The theme for the National Day of Arts in Care Homes 2025 was 'going green', which provided much food for thought for residents at Headingley Hall as they celebrated the day on 24 September.

Sharing their memories as well as thoughts on sustainability and the idea of a greener world, Headingley residents gave their perspective on an ever-changing environment.

Looking back on earlier days, residents recalled growing their own fruit and vegetables, which they remembered either eating themselves or selling, and discussed how they learned sewing and embroidery from a young age.

Headingley Hall's resident artist Ruth called the latter skill "very important": "My mother was a very good knitter and sewer, making clothes out of old clothes and mending clothes... We didn't very often get new ones. It costs a lot of money to change, and it isn't always for the better."

Residents also talked about being of a generation that gradually started to use modern technology, including washing machines and televisions, with TV ownership still "quite rare" in the early 1960s before sets began to be more commonplace. Without such technology, people needed to "work hard and try discover stuff yourself" rather than "just press a button".

Looking at the world today, George described plastic as a "wonderful invention" with "so many purposes", and which can still be good for the environment "in the right place". As for how being outside in nature makes him feel, George, speaking in the Headingley Hall garden, replied: "Depends on whether I'm awake or asleep!"