Extract of new play about care homes during the Covid pandemic performed at Leeds Care Conference

A 10-minute extract of a brand new play by Brian Daniels was 'shared' at the Leeds Care Conference 2022 held at Oulton Hall in Leeds on 30 June 2022. The play is called 'Unforgettable - Telling the Care Home Story' and was commissioned by Leeds Care Association to highlight what was happening behind the headlines during the covid pandemic.

 "It's really, really important to hear the things from the care home perspective - staff, owners and managers, residents and families" said Michelle Atkinson, General Manager, Leeds Care Association. "It's about their story and what they went through, being heard and visible, not from a government perspective but as their story, from their mouths.

"It is also about commemorating the many residents and staff who lost their lives to Covid that was really hard for everyone, so this play is a tribute to them."

As a care home manager says in the play: “I worked 7am-9pm 17 days in a row. They were not residents - they were Joe, Constance, Arthur, Giovanni. They were my friends & family & I’m gutted - but I can’t show it.”

Playwright Brian Daniels, pictured left introducing the play, felt the emotion in the room as the extract unfolded. He said: “Sitting on the stage and facing 100 people who work at the sharp end of caring for the elderly and vulnerable, I was conscious that the audience members had been through the most challenging period of their working lives during the pandemic.

“During the 10-minute extract recital of the play you could hear a pin drop, “ he continued. “Tears were shed, but there was a cathartic feeling that many emotions and experiences had been expressed in a play which, I hope, will go on to initiate positive changes in the whole care home sector.”

The play 'Unforgettable - Telling the Care Home Story' will launch in Autumn 2022. If you are interested in hosting a performance of this play, then please get in touch

Read more on the interview with Michelle Atkinson here