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22.
V. SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICE.
Now that the social welfare work, especially among old people, is
being more developed, especially in various Metropolitan Boroughs - even
as opposed to Counties - it is felt desirable, in this Annual Report-,
to show more fully the work done in this Borough since the end of the last
War. When it became no longer necessary or desirable, for old people to
sleep in air raid shelters, the greatest difficulty was experienced in
preventing a continuance of shelter life, because of their desire for
companionship.
1. Old People's Clubs.
In 1946, the Health Committee decided that Section 4 of the Physical
Training & Recreation Act, 1937, gave sufficient authority for them to
form Old People's Clubs. Accordingly, in October of that year, a room at
their Model Welfare Centre was equipped with easy chairs, tables and a
piano, and old people living in the neighbourhood were invited to attend
on one afternoon a week, to have a cup of tea and some cake, and generally
amuse themselves. This proved so popular, that a second afternoon was set
aside, and, the numbers still increasing, it then became necessary to hire
a larger hall - at the Haggerston Mission.
The Council's Welfare Officer, realising the importance of
"occupation" as opposed to "pastime", even in the older section of the
population, began handicraft classes with the co-operation of the
L.C.C's instructors; and soon the old ladies (©specially) were so busy
weaving, basket-making, toymaking and so forth, that their sales of work
produced the means of getting trips to pantomime matinees or to the
seaside, and, later, of providing quantities of toys and dolls for the
children's ward at the Mile End Hospital.
Another suitable hall was found in the Hoxton area, and rented for a
further afternoon each week. Soon the lady warden of this Hall became so
engrossed in the handwork, that she began voluntarily a second afternoon's
instruction.
To foster the continuance of interest outside Club hours, the old
folk have been encouraged to grow plants for their flower shows at
various times of the year and this side of their occupation reached its
peak in 1949, when the London Gardens Society included the Club in the
itinerary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth who spent fully half an hour
chatting to the old people and hearing their Club song. (The most favoured
pastime of all, with both sexes of the old people, is community singing,
in which they indulge at every opportunity).
The Hoxton area was found to have a surfeit of enfeebled old age
pensioners who were unable to entertain themselves, so a further afternoon
each week was set aside for paid entertainers to amuse this group; this is