HOLIDAYMAKERS from a Harpenden nursing home have spent a month globetrotting from the comfort of their garden bench. BUPA Field House Nursing Home in Townsend Road embarked on a virtual cruise at the start of last month by transforming the back garden int

HOLIDAYMAKERS from a Harpenden nursing home have spent a month globetrotting from the comfort of their garden bench.

BUPA Field House Nursing Home in Townsend Road embarked on a virtual cruise at the start of last month by transforming the back garden into a different city each week, setting off from New York.

As well as helping the residents decorate the garden, manager Dorothy Allan and her activities organiser Mavis Russell also arranged a themed lunch, exotic cocktails and traditional entertainment for every stop made.

Dorothy said the garden has seen many wonders in the past month: "We've enjoyed Manhattan cocktails and a swing band in New York; traditional African dancing at Cape Town; a didgeridoo concert in Sydney; a sari-clad evening in Mumbai; and an Irish band in Dublin - and now I'm exhausted!"

The end of the cruise was marked by a party in "Dublin", where Irish band Logic got the 32 residents on board in a party mood and one of the young carers, student nurse John Scudder, dressed up as a leprechaun for added entertainment.

Dorothy, who has promised another virtual cruise for next year, said everyone has returned from their holidays with renewed vigour: "It's so refreshing to be able to see the world from your back garden and it was all done so well - BUPA even gave us passports to use, which we stamped at every stop. I'm very grateful to hard-working people such as Mavis who made this all possible.