A NURSING home has installed a 1950s-style room to help residents there evoke their past.

The Bupa-run St Mark's Nursing Home, in Hartburn Lane, Stockton, will open a themed kitchen next week.

The 1950s-style room includes a washing machine with wringer, treadle sewing machine and other kitchen items and memorabilia from the age.

The project was a collaboration by staff and residents at St Mark's, as well as Yarm Arts Society, which painted a kitchen background in the room.

Many other friends and relatives also donated items for the kitchen.

St Mark's is one of 30 care homes from across the UK that has taken part in the Bupa Living History Project, an initiative intended to help residents and their families incorporate their memories in a lasting feature at the home. Reminiscence therapy is widely practised with older people suffering from dementia.

The reminiscence room will be opened next Saturday by James Gaddass, of ITV1 drama Bad Girls.

Brian Sherwin, manager at St Mark's, said: "Memories are important to us all. I hope that our kitchen will help to trigger memories in our residents that they can then share with their families and our staff, and help us all appreciate how people used to live."