A trip to see the Eden Project’s immersive winter music and light experience has put a twinkle in the eyes of residents living with dementia in a Plymouth care home.

On two separate occasions, staff at Butterfly Lodge in St Budeaux helped those they care for to wrap up warm and headed west in the home’s mini-bus for an out-of-the-ordinary sensory treat.

The installations they went to see featured an 11-piece orchestra and vocalists dotted around multiple stages in the Mediterranean Biome,  and an ethereal light show.

Sarah McCaffrey, deputy manager at Butterfly Lodge, said: “The smiles on the faces of our residents said it all.

“They adored the music and were also totally absorbed by the incredible illuminations in the Rainforest Biome.

“A sensory experience like this offers an immediate reward to people living with dementia, and can also remind them of happy times in their past.

“It was totally worth the effort, just to be with them while they were so enjoying themselves.

“Big thanks to my colleagues Paul Hutt, Kelly Tennant, Su Fuller and Kirsten Bradbury for helping to make this possible.”

Butterfly Lodge is part of the Camelot Care group, which also runs homes in Wellington and Bridgwater in Somerset, and is about to open a new home in Yeovil. More details at www.camelotcare.co.uk