RESIDENTS at Peebles Care Home were treated to a very special concert recently.

The Fitzwilliam String Quartet were in the town to perform at the Eastgate Theatre.

But before they opened Music in Peebles' new season, they dropped by the Tweed Green facility to play for those who live there.

And everyone was impressed.

Gemma Brown, wellbeing co-ordinator at Peebles Care Home, said: "The performance was truly magnificent, with stunning execution of the highlights of Shostakovich’s 11th quartet, in particular.

"Our residents were delighted to have the opportunity to share a glass of fizz in the company of the ensemble – during a highly social interval.

"One of our residents, and long-standing member of Music in Peebles, Margaret Jamieson, was quite overwhelmed by the performance and described the experience as 'exceptional'."

The concert was organised as part of the Music in Peebles Outreach programme, which helps brings entertainment to many groups in the community.

Gemma added: "We owe our gratitude to the organisation, and to chairman John Fox in particular, for the efforts invested to make this opportunity possible. It was a pleasure to have Mr Fox join us for such a special and privileged afternoon.

"The ensemble were equally delighted by the experience and spoke of how rewarding it had been to give [a] performance to our residents; many of whom have dementia.

"There has been a tremendous amount of media attention paid, of late, to the positive effects music can have on people suffering with dementia and I think our afternoon with the Fitzwilliam String Quartet is a testament to how times are changing for people living in Care Homes.

"There really was no better place to be on that Sunday afternoon."