A Kew care home has opened 'pods' in its garden to allow people to visit their relatives safely while keeping warm.

Cecil Court opened its pods for visitors on Friday (December 4).

They are simple wooden structures with heating and lighting inside, as well as comfortable sofas and have even been decorated with lights and trees outside in time for Christmas.

Screens are in place, visitors must wear masks to ensure safe social distancing and there are doors at either end so resident and visitor can enter from different doors.

Luing Andrews visited his mum, Josephine Bold, 84, on Monday morning (December 7).

Josephine lives with dementia and has been a resident at Cecil Court care home for the past three years.

Luing, who lives in Hove, said it was "really difficult" to visit his mum outdoors on the last couple of occassions.

"It's so nice to have somewhere to go now, because before we were coming up and it was taking sometimes in traffic two hours to visit my mum.

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"When we got there, it was either raining or she was so cold, so it was like a quick five-minute visit. So at least now we've got somewhere warm to take her down," he said.

Visitors can book the pods for 20 minute visits.

"You're not allowed to kiss and hug because there's a screen and you've got to wear your mask. So for people with dementia, it's not easy, I don't think. But mum always recognises my wife, funnily enough, more than me. But she recognised me yesterday. That was nice," said Luing.

"It was difficult at the beginning of the pandemic, but now it's a lot better. I try to get to see her every couple of weeks. But then we had the second lockdown. So we have been on and off with the visits, but now it's great. There's somewhere we can go and it's safer and much better for her."

Speaking about the impact of the lockdown, Luing said he "always worries" about his mum, but added: "She always comes out happy and she looks good, they are looking after her well.

"There's no complaints here with the home. I mean, it's the government that puts us in the lockdown. And nobody's been able to help this situation. It's nobody's fault. It's just happened, unfortunately, and put everybody in an awful position.

"When I first saw Mum, it was lovely, but not being able to hug is awful."

He said he hopes to get the coronavirus vaccine "as soon as possible", and is excited to see the start of the rollout to the over 80s and care home workers today.

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This summer, Luing self-published a collection of his mother's poetry on Amazon to help her fulfill a lifelong dream.

He wrote in the introduction to the collection: "Now most poems have sadly been forgotten by her, but every now and then a little light shines so bright and mum will remember a short poem or two. When this happens, it is so beautiful to me, a treasure I will never forget."

All profits from My Poems By Josephine Bold will be donated to Cecil Court Dementia Home in Kew, where Mrs Bold is being cared for.

You can buy her poems here.