AN East Lancashire care home is keeping residents on the ball with games of socially-distanced bingo.

Hope House, based in Rishton Road, Clayton-le-Moors, is using tablets and WhatsApp video calls to allow residents who have opted to self-isolate to join in the fun with their friends.

Residents who are not isolating gather in the home’s lounge to hear the numbers being called, and staff are supporting residents who would prefer to stay in their rooms to participate via technology.

This ensures that anyone in the high-risk categories being shielded under NHS advice can still be included in group activities and avoid feelings of loneliness.

Home manager Cathy Yates said: “Our residents have been amazing during the coronavirus crisis, as they’ve had to respond to a number of changes, but they’ve approached everything with a smile.

“We love a game of bingo, and it was important to us that even those who’d been advised to shield, due to being in a high-risk group, could still see their friends,” she added.