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MEALS -ON-WHEELS
During the year the Council brought two more Meals-on-Wheels
vehicles into service in the Borough, making a total number of six
vehicles in daily use. Approximately 150 elderly persons were
receiving the service on four days a week, and a further 50 on
three days a week. The Council were indebted to the Women's
Voluntary Service for valuable help in this work.
HOLIDAY SCHEME
Holidays were arranged for five parties of 40 elderly
persons at boarding houses at Westgate during the Spring and Autumn.
This scheme was intended for those who have not had a recent holiday
and could not otherwise have had a holiday. The great majority of
the persons participating were in receipt of National Assistance,
or would have been entitled to receive National Assistance had they
applied. Convenient local coach pick-up points were arranged;
escorts accompanied the parties to Westgate and retired couplesagain
stayed at one of the two Guest Houses during the holiday
periods. Many letters of appreciation were received, including
one from relatives of a man who was taken seriously ill whilst on
holiday and who was returned home by the Council's minibus and staff.
During the year the Council entered into negotiations for the
purchase of the Sea Grange Hotel, Westgate, which is classified as
a 'two star' hotel, and is situated on the sea front in Cliff Road,
immediately next door to the Greenwich Old People's Holiday Home.
The accommodation of the Sea Grange Hotel comprises JO bedrooms,
4 private bathrooms, 5 communal bathrooms, 2 lounges, 2 large
dining rooms and a well appointed bar. The Council approved the
purchase of this Hotel, to be run in conjunction with the Greenwich
Holiday Home when the two Boroughs amalgamate from the 1st April,1965*
HOLIDAY RELIEF SCHEME
Many requests are received each year from relatives looking
after' aged parents for help in finding temporary accommodation for
the old person to enable the relatives to have a holiday break.
To help these people the Old People's Welfare Committee approached
the Avery Hill Teachers' Training College at Eltham with a view to
booking ground floor accommodation during the month of August. This
approach was acceptable to the College authorities, and fifty ground
floor student rooms were booked for a fortnight to accommodate 96
handicapped and homebound old people, many of whom had not themselves
had a holiday for several years. The majority of the old folk required
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