I met my husband at Pearey House
Craig
I have lived in my flat coming up for 11 years in August.
Susan
I have lived in my flat 6 years nearly.
Craig
I heard about the flats when I first started becoming a service user in 2011. I was put on a waiting list and luckily one came up the following August. The flats we have now were rebuilt in 1995, a standard one bedroom, self-contained flat. We furnish them ourselves. When I first moved in originally they had been painted and carpeted throughout and lino in the bathroom and the kitchen. Then it was just us to put in what furniture we wanted.
Susan
I met my husband at Pearey House and got married 6 years ago.
Craig
We come over on a Thursday and Friday, but the centre is open on a Tuesday and a Wednesday for other service users to come across and residents as well. Firstly, I was coming in for friendship and company as well. We can come over most days if we wanted to. We are involved in blind ten pin bowling, we are in a league. We do that at the Metro Centre with British Blind Sports. We get a bus into Newcastle and another one up to the Metro Centre.
Sue
Pearey House does holidays and this is my third holiday with Pearey. We are taking the minibus this time because not many people are going.
Craig
We are going on the Wednesday to Friday. We have been all over with the holidays. We stayed in Morcombe and went to Blackpool. It was the first one I knew of years ago it was to the lakes and there’s been Liverpool, all different places. And we’ve got the garden party coming up in June for the 150 years of being related with people and bodies with visual impairments.
Susan
(During the covid lockdown) they did our meals for us, they did our shopping. They were very good and very adaptable as well. It was fantastic.
Craig
And even made sure we didn’t go without our Christmas meal, because they brought it in on Christmas day.
An activity session at Pearey House
Susan
I have a massage with Joanne, a few people do.
Craig
And she does beauty as well, does your nails and eyebrows.
There’s always something going on whether it be a group game a group activity, a craft exercise or something there’s always something going on through the week.
Susan
They had a Christmas party last year, they’ve had quite a few.
Craig
We have been to different venues over the years and last year was in the newly refurbished Whitley Bay Dome. It was, really good. One year we were in Tynemouth golf club one year was the Holiday Inn, Newcastle racecourse one year. So, we go to different venues every year.
Last year we had a fundraising event which was a 70s night, so we all had to dress up in our best 70s attire and it was the music of the 70s. That was a really good night.
Susan
They used to help with shopping at Pearey House but now we’ve got online shopping, so it’s totally changed it. In lockdown we did the shopping with them and then we changed to online shopping.
Craig
We were both service users. I was invited to Sue’s birthday and it all stemmed from there and we have been married 6 years in August. Everybody was invited to come and see us getting married on the actual day or at the evening. So those who could get from Pearey came. The wedding was at Whitley Bay Baptist church.
Susan
But before we got married they did a meal for us here.
Susan and Craig were interviewed as part of the Pearey House 150th Anniversary Project.