Care home resident Brenda shares wartime memory of cooling down in heat as temperature soars
Watch: ITV News Meridian's James Dunham chatted with Brenda.
A care home resident in East Sussex has shared her wartime memory of cooling down in warm weather as a child, as temperatures are set to reach record levels on Friday.
Brenda Heather lives at Hailsham House care home which looks after 75 elderly and vulnerable people.
She admits she's not a particular fan of hot temperatures having been born during the winter.
"I was born in February you see and it wasn't hot then", says Brenda who grew very fond of river swimming.
"River swimming I loved, people would say 'how can you stand on all that mud' and I would say 'you don't stand on it you swim on top of it'.
"In our day, the war days, mum couldn't put us on the bus to go to the beach so our best place was the river as nobody liked the river.
"We had it all to ourselves. It was lovely spending a day at the riverside."
Fellow resident Connie Faraday, who is originally from the north of England, relishes the heat.
"I lived in the north so we don't get as much hot weather as you do down here so I always enjoy it when it's there.
"It brightens your day, it literally brightens your day, and it does so spiritually."
Signs of heat exhaustion
a headache
dizziness and confusion
loss of appetite and feeling sick
excessive sweating and pale, clammy skin
cramps in the arms, legs and stomach
fast breathing or pulse
a high temperature of 38C or above
being very thirsty
Connie and Brenda are being kept hydrated by staff at their home who are taking various precautions.
A level three heat-health warning has been issued by The Met Office, lasting until Saturday with temperatures set to exceed 30 degrees on Friday.
Blinds are being kept down inside the homes and fans are on full blast to keep air-circulated.
Outside shade has been setup outside to protect residents who are able to sit outside early in the morning before the rays ramp up after 11am when the sun is at its strongest.
"We need to make sure this weather is not harming them" says the homes deputy manager Rui Santos.
"Our residents are risk because they are older and over 75 and we're taking precautions following recommendations from Public Health England and the NHS"
"Sometimes it's quite difficult with the mental health difficulties they have so we have to use strategies to keep them hydrated and avoid them overheating."
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