THE filming crew from ITV's This Morning dropped into a North-East care home after its wheelchair ice-skating residents became a national success.
The White House Care Home in Hartburn, near Stockton, was commended by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after an inspection praised its ability to entertain its 26 residents.
The home, which was rated 'Outstanding' last year, quickly grabbed the attention of members of the public after its residents were regularly seen wheelchair ice-skating at Billingham Forum.
But on Wednesday, Ben Brown deputy manager of the care home told The Northern Echo how everyone, including residents, at the home had been taken aback by the chance to appear on TV.
He said: "I got a phone call saying would we be willing to come on This Morning, and of course we said yes – although we didn't know if it was genuine at first."
Mr Brown, who has worked at the White House for the past 11 years, said how shocked staff and residents had been when they caught wind of the programme and even the chance to meet a skating star.
Filming last Wednesday, Matt Evers from Dancing on Ice joined a camera crew from ITV This Morning, who had travelled up from London to capture the special occasion for the nation.
Mr Brown said the camera crew dropped into the care home to speak exclusively with staff and residents, before going on to film them in action on the ice rink.
He said: "In the forum, the general public came in and watched the filming take place.
"It was great, the biggest take for us – it was a genuine experience being a part of this.
"The residents lapped it up, they loved it, and loved being part of the whole process."
Mr Brown said: “It’s against the norm, we are not sitting doing the things that you would normally associate with care homes.
“The ice skating itself has a very personal reward, some of out residents have deep set dementia so for some people they might get something very sensory.
"The way the wheelchair moves and then you get other people who want a thrill, skating fast, they wanted that sense of speed.
"We are pushing the boundaries. One of our residents is wanting to go paragliding so we’re working on that."
The residents are due to air in a segment on ITV's This Morning programme on Thursday (February 27).
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