Watch: Wrestling-mad woman, 97, sees match in ‘wish come true’

A 97-year-old woman has had her “one wish” come true after being taken by her carers to watch a live wrestling match. Jane Prosser, a resident at Katherine House in Bristol, used to go to the matches with her late husband, Jack.

And as part of a scheme to widen well-being activities for residents, Ms Prosser was taken to see a match and re-live her youth. She said: “We had a brilliant time together. This is a day I will never forget.”

The pensioner, who was born in Northern Ireland, had told her carers multiple times that she would like to go back to watching wrestling. As a result, they arranged for her to go to the Kapow & SWF Return to Thornbury wrestling match on October 2.

Videos of the thrilling evening show Ms Prosser throwing herself into the match’s atmosphere, cheering and gasping. She even wore a wrestling mask and waved an inflatable hammer to “hit the baddies” during the action.

To top off the evening she was even booked in for a meet and greet with the wrestler afterwards. Judith Prosser, 61, Ms Prosser’s daughter said: “My mum had an absolute whale of a time.

“We would have never thought of it and it’s brought back lots of happy memories for all of us. It has revived lots of memories for me as I had forgotten that my mother and father used to enjoy going to wrestling matches.

“Our parents rarely went out in the evening when we were children so these were very special occasions for the both of them.”

She went to the match with Wellbeing Assistant Imogen Spencer and Wellbeing Coordinator, Sabrina Green.

Ms Green said: “After a difficult lockdown, it’s fantastic to be able to get residents out in the community again. The One Wish Project is an opportunity to give each resident something to look forward to. We love a challenge- no dream is too big.

“The residents bring us so much joy everyday. We want to give something back to them.

“I am very proud to be a part of a Wellbeing Team that pushes the boundaries and expectations for care home events and activities.

“We put our heart and soul into everything we do. It was an absolute honour to make Jane’s dream come true, she was in her element. Days like this make the job all the more worth while.”

The team at Katherine House and Griffiths House have been recognised for their hard work before.

Deputy Manager Sue Thorne won the Rainbow Heart award at the Care and Support West Care Awards - which is given to shine a light on the challenging work undertaken during the pandemic.

The team will continue to grant wishes to their residents like Ms Posser as part of their One Wish project.