Dudbrook Hall Newsletter

Transcription

1 Dudbrook Hall Newsletter September 2015 Edition Issue 10 Special events Welcome to the latest edition of our quarterly newsletter. You can now see all of the news and photos of any events and information as we are updating our website every week. Why not take a look.. Days out in our new minibus Music Moves Us Various Dates Poetry Reading with David Cutter Daily Activities with Hazel Pictures from the summer Fete Pictures from National Care Home Open Day and Brentwood County High School Community Day VE Day Celebrations Ongar Steam Train We would like to welcome We would like to welcome the following residents to Dudbrook Hall Leoni Mawdsley Peggy Prince Violet Blackburn Joan Marshall Peter Sumner Eileen Lapwood Veronica Viocili Birthday Congratulations September Vera Burroughs & Beryl Saunders November Eileen Hood, Violet Blackburn, Evelyn Raynor and Rosina Orley (Who will be 104 years old) We would also like to welcome all new Staff and returning staff after maternity.

2 National Care Home Open Day 19 th June 2015 & VE Day 2015 Both Philip and Peter flying the flag for the VE Day Celebrations Hazel, Michelle and Bernie as Land girls Bev enjoying a dance with Derek Beautiful smiles from both Doreen and Leonie. Page 2 September 2015 Issue 10 Dudbrook Hall Newsletter

3 Brentwood High School community Day 19 th June 2015 A young girl from Brentwood County High School chatting with Mary Speller A Teacher making Philip laugh A couple of the children looking at the memory box from Chelmsford Museum.

4 Summer Fete 4 th July The Directors would like to thank most sincerely all the residents, relatives whom attended & played a part in making the fete so successful. To our wonderful staff team to whom may the date from our Catering, care & management team. Special thank you to Hazel (activities) for arranging not 1, not 2 but 3 Entertainers WELL DONE EVERYONE ANOTHER SUCCESS & GOOD MEMORIES FOR US ALL TO HAVE Robert Jerome sang songs from the Rat Pack. Children having a go at Croquet This was a stall run by the Daughter in Law of Peter Hitchmough. We would like to say a big, big thank you to everyone who donated and helped out at Dudbrook s fete. The Dog Show proved to be a great success and we would like to say a big thank you to them from all at Dudbrook Hall

5 Dawn with Linda & Terry and Elizabeth and husband. It was so nice to see relatives of previous resident s Elvis singing at the fete

6 THANK YOU TO THE ORGANISERS FROM BLACKMORE VILLAGE SHOW FOR INVITING US EACH YEAR EVERYONE HAD A GREAT DAY- WE LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR Blackmore Village Show We Will Remember Them on 10 th June & MANY THANKS TO BALCE Clara, Vera & Ivy enjoying the show Gwen and carer Hayley Mary with Bob & Beryl

7 The cast of We Will Remember Them Clara, Vera & Ivy enjoying themselves Peggy enjoying a cuppa

8 This is George, a puppy that is sponsored by St Michaels Homes Ltd for Guide Dogs for the blind. More photos of George are available on the website Royal Pup George Smiling Royal Pup George George in the Garden George in the Garden George and his friend Randall George at Pupdate 1 George at Pupdate 2 George in training

9 The Parrot A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird s mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird s attitude, by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of: of to clean up the bird s vocabulary. Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot, and the parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hands, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Suddenly there was a total quiet, not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that he had hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer and the parrot calmly stepped onto John s outstretched arms and said I believe I may have offended you with the rude language and actions. I m sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my behavior. John was stunned at the change in the bird s attitude, and as he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird spoke-up, very softly. May I ask what the turkey did? The Centipede A single man decided life would be more fun if he had a pet. He went to the pet shop and told the owner he wanted to buy an unusual pet. After some discussion he bought a talking centipede (with 100 legs) which came in a little white box for his house. He took the pet back home and decided he would start off by taking his new pet to church with him. He asked the centipede in the box would you like to go to church with me, we will have a good time But there was no answer from his new pet. This bothered him a little and then he asked again how about going to church with me and receive blessings? Again there was no answer so he waited a few minutes more thinking about the situation. He then decided to invite the centipede one last time. He put his face up against the centipede s house and shouted Hey, in there! Would you like to go to church with me and learn about God? You are going to love this. This time a little voice came out of the box I heard you the first time, I m just putting my shoes on!

10 Have you ever heard a saying and wondered where it came from. Here are some facts from the 1500 s which may shed some light: Houses had thatched roofs, thick straw piled high with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm so all the cats and other small animals, (mice and bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying it s raining cat s and dogs Sometimes they could obtain Pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over they would hang up their bacon to show it off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could Bring home the Bacon Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of nice clean water, then all the older sons and men, then the women and finally the children and last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the term Don t throw the baby out with the bath water

11 GOOD CARE GUIDE The link above will take you to the Good Care Guide as seen below. We would kindly ask you to share your experience of Dudbrook Hall by going to the website (link above) or by completing the forms in reception. Also if you would like send to us your comments via or letter we can also add them to our website as a testimonial.

12 Volunteers needed With the Christmas Season approaching we will be planning more entertainments. Would you be able to volunteer to assist us so that more residents can benefit from these? If so please let Hazel, our Activities lady, know. She will give you details of dates and times etc. Also we would appreciate any unwanted items you think may be useful for activities and prizes

13 A Very Rainy Day on the Ongar Steam Train and Lunch - Clara enjoying the journey Ivy & Vera tucking into Lunch Hazel & Vera after being caught out in the rain Noel looking after Sheila at Lunch Joan & Ivy looking as though they have enjoyed themselves

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15 The History of Dudbrook Hall & the surrounding estates from During the middle ages the most important estate in the parish of Navestock was acquired by King Edgar, and then given to the Deans and Chapter of St Paul s Cathedral, who resided in Navestock Hall (see picture below). In 1554, all the land & property belonging to the Dean of St Paul s were surrendered to the crown. The land & properties were then transferred to Sir Edward Waldegrave, for services rendered to Queen Mary. Navestock Hall with 502 acres was the main residence on the estate. Queen Mary, eldest daughter of Henry 8 th, was a catholic, she was born before the reformation, and the Waldegrave family were also Catholics at this time. Edward was a Member of Parliament & Chancellor of the Duchy. When Queen Mary died, Edward suffered a reverse of fortune and he became a prisoner in the Tower of London by Queen Elizabeth 1 st, daughter of Anne Boleyn, half-sister to Queen Mary, for being her lawful servant. Edward died shortly after imprisonment in 1561 At this time Navestock Hall was passed onto his wife Francis, the estate which included Dudbrook, to his son Charles in 1599 Francis died and Charles the eldest son settled into Navestock Hall, he in turn passed this down to his son Edward on his marriage to Eleanor. From here on Navestock Hall and the estate remained with the Waldegrave family until the 19 th Century, during this time other so called smaller manor houses were also built on the Waldegrave Estate for the other members of the family, this then was the beginning of Dudbrook Hall in 1602 which was only a small house from the start. Over the years it has been partly rebuilt and much enlarged at various subsequent dates. The style is mostly of the early and mid-19 th Century. During Henry 8 th s rules a decision was made to break away from Rome, deserters were put in the Tower of London or beheaded on the spot. To overcome this issue Dudbrook Hall had a Priest s Hole, this was a hiding place for practicing Priests and Catholic followers if the Crown Man should attend the building. The 6 th Earl gave Navestock Hall estate & Dudbrook Hall to his eldest son. The Illegitimate John Waldegrave now owned over 3000 acres of land. John married Francis Braham, they had no children and John died in 1840, Francis then married John s brother George, who had inherited the estate, Navestock Hall was then sadly demolished. George Edward became Earl Waldegrave as he was the

16 legitimate son. They had no children, and George also died. Francis then a widow had title Lady Francis Waldegrave and she had all the estates and Dudbrook Hall. Hever Castle in Kent, which was given to Anne Boleyn s family by Henry 8 th, and reclaimed after Henry beheaded her, was also a property owned by Francis Waldegrave. Francis had the title and land, but not enough money. She then married an industrialist, mill owner, who had wealth. He died shortly after, they had bought Strawberry Hill and spent a fortune, importing marble and fine arts, where she entertained and was a prominent member of the Bloomsbury set. History from early 1900 After a short while her third husband died. Lady Francis then had title, money, property and land, her next conquest was Lord Carlingford. He became her 4 th husband. From Ireland was under British Rule and Lord Carlingford was the Crown s representative in Ireland so Francis became the First Lady of Ireland. They lived in a large house in Phoenix Park where she was an excellent hostess, entertaining Politician s artists, actors and the social set. Francis died childless in 1879 aged 42 years leaving her estates etc. to her husband Lord Carlingford who died in The estate here in Brentwood was then sold to James Tabor of Rochford. After just 21 years Mr. Tabor and his family sold Dudbrook Hall and the estate in 1919 to a Mr. Walter Tyzer. Mr. Tyzer was a successful German businessman who owned many large estates across the UK. Dudbrook Hall s war efforts The older inhabitants of Navestock remember this period in the life of Dudbrook Hall, they remember as children coming to the hall at Christmas time. There was a pavilion opposite the back gate, where the children were entertained. In 2009, the daughter of Mr. Tyzer visited Dudbrook Hall. She now lives in Scotland. It was a trip down memory lane for Mrs. Tyzer as she left Dudbrook hall as a child at the outbreak of World War 2, Mr. Tyzer, who had like all Germans living in the UK had their homes and land confiscated, the land and Dudbrook was given to the government for the war efforts. Dudbrook Hall became the main headquarters for the Royal Air Force (RAF) personnel in Essex. Officers based at Stapleford and Weald aerodromes came here to train, work, rest and if injured seek medical attention. Attached photo shows a war memorial at Stapleford Aerodrome. The plaque reads: In memory of those who lost their lives on this airfield We will always remember those service men & women who put Their lives on the line for us all.

17 After the war in 1945 the land was given to the Church Commission and leased out to local farmers like the Parrish family and Dudbrook Hall was given to the HAMS, i.e. east and west Ham as an Old Peoples Home. The matron who ran the home at this time was an Irish lady called Mrs Chris Watson. In 1955 they built Howard Lodge on the tennis courts at Dudbrook, transferring all the residents from here into Howard Lodge. Dudbrook Hall was sold several times after that including Martins the Newsagent and May & Baker the drugs company. The cottages opposite Howard Lodge used to be the groundkeepers house to Dudbrook. The Coach House, which is next door to Dudbrook Hall used to be the servant s quarters & horse stables, all of these outbuildings were sold off to private residence. Then in Nov 1991 St Michaels Homes Ltd, directed by Mrs Sheila Watson, the Matron purchased Howard Lodge and also later purchased Dudbrook Hall in Exactly 50 years between the 1 st & 2 nd Mrs Watson s, Chris Watson became a resident at Dudbrook Hall, She was still very much the Matron of the house. Her son Phil works for us and we still see her daughter Anne from time to time. St Michaels Homes are very proud of Dudbrook Hall and its history and we will continue to love and maintain this wonderful building for many more generations to come..

18 ALZHEIMERS MEMORY WALK SUNDAY 27 TH SEPTEMBER 2015 We have decided to do a memory walk at Weald Country Park on Sunday 27 th September and we are looking for volunteers to walk (Distance is 1.7 km) and also for sponsors (Sponsor Sheet is on noticeboard downstairs) If you are interested in raising awareness of Alzheimer s and would like to take part please see our activities lady Hazel who will be able to give you all the details.

19 About the walk This September Memory Walks will be taking place across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to raise money for a world without dementia. We need thousands of people to walk with us because arm in arm, step by step and pound by pound, we will get there. Hope is the spirit of the day People of all ages and abilities can join in, from grandparents to grandchildren, and even your furry four-legged friends. It s a day for everyone to come together, celebrate loved ones affected by dementia, and raise money to reclaim the future. Reading this means you ve just taken your first step for a world without dementia. Thank you. Take your next step now simply find a walk near you and sign up. We have decided to do a memory walk at Weald Country Park on Sunday 27 th September Arrive from 10am. Walk starts at 11am. Meeting Point Belvedere Field, Weald Country Park, South Weald, Brentwood, CM14 5QS Distance = 1.5/7km

20 The next newsletter will be in December and will contain all the details of events held over the autumn. If you have any interesting stories of residents or anything else you would like to see included in the newsletter please contact me and we will try to put them in the next edition. I hope you enjoy this newsletter and just to remind you of our website where information is updated on a regular basis regarding both Howard Lodge and Dudbrook Hall. Our newsletters are also available to download from the website, so if you have missed any previous editions they will be available from there. Laundry We would like to remind everyone on the importance of labels in residents clothing. At present we do have a lot of clothing without labels and this is causing a problem for our staff in the laundry. Labels can be purchased through the home and will be billed as sundries on the invoice or alternatively you are welcome to purchase them and they will then need to be sewn into the residents clothing. Please see the housekeeper at the relevant home for more details. House Keeping Electrical Appliances PAT testing We would like to remind all residents, relatives and friends who wish to bring in electrical appliances into the home i.e. TV, Radios, Lamps etc. or Xmas presents which are on a plug that they need to be tested before they are used, please could you alert the management team so that we can conduct an electrical test on the appliance to make sure it confirms with our electrical safety requirements. Visitors Signing In & Out at Reception Please try and remember to sign in & out at the reception desk as this is our way of understanding who is in the building in case of a fire. Forgetting to sign out for example could mean in the event of a fire that the fire services will risk their life in trying to find you when you re not in the building.

21 Payments made easy Recently we have had a lot of enquiries about paying for fees, sundries, etc. by card. By early October we will hopefully have Sage Pay which will enable us to take card payments over the phone and online. Also we will have the ability to send out e-invoicing which will enable people who have an address to receive an invoice with a pay now button which you can click to be taken to a secure site to make a secure payment online. If I do not have your address I will be unable to send out e- invoicing in this way, so if you would like to update me with the details so that this can be arranged please contact me on and ask for Wendy or alternatively me at wendy.boultwood@stmichaelshomesltd.com If you already pay by Standing Order this will not be necessary however if you would like to update any details we hold for you please contact me as above. We will update our website with details as soon as we have these options.

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