Care home residents play giant game of Kerplunk to lift morale during the coronavirus lockdown

Care home residents have recreated a giant game of Kerplunk to lift morale during the coronavirus lockdown.

Staff at Fir Villar Residential Home in Somerset made the game from garden netting, a cardboard box, bamboo canes and colourful balls.

They posted a heartwarming video and photos on Facebook showing residents smiling and laughing as they carefully dislodge bamboo sticks.

Eight of the residents at the home, which cares for 22 people aged over 65 including those with dementia, played the giant game.

It came after a life-size game of Hungry Hippos at Bryn Celyn care home in Wales went viral last month.

Laura McAllister, activities coordinator at Fir Villa, said she had been inspired by the inventive version of Hungry Hippos.

"We played our own game of Hungry Hippos here and I was thinking what else we could do," she said.

"I was using the netting in the garden and thought if I rolled it up, I could make it into a Kerplunk game.

"I put it together when I came into work with a cardboard box that we had and I cut bamboo sticks in half with tape at the end to make sure it was safe.

"We had a big game of eight residents playing together. One of the other ladies had been doing a Skype call with family at the time so she then came and had a one-on-one game.

"We're doing different activities to help with the isolation of not having visitors coming in."

The facility, in the village of Marston Magna, is home to 22 residents.