A PAIR of travelling entertainers have been touring Fife care homes during the pandemic with the hope of bringing smiles to residents’ faces.

While theatres were – and remain - closed across the country, Alex McCabe and Suzi Cunningham, otherwise known as Buff and Sheen, have taken to the gardens of care facilities in Cowdenbeath and Dunfermline to perform much to the delight of residents and staff alike.

The duo perform an interactive comedy dance routine and they told the Times they were inspired to do so having previously both worked in care homes and knowing how much residents will have suffered throughout the pandemic.

Alex, from East Kilbride, said: “We were very moved by the national trauma and wanted to find some way to continue working with residents in the interactive, recreational way in order to keep those peoples spirits high even though we couldn’t be in the same place anymore.”

The pair came up with a window cleaning routine, where they act as daft and silly as they can be before rolling out.

Their aim was to ensure that the show was accessible to everyone and catered it to the elderly, those with physical and mental disabilities and children.

Alex added: “It was important to find a way to reach people and [we] thought that windows were as good a place to start as any.”

Alex and Suzi, who is from Dunfermline, came together to form the MoonSlide company, before teaming up with Abbotsford Care to tour their sites and have visited numerous care homes, including the Cowdenbeath and Dunfermline locations, since starting their performances.

Speaking on the preparation for each show, Alex said: “We arrive just 20 minutes before and scope out exactly what the windows are like, what the gardens like, how we're going to use that the landscape, because obviously it varies massively.

“It's quite site specific for each individual landscape and also for each individual audience.

“We’ll get information, maybe from the care homes, if some people have visual impairments or hearing impairments or other cognitive disabilities that might affect what we choose to do and how we choose to interact.

“So we'll spend a wee bit of time giving that some thought and deciding exactly how we're going to work.”

While they usually perform at care homes, they also do house calls and when restrictions allowed, they were able to visit primary schools.

They are now preparing to perform at the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival and are being supported in this by Creative Scotland and Dance Base.

Alex said: “It would be great to catch the rest of the Abbotsford care homes and any other venues in Fife that have an interest.”

The pair are set to return to regular shows again in August and are eager to return to performing in front their audiences.