RESIDENTS of a care home in Prees have been given a new way to connect with their families with the delivery of new tablets.

Elmhurst Care Home, in Armoury Lane, appealed to Prees Parish Council to help residents find new ways of communicating through the Covid-19 pandemic.

The care home has been closed to visitors since March and residents have been queueing to use the laptop to talk to relatives over Skype.

Parish councillors proposed the council should buy two tablets to donate to Elmhurst, but it would be at least a month before the purchase could be formally approved.

Local IT firm Rainford IT stepped in to cover the waiting gap, donating two tablets for immediate use at the home, with Cllr Barbara Rainford making the delivery to care home staff members Abbie Williams and Valerie Finch.

Abbie said the care home residents were grateful for the donation.

“Our residents have been so grateful for the use of the tablets as they have really missed visits from relatives," she said.

"Some residents often have visitors three or four times a day so being able to see people online while talking to them has made a really big difference.

"We are really grateful to the parish council for highlighting this problem and getting the tablets for us.”

The tablets have also been put to use by doctors at Prees Medical Practice, who have been able to talk to patients directly online and also see via the webcam some of the symptoms of illnesses.