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These camps not only allow parents to take a well deserved holiday
but also afford a valuable period of practical training for the mentally
handicapped person.
Social Clubs.—The two social clubs held in the Games Room,
Tanglewood, Common Road, Stanmore, on Monday and Wednesday
evenings continue to flourish.
The Monday club for subnormal patients over the age of fifteen years
has an average weekly attendance of forty members. Several interested
young people help at the club and they propose to form a League of Friends
with the object of raising money to provide among other things outings of a
socio-educational nature. Club leadership will however continue to be
provided by the members of the Mental Health staff.
The Wednesday Club membership has slowly increased. All persons
suffering from loneliness or recovering from a psychiatric illness are
encouraged to attend, not only to pursue their own interests but also to
partake in group activities. As with the Monday Club it is hoped to
promote outings and journeys to places of cultural interest. There are also
plans for the club to publish its own magazine. Leadership continues to be
provided by the Mental Health Staff.
Students.—During 1966 fifteen students from various Universities
and Colleges were received into the Department for practical experience
in the Mental Health field.
Courses.—In July 1966 a very successful refresher lecture was held
on "New Developments in the Teaching of Number Concepts to Mentally
Subnormal Children," at which in addition to staff from the Harrow
Junior Training School, staffs from neighbouring Training Schools also
took part, some 70 people in all attending.
In view of the success of this project and with the introduction of many
new staff into the Department during the year it was felt that the time was
appropriate to organise an in-service training course which could be
attended by staff from all sections of the Department. Some 60/70 members
of the staff attended including social workers from the Mental Health
and Welfare fields, Health Visitors, Midwives, staff from the Junior
Training School and other establishments. A series of 10 lectures were held
in the Autumn/Winter of 1966 on "Mental Subnormality". Senior staff
co-operated by giving lectures which were augmented by the engaging of
outside lecturers and the hiring of specialised films.
This course proved extremely successful and at the end of the year
arrangements were in hand for this series of lectures to be followed up
early in 1967 by a course of lectures on "Mental Illness".
Research Projects.—During the year this Authority along with other
local authorities co-operated with (a) Leavesden Hospital in a research
project carried out under the direction of Professor Penrose and (b) with