ALL the fun of the beach came to Kidderminster when patients at Kemp Hospice grabbed their buckets and spades to enjoy a seaside day.

Even the typical British weather failed to dampen spirits as patients, staff and volunteers got kitted out in t-shirts, sun hats and shorts.

Activities included sand castle making, hook-a-duck, bingo and a seaside memory box from Worcestershire County Museum at Hartlebury Castle. Patients were delighted to eat traditional coastal cuisine, fish and chips in paper and many said they had not had them for years. An ice cream machine, complete with flavours and flakes also went down a treat.

Kemp’s day care team leader, Kate Collins, who organised the events, said: “The seaside days went down really well with the patients. It’s a chance to do something that many of them are not able to do anymore. We feel these special theme days at Kemp Hospice are so important because it’s a chance for people to focus on something different.”

Toni McEvoy, creative therapist at Kemp said: “Having the memory box from Hartlebury Museum was brilliant, it was full of postcards, photo’s and old fashioned swimming costumes and sunglasses. The patients really enjoyed reminiscing about past holidays.”

Chris Wilcox of ice cream and frozen food company First Service donated the ice cream machine, freezer and parasols Richard Elzner, of Merchants Fish Bar in Bewdley gave the fish and chip containers, mushy pea pots and forks.

Pictured are back from left Kate Collins, Toni McEvoy and Ele Millward. Front from left, Josephine Warner and Jennifer Boulton.