Comedian Dave Spikey visited Heathlands Village to film a food campaign video at the care home.
Comedian and actor, Dave Spikey – of 8 Out of 10 Cats and Phoenix Nights fame – visited The Fed’s care home, Heathlands Village, last week and enlisted residents and staff to feature alongside him in a film production for Vegetarian for Life (VFL).
VFL, a UK charity aimed at improving the quality of life of older vegetarians and vegans, had approached Heathlands Village as a film venue for the project highlighting their work. They called in Dave to showcase their services, and were delighted to find a willing support cast at the home. The film was released in May to coincide with National Vegetarian Week.
VFL’s Marguerite Taylor, said “Having visited Heathlands before, we were amazed to find everything on-site – all the usual things you would expect in a care home, but a salon, activity centre and enormous kitchens – it made it the perfect place to film our new promotional video.”
Beginning in the hairdressing salon, Dave appeared from under a theatrical blonde wig to deliver his lines to camera, before moving to a quiet lounge for a cuppa with residents. Here, with only a few short lines to record, the scene was lengthened significantly by a good deal of ad-libbing and prompting by enthusiastic residents. Resident Faye Varley said “He was such a gentleman, and very funny too. We did help him out a bit with his lines…I don’t think he minded too much!”
An exercise session in the activity centre provided the backdrop for a further scene, with residents and staff taking part in a jabadao workout. Activity Centre Deputy Manager Nick Burgess commented that “The residents all loved it – it was something different and fun, and everything worked out very well.”