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Painting fit for the Queen

Sybil, a resident at Speirs House nursing home in New Malden, set her care home's manager a challenge. She noticed that the care home's Royal Lounge was missing the portrait of Her Majesty the Queen and at the resident meeting last year she suggested that the care home residents with the help from Home Manager, Kathleen Liang, should paint a portrait of the Queen. The aim was to complete the portrait for Her Majesty's Birthday on Saturday 13th June 2020. Although it wasn't an easy task, residents and Home Manager set to the task. It took many hours of painting but the final touches were made just before Her Majesty's birthday. The residents are planning to write to the Queen and present her with a framed photo of the portrait as a gift. Sybil, a resident who suggested painting the portrait, said: "It was better than what I expected, my wishes came true and today feels like a magic moment for me." Another resident Nelia said: "My Mum used to do painting, I used to do a lot of painting work with school children and they loved it. Helping to paint this special portrait brought back many fond memories." Kathleen Liang, Home Manager, said: "At Speirs House, we offer a variety of activities to accommodate our residents' individual needs. Art is very popular at Speirs House, it is lovely that many of our residents participate in art classes we run at the care home and it gives me a great joy to see the residents' smiles when they accomplish something creative."