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more than in the workers who operate this meals service. Once again they found pleasure in
giving up hours of their time on Christmas Eve to take round to all their Meals on Wheels patients
the Frood Christmas Dinners provided for them free by the generous gift of our President, the
Mayor.
Holidays.—For a second year the Borough Council made the Association a special grant of £200
to help Old People take holidays. 84 were assisted in this way by the Association and a further
12 by the Barrow Hill Darby and Joan Club at a Guest House which gave them reduced terms
through our introduction. Of our 84, 68 went to Brighton for a week in three organised parties ;
two in May and one in September. For the remaining 16, individual holidays were arranged. Four
of them received help with fares to enable them to stay with relatives. One paid the full cost for
herself at a Guest House which gave reduced terms through us. One had to go in August (when
these reduced terms do not apply) because he is a school street crossing attendant and could
only go during the school holidays. The remaining eleven were all sent for reasons of health.
Some were very frail and had to go where special care could be given. All were needing a change
but had not had a recent definite illness which would have brought them within the scope of the
L.C.C. Recuperative Holiday scheme. All these, like the members of the organised parties, paid
£1 10s. Od. but their holidays inevitably cost the Association more than the holidays at ordinary
Guest Houses. We spent £40 12s. 5d. from our own funds in addition to the Borough Council's
grant.
Foot Clinic.-—At the Foot Clinic we started two extra sessions per month in July 1954, and decided
to finance them ourselves for the first nine months in anticipation of the hoped-for increase of the
grant. During the year, 1,973 treatments were given. There were 80 new patients. Until Christmas
these two extra sessions more or less met the demand. There were only 15 names on the waiting
list at the end of December. Thereafter the numbers mounted steadily, to the distress of the members
of the St. Marylebone Red Cross who do all the administrative work and provide a rota of
helpers. If we may anticipate, it became increasingly clear that still more sessions were
imperative, and from July 1955, there will be four more each month. The increase in demand
began as soon as the Public Health Committee's leaflet began to reach the Old People, but we
are glad to think that it is also due to the good reports on our Chiropodists which our patients
give their friends .
Home Chiropody.—In the Home Chiropody Service 375 treatments were given during the year.
There were 36 new patients, 28 women and 8 men. A fourth round each month began in January
1955, which is making it possible to keep the waiting list very small, at least during the summer.
It always grows in winter, when some of our more frail Foot Clinic patients are temporarily transferred
to the Home Service.
Clubs.—The seven Darby and Joan Clubs all continued their active lives and had summer outings
and Christmas parties as well as regular Club meetings. Their members love them—if only because
" having fun " is an increasingly rare experience as one grows older; and the Clubs are fun. We
hope their hard-working Organisers draw some comfort from this thought.
Parties and Outings.-—The two Philanthropic Lodges and the Rotary Club gave their usual Christmas
parties and Rotary its summer outing. In addition, the Association helped to provide two
unusual treats for the residents in the five Voluntary Homes in the Borough. In May the L.C.C.
invited ten Old People from St. Marylebone to reserved seats on the South Bank to see the Queen's
arrival at Westminister Pier on her return from her tour of the Commonwealth. Two places were
allotted to each Home. The Association provided transport and an escort and our Chairman paid
for their teas. In spite of very chilly weather the party thoroughly enjoyed their outing.
In October the City of London Old People's Welfare Association gave us two lambs out of a
consignment of ten carcases sent to the Lord Mayor by a resident of South Australia for London's
Old People. We divided them among the five Homes. At the three which have communal meals
festive Lamb Luncheon Parties were held and visited by the Mayoress escorted by our Chairman.
At the two Almshouses individual portions gaily wrapped in cellophane were distributed. The
Association were most grateful to our Chairman for undertaking all the detail work involved.
The Smaller Services.—Our smaller services have continued. During the year 31 deliveries were
made from our Emergency Fuel Stock; sheets were lent in 22 cases of illness and the loan of
wireless sets for 2 more housebound Old People was obtained from the Wireless for the Bedridden
Society. Miss Sharp continues to keep under inspection the 14 sets we have now obtained in this
way.