THERE were colourful celebrations as older residents in Chester came together to enjoy Sanctuary Housing's 10th annual Purple Day.

More than 80 people, many wearing striking purple attire, attended the event at Blacon Adventure Playground to enjoy socialising and a wide variety of activities and entertainment.

Purple Day is an annual celebration for older people, held to coincide with Older People's Day and inspired by the well-known Jenny Joseph poem 'Warning', which opens with the line: 'When I am an old woman I shall wear purple…'

The event was once again organised by members of Sanctuary's Group of Older People living in Sheltered Housing (GOSH Enterprises) and visitors enjoyed stalls, bingo, Zumba and live music.

Another popular attraction was the adventure playground's on-site farm, where residents met a variety of animals including donkeys, sheep and goats.

Guests enjoyed a spread of tasty free refreshments and local organisations including Age UK, PennySmart and Deafness Support Network, along with Sanctuary's own maintenance and telecare teams, on hand to offer advice and information.

Maggi Dempsey, Sanctuary's resident involvement officer, said: "Purple Day is always a wonderful occasion and our 10th anniversary celebration was once again a truly inspirational event for all involved.

"We'd like to say a big thank you to all who attended, the Sanctuary suppliers who supported the event and to the GOSH group for all their hard work.

"We are committed to helping our residents lead happy, healthy lives and events like Purple Day that bring the community together have a very important part to play."

The fun-filled day also included a raffle, with residents winning prizes including hampers donated by Polyflor and Triton Showers, vouchers donated by Travis Perkins, Rexel UK and Aico and a coffee machine donated by Magnet Trade.

This event was funded by Sanctuary's Community Investment Fund, supporting projects which benefit Sanctuary residents and their communities.