A care home in Chingford has helped to reunite a resident with a long-lost cousin he had not seen in almost a decade.
Paul Snow, 71, has has lived in Chingford all his life and used to work as a handyman at the well-known restaurant Chasneys.
He has been a resident at The Spinney Care Home since 2019.
Paul had not seen his cousin, Dave Symonds, in nearly a decade after falling out of contact following his mother's death. Dave emigrated to Australia in 1974.
However, in May 2022, Paul found an email address for Dave written on a scrap of paper while organising documents from his home.
With help from the team at The Spinney, Paul and Dave were able to re-establish contact.
“I struggle to write, so a member of the team kindly offered to write an email to Dave. I wasn’t sure we would get a reply, but he wrote back immediately! It was wonderful to have that connection with my family restored.”
Samantha Carey, lifestyle co-ordinator at The Spinney, said: “Over the last couple of years we’ve helped Paul to keep in regular contact with his cousin.
"Dave sends regular emails and includes updates on the rest of the family. Paul loves seeing the photos he sends of everything they have been doing.
"We send photos too, including ones of Paul celebrating his 70th birthday, the tomatoes he grew in our garden, and Paul dressing up for Halloween!"
The reunion was truly complete when Dave and his wife, Lorna, managed to travel to the UK to visit Paul in September.
“Paul was over the moon when Dave emailed to say that he and his wife Lorna were travelling to the UK and wanted to visit him at The Spinney," said Samantha.
“We were thrilled to host their reunion and to welcome Dave and Lorna to The Spinney. Paul did not stop smiling all day, it was lovely to see him so happy at having the chance to sit and chat in person with his family.”
Dave said: “I can’t thank everyone at The Spinney enough for putting me back in touch with Paul after all of these years, I’m extremely grateful.
“Honestly, it’s so lovely to know that Paul is being cared for, and both Lorna and I love seeing all of the photos of his life at the care home.”
Samantha said: “The whole team at The Spinney feel privileged to play a part in reuniting the pair, it’s just wonderful seeing Paul’s smile when he gets an email!”
Lisa Wright, home manager at The Spinney, added: “I know that Paul treasures his time spent updating his cousin on his life and discovering more about Dave’s life, his family, and their travels.
"Being able to host their reunion really has been the cherry on the cake.”
The Spinney is rated ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and won a Great British Care Award in 2023 for its 'dignity in care’.
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