Empowered communities are full of residents taking the lead where they live. They’re brimming with people who have a passion for making it a better place for all.
We share this goal and work with residents and partners to create thriving communities. And Bernard, aged 99, is a great example of this.
When Bernard moved into our independent living scheme at Castleman House, Ascot, he quickly made friends, getting on with everyone and enjoying walks into Windsor, Eton and keeping himself active. He was asked to join the coffee morning by a lovely group of ladies, and was soon chosen to be the chair of the Castleman House Residents Group. It was a bit of a surprise, and he wasn’t sure what it meant but he soon found his feet and made a huge difference to his fellow residents.
He organised fish and chip suppers, Christmas dinners, quiz nights, and coffee mornings. He thoroughly enjoyed getting everyone together, making the lounge busy with social activities to include everyone.
Unfortunately, when the pandemic hit, the lounges had to be closed and activities paused to keep everyone safe. Bernard kept himself busy by reading and pottering around his patio, but, like a lot of people, he had moments where he struggled. Now restrictions have eased, he’s restarting the Castleman House Residents Group. He’s no longer chair, but as signatory of the group, he’s recruiting residents to help him run it and increase uptake.
“Being involved in the residents group has kept me going and kept my mind active. I’m not physically able to organise everything myself now, but I’ve got lots of ideas on what would be good and what the other residents may enjoy,” said Bernard.
“I want my neighbours to help plan the activities and take part in them too. Some of my ideas are card games, music nights, darts, maybe even purchasing a pool table for everyone, as well as the coffee mornings and Christmas party if we can get it planned in time for this year.”
Shabana Farooq, Community Development Officer at Abri, is supporting Bernard to reignite the residents group. She said: “Resident involvement through committees, groups and residents’ associations plays a key role in supporting residents to be involved in our communities and neighbourhoods. We want our communities to thrive through community empowerment and resident engagement. Bernard is a role model for other residents. He has ample dedication and community spirit, and at the age of 99 keeps himself socially healthy as well as actively looking at other ways of engaging others to get involved and have a good time. It is great to be able to support him and hopefully empower others in their communities to get involved!”
Bernard’s passion for helping others
While his role as chair was a big change from his career, his passion for supporting those around him has always been evident. Bernard spent four years in the army, and shares stories about his time in Burma, on the island Ramree. He saved the lives of his troop by reading a map incorrectly and going up the wrong hill; the hill they should have been on was attacked early the following morning. After the army, Bernard came home to the Wirral Peninsula in Merseyside, had a family and worked as a floor and wall tiler up until the age of 78, when he had to retire following a heart attack.
Bernard loved his wife dearly. They were married for 57 years and had a son together. He lost his wife in his arms on a bus journey on their way to their weekly shopping. “It was horrifying losing her so suddenly,” said Bernard. “It was a terrible time for me.
“When I was married, I didn’t help around the house or even make cups of tea. I did help with cutting the grass and diffing the garden. So when I lost my wife I had to learn how to do all the household chores by myself. It wasn’t easy.”
Bernard lived on his own for 13 years after losing his wife, but his health wasn’t great. His son and daughter-in-law supported him lots. “They really do take care of me and I am ever so lucky,” he said. He decided to move to be closer to them. He applied for a home through the local authority and was allocated a space at Castleman House.
