Scenes of emotion and elation greeted a care home in Surbiton recently after residents there were reunited with their loved ones after months of forced quarantine amid the ongoing Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Staff and residents at the Royal Star and Garter (RSG) care home for veterans and their families living with dementia physically distanced themselves from the new arrivals as they welcomed their first guests on site in months.

““It was absolutely wonderful. I was so looking forward to seeing her. She looked so well. I cried!” Said Terrie, who met her mother Amy at the home.

“It’s just reassuring to see her in the flesh, and I wish I could have given her a big hug and a kiss but sadly not yet. But I’m looking forward to the day that I can do that. It was organised really well. Everybody felt safe.”

RSG said all the meetings took place outside the care home with strict distancing and protective equipment (PPE) measures enforced.

Temperatures were also taken to monitor any possible symptoms of Covid-19, with the disease having had a particular severe impact on care homes across the UK.

“We’ve kept in touch through video calls, but it was special to finally meet my daughter after so many weeks. I have missed her terribly,” one residents said.