Bo’ness patients enjoy the sweet smell of yesteryear in vintage ‘shop’
Do you remember “boilings”, rhubarb rock, cinnamon balls, soor plooms and all the rest?
They’re still to be found in some traditional Italo-Scottish ice cream parlours, but these sweeties of yesteryear are “just” a memory to most older people.
However volunteers at the Denny and Bonnybridge Men’s Shed recognise that memory can be a very precious asset, and they used their skills to turn a summer house in the garden at Bo’ness Hospital into a vintage sweet shop.
Its sugary aromas recall confectionery treats many younger people will never have tasted, or even heard of.
NHS Forth Valley, Senior Charge Nurse Carla Crzebien, explained: “When you open up the boxes you can still smell the sweeties.
“We hope to get tables and chairs in there as well, so that patients can go in with relatives and staff. It’s a wee bit of reminiscence for them.”