THEY are celebrating a blooming world record in Southam.
Royal British Legion care home, Galanos House, has beaten a current Guinness World Record by creating the world’s largest human flower –
forming of course the shape of the legion poppy.
Galanos House has celebrated its 50th anniversary by inviting its residents, staff, volunteers, families and the local community to be part of history by creating the world record.
Participants, including local schools, legion branches, the Women’s Institute, the Scouting movement and others, came together at the Southam College to make the poppy from 2,609 people – beating the record by 312.
Guinness is in the process of verifying the record-breaking attempt to confirm the ‘official’ record.
Care home manager Jo-Anne Wilson said: “We’ve had an incredible response to the 50th anniversary celebrations and we are absolutely thrilled to have set a new world record and mark a milestone year with a fantastic event, we look forward to Guinness World Records adjudicating our result,”
Back in 1967, the legion used a generous donation to lay the foundation of a retirement home for ex-servicemen and women. Today, the award-winning home still carries the name of its benefactor Christos Galanos, and cares for over 60 residents and has a specialist dementia care unit, Poppy Lodge, which opened in 2011 and cares for an additional 30 residents.
Jo-Anne added: “We are very grateful for the support the local community has shown us over the past fifty years and look forward to the next 50 years.
“At Galanos we take pride in delivering outstanding excellence when it comes to care, and providing a happy, vibrant and close community within the home for each and every resident.”
Galanos House is one of six Royal British Legion care homes providing short and long-term care for serving and ex-service people and their dependents.
Visit www.britishlegion.org.uk for further details.
