Tag: Valentine’s Day

Over 10,000 people said ‘I do’ at this unique Edinburgh destination

One of Scotland’s oldest visitor attractions has turned Edinburgh’s Royal Mile into the ultimate aisle. From sightseeing to ‘I do’, last year the iconic location saw more than 10,000 people put a ring on it at its unique marriage machine.

This Valentine’s Day, Camera Obscura & World of Illusions is once again setting the scene for love, laughter, and unforgettable memories with its famous AutoWed Machine.

The fully automated ceremony is one of only two of its kind in the world, with the other located in the USA. Created by the innovative Cornwall-based company ConceptShed, AutoWed first captured the public’s imagination after appearing on the BBC TV show Dragons’ Den. The novelty wedding vending machine delivers a fun, tongue-in-cheek ceremony at the push of a button, with couples receiving rings and a personalised keepsake wedding certificate.

The entire AutoWed ceremony lasts around 60 seconds / minutes, making it one of the quickest ways to celebrate love in the capital city. Last year, Olympic diver Tom Daley was amongst the many visitors to take the plunge and get ‘AutoWed’ with his husband, Oscar-winning Hollywood screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.

Andrew Johson, General Manager at Camera Obscura said; “The AutoWed Machine has become one of our most-loved experiences, and it’s incredible to see just how many people choose to tie the knot here.

“This Valentine’s Day, we’re inviting even more couples to come and celebrate their love in a fun and memorable way, and we can’t wait to welcome more visitors this February.”

In addition to the AutoWed, couples can explore over 100 interactive, hands-on exhibits that challenge the senses and dazzle the mind. From bewildering optical illusions to breathtaking views of Edinburgh from the Rooftop Terrace.

Local Care Home residents enjoy Pal-entine’s event!

CELEBRATING FUN AND FRIENDSHIP 

Residents at Strachan House care home, in Blackhall enjoyed a fun, friendship-filled take on Valentine’s Day, enjoying their very first “Pal-entines” experience. Using a speed friendship format residents met staff, residents and others to chat about their interests in order to gain more insight into likes and dislikes of those living and working in the home. 

Honouring friendships and meaningful moments is something Strachan House strive to do and it was beautiful to see everyone connecting on a personal level.

Staff were asked questions about their favourite topics at school, their hobbies and about their children and residents were able to share what they’d like to do more of and met others with similar interests. Plans were made by the amazing activities team to ensure many of the hobbies discussed were added to our activitie’s planner.

Fran Fisher General Manager at Strachan House Care Home said: “What a great day we had. It was so special to bring everyone together from all different units and departments to have a beautiful afternoon of friendship.

“We wanted to move away from the typical valentine’s day celebration focussing more on what love means to us. At Strachan house we’re blessed to have so many wonderful people from different backgrounds and walks of life and it was an amazing way to celebrate everyone together”. 

Marion Cooper, a resident at the home was excited to be involved and had her questions to ask pre-prepared, we spoke German, laughed about our poor French speaking abilities and we even had the drinks trolley out free flowing with prosecco.

 Strachan House Care Home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering high-quality care across its care homes and hospitals. 

Strachan House Care home provides residential care, nursing care and dementia care for up to 83 residents.