A group of pensioners from a Fraserburgh care home are jumping feet first back into work at the new onsite shop.
The elderly but no less enthusiastic group are donning their uniforms for an early morning start at Faithlie Care Home on Lochpots Road.
Their get-up-and-go attitude has proven that age is just a number, with workers aged 90+ taking on tasks at the shop.
These include rota shifts where they help sort the paper delivery, weigh out sweets on the scales and serve customers.
Faithlie home has 31 residents and is operated by Aberdeenshire Health & Social Care Partnership, who greenlighted the project as it would benefit the residents and wider community.
According to the care home manager, Claire Birnie, there has been a lot of excitement about the new shop.
She said: “There’s been such a buzz about the place, we decided to create a shop within the home following a residents’ meeting.
“Some of our residents can’t get out to the shops as easily, and they also really missed the experience of selecting things to buy and having a natter with others.
“Even our papers just got delivered here, so we decided to shake things up a bit.”
‘I’m really looking forward to getting behind the counter’
Among those helping out is great-grandmother Betty Smith.
Betty loves to don her green apron for one shift a week.
She said: “I’m 93 and a half, and I’ve decided to put my name down on the rota.
“I was always a housewife, and I’m really looking forward to getting behind the counter.
“It’ll be so handy to have a shop here, and my shifts will keep me busy.”
Also eager to take on some work is 92-year-old Kathleen Muir, who retired from working 30 years ago.
She added: “I was a nurse and I worked with children who had disabilities.
“I decided to get involved with the shop because it was something that bit different. It may only be a little shop, but it has everything we need.
The shop also supports independent businesses displaying handmade items.
Funds raised from sales will be put back into the shop, alongside the care home’s amenity fund – which is used to support residents in various activities alongside trips out.
