THIS is the magical moment when two elderly sisters enjoyed a Christmas reunion at the Hampshire care home where one of them lives.
Ina Abram, a resident at the Oaklands complex in Veals Lane, Marchwood, had not seen Maureen Anderson for five years.
The sisters, who grew up in Southampton, lost touch after ending up in different care homes.
They were reunited after Ina’s daughter Michelle discovered Maureen was living at the Lindhurst care home in Bordon. She contacted staff and told them Ina wanted to see her sister.
Ina, 69, said they had always been close and described meeting her "lovely" sibling as "very emotional".
She added: "We have always spent lots of time together. We used to go out a lot and I used to cook for Maureen and our Mum at the weekends. We'd all eat together and catch up."
Describing the reunion she added: "Maureen was laughing all the time while she was here, it was really lovely to see how happy she was.
"To meet up with her again after so long - at Christmas - was very special to us both."
Sarah Perkins, manager of the Lindhurst home, Maureen to see Ina and witnessed the heartwarming moment the pair saw each other again.
"Ina came and gave Maureen a hug and a kiss and it was clear how much the moment meant to both of them. It was really special," she said.
Oaklands manager Nicola Ray added: "Seeing Ina and Maureen reunited after so long was such a touching moment. Ina has many fond memories of spending time with her sister and it was clear how wonderful it was for them to see each other again.
"Reliving special memories and creating magical new ones is so important to our residents and we were delighted to be able to help arrange this meeting.
"We are really grateful to everyone at Lindhurst for getting in touch and getting the ball rolling as well as bringing Maureen to Oaklands.
"After seeing how much it meant to Ina and Maureen, we are going to ensure they keep in touch, either face-to-face or utilising video calls."
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