Most people try and stay on the right side of the law, including Anne Brokenbrow, a 104-year-old woman from Bristol. However, when the residents of Stokeleigh Care Home in Stoke Bishop where she lives were asked to fill in a form about their 'wishes', Anne wanted to have something that she'd never experienced before.
"My wish is... to be arrested. I am 104 and I have never been on the wrong side of the law." Her wish stunned the care home staff, but they set about making sure she received it anyway and worked with local police in Stoke Bishop to arrest Anne Brokenbrow.
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She will be taken into custody for the first time ever next week, on the grounds of being an 'upstanding citizen'. Before retirement, Mrs Brokenbrow was a secretary at James Roberts & Son Manufacturers in Bristol.
Speaking of her experience, Anne said: "I had a lovely day it was interesting. Nothing like that ever happened to me before. They put the handcuffs on, I had the lot."
"What did it feel like being a criminal? Well it will make me much more careful of what I say and do," said Anne. "But the police were very nice throughout."
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Other residents wished things like riding in a Rolls Royce, receiving a hand massage and cuddling a poodle. All the wishes are written on paper slips and then attached to a washing line at a nearby Coop store. Anne's wish was one of the first to be granted.
This is all part of a project called The Wishing Washing Line, encouraging shoppers to look at the wishes and see what they could grant and then contact the elderly person behind the wish. The Stokeleigh Care Home where Anne lives is just one of five homes in Bristol that is participating in the project.
The Wishing Washing Line project launched in Bristol on March 1 having helped thousands of elderly people. Originally launched in Essex, the idea is to get the local public engaged with its elderly residents.
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Simon Bernstein, CEO of Alive Activities, who run the scheme, said: "Our charity provides lots of creative activities for older people and engage the community in coming into care homes.
Anne has already proved that this project can be a success, and we look forward to hopefully seeing the project reach other parts of the country too. One can only imagine what we'll see next!
Featured Image Credit: SWNS