconnect with a past hobby or activity.

The team at Carpathia Grange arranged for Ethna to be kitted out with a Care UK uniform and name badge before she joined the team in the home’s laundrette for her first day back on the job.

Ethna said: “I enjoyed meeting the team and seeing where they worked and what happened to my clothes.

“I especially enjoyed using the label machine and ironing on the names, in my day I had to sew these by hand.”

In the late 1960s Ethna moved to London and while raising her young family, she began working in the laundry room of Hyleford Residential Care Home in Ilford.

She was responsible for repairing and labelling the resident’s clothing and would occasionally help with the home’s laundry too.

Pooja Dhoot, home manager at Carpathia Grange, added: “Ethna loves to talk about her time working in the laundrette at another care home, so it was wonderful to be able to surprise her with a uniform and day with our team.

“Our Wishing Tree initiative is a wonderful way for residents to share their passions and ambitions and it’s hugely rewarding to be able to make these a reality.

“Ethna had a wonderful time with the team chatting about how things have changed, reminiscing about her career and picking back up where she left off.

“I’d like to extend a massive thank you to the housekeeping team here at Carpathia Grange who helped make this possible – Ethna hasn’t stopped smiling since her first day back at work and has become a regular face in the laundry room.”