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Seniors recreate iconic album art to raise spirits during nursing home lockdown

Staff at this London nursing home transformed residents into musical legends. Now, the group is using the publicity to raise funds for charity.

LONDON, UK — Staff members at a London nursing home boosted quarantining residents' spirits with a creative, music-themed photo shoot. 

Seniors at the Sydmar Lodge Care Home, about 11 miles north of London, recreated iconic album artwork by artists like David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift. 

The photo shoot, coordinated by employee Robert Speker, was meant to keep the residents entertained and upbeat during a difficult time of social isolation. 

The retirement community, like many similar facilities worldwide, has been locked down to outside visitors for the past four months to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which disproportionately affects older people. 

Speker shared the photos in a thread on Twitter. More than 40,000 people have shared the images. 

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Following their newfound online fame, the group decided to use the publicity for good. Speker created a GoFundMe account to raise money for charity organizations Dementia Friends, Alzheimer's Society and Age UK. 

So far, donors have contributed more than $3,000 to the fundraiser. 

On the fundraising page, Speker described some of the challenges seniors face while quaratining. 

"As this situation is on-going it could be months before the situation changes for them and the need to keep them happy entertained and full of spirit has never been more crucial... Elderly people will remain in lockdown for a long time, and I want to make their time as happy and full of enjoyment and interest as possible," he wrote. 

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