Overslade House care home makes resident's dream come true
Resident, Graham Stead, at Overslade House Care Home was a champion speed skater in his youth and wanted to revisit a roller arena once again, so staff at the home made his wish a reality.
Graham has lived at Overslade House Care Home for 2 years and is beloved by staff and residents alike. Staff at the home were delighted to be a part of making his wish come true, as they knew how much it meant to him, and they all wanted to be there to see the smile on Graham’s face when his wish was realised.
Staff first found out about Graham’s wish and they have been dedicated to helping him achieve it, by arranging a visit to Midland Roller Arena in Lutterworth.
In response to this wonderful surprise, Graham said: “I really enjoyed it" whilst pointing out the very good skaters and especially those with flashing lights on their wheels. When asked if one skater would make the grade Graham replied in his own way, “He’s alright”
Graham Stead (18 in the list of senior men to represent Great Britain) was born in Birmingham in 1930. Living just a stone’s throw away from Birmingham Embassy Roller rink Graham visited frequently and was a relatively late comer to speed skating when he joined the NSA in 1950
By 1953 Graham was recognised as one of Britain’s top skaters and it was that year that he won his first British Championship medal finishing a close second. By January 1954 Graham had taken no fewer than 5 major medals in his skating career.
1956 was Graham’s year to shine. In January he became a silver medallist in the Midland Counties Championship. In February Graham again finished second in the One Mile British Championship on his home track, the Embassy in Birmingham along with his best friend who finished in third place, Les Woodley. A week later at the Alexandra Palace rink, Graham wrote himself into the record books when he finally won a British title, the Five Mile. It was announced that Graham would be in the British Team for the World Championships in Barcelona, Spain. Graham’s performances at these Championships over the two days were something to savour. Graham came 4th in all races and picked up a bronze medal for the 5000 metres race. In 1957 due to a decision made by NSA stating that they would not be sending a British Team to the World Championships in Italy. Graham saw it as an opportunity missed and his interest waned somewhat. This was rekindled in 1960 when his old team mate Les Woodley convinced Graham to start up again when he joined the formidable Midland Club. In February 1961 he won his last Gold Medal, the formidable quartet Graham was now part of, Midland, won the event against their rivals Birmingham in an astonishing time of 8mins 29.4 seconds almost half a lap ahead. The NSA once again decided not to send a British Team to the World Championships. Graham was now 31 and knew his skating career was coming to an end and retired.
Violeta Baesu, General Manager at the home, said: “We believe that every moment is worth cherishing. We want everyone we care for to know how important they are to us here at Overslade House. It is testament to the hard work and dedication of the team here in making our residents’ wishes come true. It was wonderful to see how happy Graham was – and the staff loved being a part of this as well.”