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and there is a long waiting list. The Committee consider the chiropody service as an important activity
which they hope to be able to expand. No one is more eager for yet more work in this direction than
the members of the St. Marylebone Red Cross, who help the patients at the afternoon- session, and
Mrs. Cotford, the devoted Red Cross Associate, who does all the administrative work of both sessions.
The home chiropody service provided two rounds each month except in February and March when
the chiropodist was away ill. During the year she paid 195 visits to 83 patients (7 men and 76 women).
1 his was an increase of 22 (20 women and 2 men) in the year. One treatment was given free, and live
at the reduced charge of Is. The other patients all willingly paid 2s. Arrangements were subsequently
made for the chiropodist to have the use of a car for her rounds.
Sixteen visitors continued their invaluable service of the regular "friendly visiting" of the housebound
and the lonely. More volunteers for this, the basic activity of the Association, are urgently
needed. Their numbers were doubled by the 16 parish visitors of the combined parishes of All Souls,
Langham Place, and St. Peter's, Vere Street, who regularly report at the visitors' meetings through
their liaison officer, who is also a member of the Executive Committee.
The three W.V.S. Clubs, the St. John's Wood Club (under the auspices of the Women's Committee
of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue), the Inner Wheel Club and the Fourth Feathers Club all continued
to flourish. Their numbers were only limited by the seating capacity of the halls in which the weekly
gatherings are held. They all had summer outings and Christmas parties, largely financed by their
members' own efforts through jumble sales, etc. These clubs mean steady hard work for the organisers
and their helpers who, in addition, visit sick members. The "Get Together" Club for the Hard of
Hearing closed at the end of the summer owing to the ill-health of its organiser (Miss Stockwell). All
its members subsequently joined one (or more !) of the other clubs. A new club—the Barrow Hill
Club—meets fortnightly in the tenants' social room of the Barrow Hill Estate, although membership
is not limited to tenants of the estate. In addition to the social functions held by these clubs and the
summer outings and Christmas parties of the churches, the old people were again given a summer river
trip, as well as a large Christmas tea party by St. Marylebone Rotary. The two Philanthropic Lodges
also gave their usual most successful Christmas parties.
The Association were only able to help six old people with the cost of a summer holiday in 1952,
but towards the end of the year the Borough Council decided to make a grant of £200 for this purpose
in the financial year beginning in April, 1953.
Owing to the mild weather there was little call for emergency coal deliveries or wood blocks in the
winter of 1951-52, or in 1952-53 until the very end of the winter.
Through the kindness of the Wireless for the Bedridden Society, the loan of wireless sets for five
more old people was arranged, and in four cases the Mayor paid for the first year's licence out of a
fund at his disposal. There are now twelve of these sets under the Association's supervision.
The Personal Service League have provided twelve pairs of sheets to lend out in cases of sudden
illness or other emergency. They were all in constant use throughout the winter and proved a very
useful supplement to the stocks held by the district nursing association and the Red Cross.
Though the Association is not a relief agency, its small emergency fund was again able to give prompt
help in a limited number of deserving cases.
Warm congratulations are offered to the St. Marylebone Old People's Homes, Ltd., on the opening
of "Newstead," Nos. 17-19, Greville Place, N.W.6, in April, 1952, and on the happy and successful
home it has become. The Association arranged to pay a fortnight's rent for any St. Marylebone
residents who did not wish to give up their own rooms until they were certain they were going to
"settle." Two old men took advantage of the offer. One did settle and is still there. The other proved
unsuited to communal life, and it was a relief both to him and to the committee of the home that his
former room was still available.
The Borough Council's grant to the Association was increased to £500 per annum as from April,
1952. This is the only source of regular income. There is no subscription list because all the
Association's constituent bodies are charitable organisations which make their own appeals. The
financial help given by the Borough Council is increased by their generosity in allowing the Association
free office accommodation and permission to hold meetings in the Town Hall. But it is probable that
even the £500 will not cover expenditure, and consideration will have to be given in the near future
to means for raising more money for the Association's needs.
The Committee wish to express their deep appreciation of the support given to the work of the
Association by the Medical Officer of Health and the ready co-operation of Miss Margaret Sharp
(Sanitary Inspector) and other officers of his Department, as indeed of all Departments of the Council
with whom they are brought into contact.