Pearey House 150th Anniversary

Carole Robson

Memories of Pearey House – Carole’s story

I’ve been involved with Pearey House since 1970 when I went as an assistant to Mary McQueen who was then the home teacher for the blind. She was wonderful, charismatic person who gave over 40 years’ service to the society and it was a joy to work with her.

Marjorie Dalgarno

Memories of Pearey House – Marjorie’s story

I applied for a job; it could be 30 to 40 years ago. It was when Fred, and his assistant was only the 2 of them and we had a driver, and my place was an entertainment organiser for the people who were coming in each day to do something like quizzes or dominos things like that. Whatever Fred needed I tried to assist and that’s how it started.

Arthur Turner

Memories of Pearey House – Arthur’s Story

I was born in 1960 and by the age of 3, because I was born with one eye, I was registered blind.  In first school we had a home teacher who was attached to Pearey House called Mary McQueen. She really looked after me up to 1978 when she retired but a bit beyond that.

Eric Nixon

Memories of Pearey House – Eric’s Story

This chap John Briggs gave us I think it would be perhaps 20 or 30 pictures to be auctioned. Bobby Pattinson, I can still remember him and thinking he’s not coming, he’s not coming. On the dot of 12 o’ clock, he arrived, and he was fantastic. He auctioned all of these pictures…..

Jean Thomas and Joan Ritson

Living at Pearey House – Jean and Joan’s Story

Jean

I had a big fire in my house and lost everything and asked if there was any vacant flats and there was and that was 13 years ago so I am still here.

Joan

I was in a bungalow on my own and they used to pick us up, but I was offered the flat, they showed me around it and I accepted it and that was almost 7 years ago.

Peter Thompson

Peter and his family have had a long connection with Pearey House.  Peter’s collection of memories tells us about that family connection, their involvement  in the flats (old and new) and his time as Treasurer.

My father and my mother in 1963 had a lot of interest in local charities and they got connected with Pearey House that year.

The flats, that was one of the major things.  You probably notice one is named after my father

I was the treasurer of Pearey House, the Honorary Treasurer, from 1991 to 2016, 25 years.

Samantha Rice

Living at Pearey House – Samantha’s Story

I moved in the flats on August 22^nd I really love it there, I’m really happy living there.  I have been coming to the day centre for about 7 years.  I lived with my mum but she had to move into a home so it just worked out better to get a flat here and I really like it here.  It’s all open plan so it’s really easy to find your way around and the kitchen is easy to manage because it’s open plan.  There’s also a big talking book library because I love listening to talking books.

Ken Graham

Memories of Pearey House – Ken’s story

I’ve been sort of partially sighted since I was a child. I’ve got tunnel vision and I got recommended to go down to Pearey House.  I became part of the committee and that led on to me becoming chairman in the late 2000s and I was chairman for about 12 years.

Jonathan Nesbitt

Living at Pearey House – Jonathan’s story

I had been on the waiting list for a few years to get a flat here and it worked out really well that I got a flat just when I needed it. It was carpeted but you had to bring your own furniture.  The flat is an open plan kitchen and living room, one bathroom and a bedroom.  I don’t really need that much adaptation and the kitchen has a really bright fluorescent light and that helps me quite a lot.

David Clithero

Living at Pearey House – David’s story

I have lived in a flat before for about 10 years. I was moved downstairs because my guide dog at the time had problems with his back legs, so as soon as a ground floor flat became available Helen thought it might be best for me and Albie to move down, they are lovely flats.

Susan and Craig Barrass

Living at Pearey House – Susan and Craig’s Story

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.

Joyce Holmes and Margaret Clarke

Living at Pearey House – Joyce and Margaret’s Story

About three and a half years ago, I found out about it through another lady that lives down in the village and I thought, well I’ll have a try and I just kept on going and it’s been wonderful. We have different days for different people for different areas.  Wouldn’t miss it.

Alan Rowley

Alan has been involved with Pearey House and it’s predecessor for more than 60 years.  His involvement began as a service user, later becoming a volunteer and eventually a trustee.

I’ve been involved with Pearey House from the age of 5 years old.  My first experience was to be asked to open the 1956 garden fete along with the Mayor of Tynemouth.

I became a volunteer at the age of 12 in 1963.  I was helping a lot of blind and partially sighted when I was very young.  To date I have been a volunteer for 66 years and I don’t think I’ve missed a year of Pearey House, maybe covid was the only one that I missed.

St Columba’s Church H.A.N.D.S. Ladies

H.A.N.D.S. Ladies and Pearey House

In 1978 a new group for the younger ladies of St Columba’s Church was formed and took the name H.A.N.D.S. (Here And Now Doing Something) with the aim of being active in the church and in the local community. Shortly after our formation we were approached by Alan Rowley who asked if we would take over providing the teas at the Pearey House Féte from the ladies of Howdon Methodist Church, and we agreed.

Helen Farrow (manager)

Helen has been employed by Pearey House since 2009 and took  over the role of manager in 2011.  Her account of the services offered, the challenges faced and the changes made since then is presented below in it’s entirety and in shorter excerpts for readers to choose from if they wish.

Managing Pearey House

I started November 2009. The manager retired two years after me being here and I was offered the role of Manager which I accepted. I wish I had done this sort of job from leaving school, it’s great. Lovely environment lovely people.

Activities and Outreach

The first year I said, “Who’s up for a holiday, let’s sort this out.” There wasn’t many people at the time using the service so I arranged to go to Llandudno.

The Challenges – Covid and cost of living

It made you sit down and think why are we doing that, why have we done that for the last 10 years when we could be doing this?  I think it was a bit of a shake-up at the time.

Managing Change

The first thing was to modernise it, so I just went about getting funding in.  I could see the potential; I could see what the focus was all those years ago and I think it had just got into a rut.