Home transforms into American diner

Residents at a care home near Luton stepped back in time to recreate the feel of a 1950s American diner.

Best remembered for the Festival of Britain and the Crowning of Queen Elizabeth II, there is also another less formal side to the 1950s – the famous all-American diners, or lunch cars as they were also known.

Residents decided that since everyone is marking the Queen’s amazing Platinum Jubilee, they would step back in time to remember the diners. Although they started appearing in the 1920s and 1930s, it was not until the 1950s they became more popular due to their cheap food, large menus and fast service.

At Caddington Grove, run by Hamberley Homes, they managed to recreate some of that colourful fast action for the day. Claire O’Neill, wellbeing and lifestyle coach, says: “We had a discussion about fun things that stand out from the 1950s, and everyone said 'wouldn’t it be nice to recreate a 1950s diner?'

“So that's what we did. We spent the day playing music from the fifties and serving up some fifties food including corned beef hash and fries. The fifties were certainly a monumental decade, the Queen has reigned for 70 incredible years and is still working, which is something to celebrate. And the diners are still open for business - certainly here at Caddington Grove that spirit still thrives."

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