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52
Mental Health Exhibition. A steady though small order for display boards for a firm selling picture
post cards continues to bring work, and also individual orders are received for bathseats for
disabled people, both jobs that we brought with us from Blackfriars. Repairs and maintenance
of fabric and furniture in the building reduce the necessity of calling outside help to an absolute
minimum.
From the Industrial Therapy point of view, work has not been so easy to find. There are several
sources from which we obtain envelope addressing and more that send us addressed envelopes for
filling and mailing. These are usually rush jobs demanding a concentrated effort from all hands,
to collate, staple, fold fillings and later bundle and sort filled envelopes ready for mailing. This has
proved a most popular exercise with the patients and it is interesting to see of what they can be
capable provided the increased speed has not to be kept up for too long.
We had a variety of jobs from a plastics firm, painting marks on louvres, assembling inkwells
and removing grease from cassettes, but the firm was so unreliable with supplies and transport
that it was allowed to drop. A local pharmaceutical firm gave us 100,000 nasal droppers to assemble
and this was popular in spite of many blistered hands. They gave us some cartons to label too,
but the business has moved away from London and the source has discontinued.
A steady supply of coloured paper streamers from another firm provides some work when all
else fails, but this is fiddly and not so well liked.
The first numbers of the Centre's own magazine have appeared. Original contributions, prose,
verse and pen drawing are cut on stencils, providing excellent typing practice, and the whole is
duplicated and produced on the premises.
Money earned from all our outwork, and a proportion of the charge for articles made in the
workshop, is put into a common fund. This has an allowance added for cleaning, wages, cookery,
etc., and it is divided out each month and allotted to patients as wages. The sum is small unfortunately,
but it is awarded on a points system. Those patients attending punctually and working
to the extent of their capacity get full points and those who are late, irregular in attendance or not
generally industrious, earn fewer points. The system seems well accepted by the group generally.
A programme of social activities elected by the group is reserved for the afternoons, unless the
pressure of work is too acute, when only part of the afternoon is allocated. Country dancing,
mixed with ballroom dancing and an attempt to learn simple steps is a weekly feature and popular
with some. One afternoon is reserved for visits to places of interest, including all the London
museums, art galleries and current exhibitions, factories where conducted parties are accepted
such as Tate and Lyle, Guinness and Whitbreads being particularly favoured. Visits were made
to a local power station. Telex, Post Office Sorting Office, the Royal Mint, the Royal Mews, the
Tower, and London Zoo. Great excitement was caused by an invitation to go aboard the M.V.
Surrey Trader, a merchant vessel berthed in London Docks. Such visits as these are aimed to widen
interest generally and demonstrate some of the sources of knowledge and free entertainment available
in London for those with time to spare. They also provide a wider challenge of travel for patients
who lack self confidence in finding their way about.
Time is devoted to play reading, parlour games, quizzes, discussions, film shows, gramophone
recitals, with occasionally an outside speaker or musician. Again the accent is on patient participation
and efforts are made to have these entertainments organised and presented by members of the group,
with staff encouragement. On a more active level, table tennis tournaments, darts, skittles and
quoits matches are arranged and on fine summer afternoons games have been organised in Paddington
Green or tennis at the Paddington Recreational Ground.
Our own garden has not come into its own yet and there have been moments of anxiety during
the year. It took months to clear the stacked furniture and then get rid of the mounds of rubbish,
broken glass and rubble, and having arrived at some sort of order there were threats that the garden
might be used as a storage depot by the Western Avenue Extension Road works. This near calamity
was averted by the Westminster City Council to our great relief and the lawn area was eventually
levelled and seeded in September.
Several hundred pounds of jam and marmalade were produced at the Centre during the year.
There is always a ready market for home-made preserves and the Centre makes Christmas Puddings
for its own use and for sale, but the demand is greater than the production.
This varied programme of activities at the Centre, both of work and recreation, is offered in an
attempt to help patients become accepted members of the group. Their increased self-confidence,
acceptance of responsibility, however minor, membership of a team or perhaps our "family" help
to inculcate a feeling of belonging. Many have led isolated lives, cutting themselves off from their
friends and families. Others have been in hospital, sometimes for years and have lost what contacts