A celebration of peace and community at Rivermede Court Care Home
To mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Rivermede Court care home in Egham hosted a heartfelt celebration with the Mayor of Runnymede, Cllr Elaine Gill, along with Mayors and Deputy Mayors from Runnymede’s twin towns in France and Germany. The event, attended by care home team members and residents, promoted peace and harmony between nations.
As part of the celebrations, the Mayors from all three countries exchanged symbolic tokens of peace, and Rivermede Court presented each dignitary with a white metal dove for their gardens, as a universal symbol of peace. A willow tree was then planted in the care home’s garden to represent unity, remembrance, and hope for a peaceful future.
The event culminated with Cllr Elaine Gill presenting the Mayor of Runnymede Special Award for Services to the Mayoralty 2024–2025 to Rivermede Court care home. This was in recognition of Rivermede Court’s ongoing dedication to community engagement and support.
Cllr Elaine Gill, Mayor of Runnymede said, “I was delighted as Mayor to welcome our Town Twinning guests - Frank Stein, Mayor of Bergisch Gladbach in Germany; Brahim Bachman, Deputy Mayor of Joinville Le Pont in France; and Christine Leveling, Deputy Mayor of Bergisch Gladbach in Germany - to commemorate VE80. Such a significant occasion for all countries, with a theme of promoting harmony and friendship across countries that 80 years ago were enemies. Rivermede Court provided an excellent lunch, we met residents and planted a tree in the garden to cement our friendship going forward.”
Manon James-Mallinger, Deputy Manager at Rivermede Court said: “Hosting the Mayors was a huge honour – and being presented with the Mayor of Runnymede’s Special Award for Services to the Mayoralty was an incredible endorsement of our community activities. It was wonderful to be presented with it during such a special week of celebrations with our residents. Supporting our local community and involving our residents in community-wide initiatives is so key to our ethos as a care home.”
As part of the VE Day Celebrations, Rivermede Court’s residents and staff joined the wider community at St. Ann’s Hill to take part in the ceremonial lighting of the beacon — a powerful symbol of remembrance and solidarity. They also attended the VE Day Garden Party at the Mayor’s Garden.
Manon James-Mallinger added, “It was a great honour to attend these events with members of our team and our residents. Together, we reflected on the past, celebrated the present, and shared our hope for a future defined by peace.”
Rivermede Court, based at The Avenue, Egham, offers exceptional residential, dementia and respite care. It is part of Cinnamon Care Collection which, for the past eight years, has been recognised as a Top 20 Care Home Group by Carehome.co.uk. For further information about Rivermede Court, please visit www.cinnamoncc.com/rivermede