A MAN collecting hand sanitiser and other essential products to donate to care homes across a town has surprised some residents with a live singer.
Mikey Weston, a football coach, began picking up an extra two or three products when shopping after seeing an appeal on social media from a care home employee, which needed hand sanitiser.
The 38-year-old set it upon himself to help care homes in Darlington, given he had recently been furloughed from coaching under eights at Hurworth Albion Football Club.
He said: “It is a good feeling, to give a little bit of help. I know that when I get old I will probably need help, and I don’t want to think that I will be forgotten, which is how some of these people feel.”
Mr Weston pays for the products himself, but said helping is satisfaction enough.
Today Mr Weston organised a surprise performance for residents at Darlington Manor and Eastbourne care homes, the latter of which put up banners and bunting to mark the surprise.
Deborah Taylor Smith, known as ‘Wor Vera’, a singer from Hebburn, performed at each site for 30 minutes, singing 40s classics and taking requests from her audience, who were all appropriately social distancing, which saw “a lot of tears of happiness”.
Ms Taylor said responses like this keeps her going.
She said: "I had a brilliant reception, it was unbelievable. Residents had been looking forward to it at a time they don't have much to look forward to. It keeps me going and is the reason I do it."
One resident, Ms Taylor said, held her phone out towards the singer so that friends on the other line could hear.
Manor manager Samantha Young said: “It was absolutely amazing. They all enjoyed it and the comments we’ve been getting since is that it brightened up their day.
"We get singers in all of the time but they obviously haven't had one in a while. That was very different, to not be able to interact with her, but it worked really well.
“It’s been a long time since the residents saw anyone. It has been really hard for them so to be able to see someone singing live was amazing.
“A massive thank you to Mike and Wor Vera. Mike has done amazing things for the care homes in the town.”
While Mr Weston was already working with the care homes to donate essential items from his collection, he has a relation at Darlington Manor, while the grandma of a child he coaches is at Eastbourne.
The dad-of-two does not have any other surprises planned, but encourages others in the town to get involved with care homes.
Ms Young added: “Staff and residents appreciate it massively and it’s really opened our eyes to how the community is working together during the pandemic.”
The performances marked Wor Vera's 20th to care homes across the North East during coronavirus lockdown. Follow her progress on social media with #WorVeraLockdownTour
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