She survived the Sheffield Blitz and at 101 years old she became Broomgrove Nursing Home’s first resident to get the Corona vaccine.

Joyce Green, who had her first jab last Friday (January 8^th), said she was immensely proud to be number one and was extra proud “as I even had it before the Queen”!

30 care home residents and 50 staff have now received their first jabs at Dore Medical Surgery.

Broomgrove Manager Donna Pierpoint said it was a fantastic feeling to finally start to see some light at the end of the tunnel. 

“Though it’s early days and we’ve all got to have a second jab in a few weeks time, it felt like a weight had been lifted from us. The jab was totally painless and the whole operation was incredibly well managed by NHS staff.

“We all felt well after and I would absolutely encourage anyone and everyone to have the vaccine.”

Queen Elizabeth had her jab the day after Joyce Green – on Saturday, January 9^th.

Broomgrove will do all in its power to continue face-to-face visits throughout the Coronavirus pandemic.

We were one of the first homes of its type in the country to allow a return to family members visiting residents in June following the original lockdown in March. 

Broomgrove believes the mental wellbeing benefits provided by face-to-face visits, far outweigh the risks providing things are done in a safe manner and follow strict guidance.

The home was one of the first in the region to utilize technology to allow residents to communicate with relatives, but it didn’t work for everyone.

Donna Pierpoint, the manager at Broomgrove Care Home, said: “Many residents took very quickly to using Skype and Facetime and other technology, but others didn’t. The original lockdown proved there really is no replacement for face-to-face visits and we’re determined to continue.

“Planning and managing them in a safe manner is hard but these visits are so important. Relatives have been incredibly supportive of our decision.”

All relatives visiting Broomgrove Nursing Home are required to use PPE, complete risk assessments, social distance and follow strict infection control guidance.

“I think many people forget that many of our residents are some of the strongest people on the planet”, Donna Pierpoint added. 

“They lived through the harshness of World War Two and the Sheffield Blitz. They deserve dignity and respect. A care home shouldn’t be a prison.”

There have been no cases of Covid 19 so far at Broomgrove Nursing Home.

After six months in lockdown it was a celebration tinged with more than emotion than usual. 

Broomgrove Care Home residents lined up to say goodbye to four young care home staff that have landed places at university. 

The employees – that have cared for residents throughout lockdown – are all pursuing further education within the healthcare industry.

Their send-off, which was scaled down because of Covid, was no less emotional with residents presenting cards, gifts and messages of good will for their future.

Many of the students won’t be leaving altogether – some will continue to work at Broomgrove Nursing Home and do ‘bank’ shifts in between their studies.

The four leavers were Lucy Greetham who’s going on to study nursing at Sheffield Hallam University; Charlotte Widlake who’s studying nursing at Sheffield Hallam University; Sam Livingstone who’s studying nursing at the University of Sheffield and Rehna Naqvi who’s studying midwifery at Edge Hill University.

Donna Pierpoint, the manager at Broomgrove Care Home, said: “If anything this year’s sendoff was all the more emotional as closer bonds have been formed because of lockdown. But residents are so keen for the young people to do well in their careers and were very determined to give them a good send off. It was a lovely event.”

They were arguably the two darkest nights in the history of Sheffield and our residents have been re-living them to ensure their experiences are never forgotten.

Local author Neil Anderson is collecting stories for an 80^th anniversary edition of his best-selling ‘Sheffield’s Date With Hitler’ book.

Residents of Broomgrove Nursing Home didn’t even let lockdown get in the way of re-telling their stories – they used Skype.

Resident Ernest Barron, a former director of SWFC, was living in Wadsley Bridge at the time and vividly remembers the devastation following the first night of the Sheffield Blitz of December 1940.

He said: “I still remember walking up Snig Hill and Angel Street and seeing the devastation. The Marples building had been flattened in Fitzalan Square killing scores of people. Walsh’s department store had been destroyed –  only cast iron girders remained erect. The Empire Theatre had a bomb crater on fire outside and it was nothing but devastation on the Moor. I will never forget memory of seeing the body of a man laid on Ecclesall Road.”

The Sheffield Blitz killed and wounded over 2,000 people and made a tenth of the city homeless. It took the city years to recover.

Fellow Broomgrove resident Hugh Bradbury recalls hearing the anti-aircraft fire springing into life. He knew the attack was no false alarm. He was 10-years-old at the time. He watched the stricken city burning from his bedroom in Ecclesfield  and knew of two people that lost their lives.

Donna Pierpoint, manager of Broomgrove Nursing Home, said: “Our residents have lived such long and amazing lives and it’s great when their incredible knowledge can be used in this way. They were only too pleased to get involved.”

The new edition of ‘Sheffield’s Date With Hitler’ will be out to mark the 80^thanniversary of the attacks and be published in the autumn.

Our campaign to have the work of care home nurses, carers and ancillary staff recognized alongside NHS workers has now reached nearly a quarter of a million people. 

Donna Pierpoint, manager of Broomgrove Nursing Home that has worked in health and social care for 26 years, said: “The NHS deserves every ounce of praise they get but I want to remind people that the nurses, carers and ancillary staff in care homes like ours work just as hard and deserve equal thanks.

“We’re turning up for work every day to care for some of the most vulnerable people in society. Few people are more prone to the devastating affects of coronavirus than our residents.”

Nearly two-and-a-half thousand people have now shared Donna Pierpoint’s original Facebook post in support of her campaign. It has now been viewed by nearly a quarter of a million people. 

Broomgrove Nursing Home closed its doors to visitors a few days ago in order to protects its residents.

Donna Pierpoint added: “It broke my heart to see relatives crying when they realised they didn’t know when they were going to see their mums and dads again. But as manager we have to do all we can to keep our residents safe and work within the guidelines we’re given. These are unprecedented times and we’ve had to take unprecedented measures.”

You can join the campaign on Facebook @BroomgroveNursingHome