Full steam ahead for Ron

Our late resident Ron Manning, 87 was a huge train enthusiast and he had been reunited with the miniature steam locomotive he built from scratch more than 50 years ago.

Our late resident Ron Manning, 87 was a huge train enthusiast and he had been reunited with the miniature steam locomotive he built from scratch more than 50 years ago.

Ron lived with us at Ashbrook Court Care Home, on Sewardstone Road and had been a member of the Chingford and District Model Engineering Club since 1967.

Over the years Ron had built or rebuilt a number of engines and he revealed his wish to return to the miniature railway, known as Merlin Ambrosias. Our dedicated team here at our 70-bed home, which offers residential, nursing and specialist dementia care, were only too pleased to arrange it.“I’ve built and run a few engines over the years, but Merlin Ambrosias was always the most special,” Ron had said.

“To see her running again after all this time is something I didn’t expect, so I was shocked. It was quite emotional.

“I’ve always been really fascinated by trains and building them. Me and my son Chris used to work on them together, so it’s no surprise that he is now part of the club.

“It’s been a big part of my life, and I’ve made so many friends at the club. So, it meant a lot to me to go back and see the trains and I’m very grateful to Ashbrook for arranging the trip.”

The project originally took Ron around five years to complete and became his pride and joy. However, in recent years Merlin Ambrosias had fallen out of service and Ron had not seen it running for some time.

His son Chris, who now also works at the miniature railway, decided to restore the engine to working order with club members, and after careful repairs, the locomotive ran again for the first time in three years, driven by grandson Ryan.“Dad had been part of the club for decades and had dedicated so much time to model engineering,” Chris said.

“We knew how much it would mean to him to see Merlin Ambrosias working again, so we set about repairing her.

“Having the chance to bring Dad back to the track and watch him enjoy that moment has been fantastic. It was made even more special that his grandson was driving the train at the time too.”

Our lifestyle coordinator Lorna Morey said: “It was wonderful to see how much joy the visit brought to Ron.

“As soon as he saw the engine in steam his face lit up. You could tell how much it meant to him to be back at the club, surrounded by something that has been such an important part of his life. Moments like this really make a difference for our residents.”

We are always looking for opportunities to help residents maintain connections with their interests as well as creating new memories.“At Ashbrook Court we focus on what matters to each resident as an individual,” our home manager, Jonathane Ribeiro said.

“Ron’s involvement with the model engineering club and his locomotives had been a huge part of his life.

“Supporting him to return and see his work running again is exactly the kind of meaningful experience we want to make possible.”

Ron will be remembered fondy by the whole team and we are happy we got to make his precisous wish come true.