Children’s Home Appeal

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32302, 21 May 1970, Page 12

Children’s Home Appeal

Each year some families in Christchurch face a crisis during which the parents are for a short time unable to care adequately for their young children. For the last 45 years the Cholmondeley Children’s Home at Governor’s Bay has sought to relieve this problem.

The home, which is undenominational, is, however, almost entirely dependent on public support. The number of children cared for each year has now risen to more than 200. Tomorrow the home will hold its annual street appeal. This year it hopes to raise $5OOO, about one-third of the amount needed to run the home each year. Last year $4098 was collected from the appeal. The secretary (Mrs E. Blackburn) said that the number of boxes sent out to factories had trebled this year, and stalls would be held in Cathedral Square and at Riccarton.

More street collectors are needed, particularly between 8 a.in. and 9 a.m. and between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. The president of the home (Mr C. L. Paterson) said that some of the first work towards providing an emerg-

ency home for young children in Christchurch was started in 1899 by the Ministering Children’s League, which was run from a cottage home in New Brighton. In 1925 the present home was built on a site of five acres and a half at GoveihoFs Bay by Mr H. H. Cholmondeley. For the first 30 year's the home concentrated on caring mainly for children who were convalescing after an ijlness or who needed a rest from their home environment. In the late 19505, however, it was decided to make the object of the home to help all children. The reasons Why children require emergency shelter are numerous. The mother may be in hospital; she may be suf-

■ fetihg from a mental break- - down; or she may have been - recommended by her doctor i to take an urgently needed i reSt; the father or mother may have deserted the family; i or there may have been a i bereavement or an accident. i Often several children have • to be taken from the same family. Boys are taken bei tween the ages of three and !. l 2 years and girls between , the ages of three and 12 . years, with a maximum of 34 children at the home at any time. Last year there were never fewer than 17 children at the home. The average daily total of children for the year was about 21 compared with 19 in 1968. The average stay per ■ child was 35 days, four more • than in 1966. This figure, however, is increasing and

many children are now spending from six to seven weeks! at the home. ■ The total child-days of 1 cafe last year was 7962, 925! more than in 1966. A staff of six persons—a matron, a cook, an aid, al boys’ nurse, a girls’ nurse,! and a relieving nurse—are employed. While they are at the home: the children attend a special' school in the grounds run and staffed by the Education Department. During their leisure time the children take part in a wide range of activities such as walks, barbecues and picnics; several times a year they are taken out by organisations in Christchurch. The administration of the home is handled by a parttime secretary who has an office in Christchurch, and a

voluntary board elected annually by subscribing memi bers. The picture shows a meal hour at the home.