Every Day Routines at Holmleigh

Holmeleigh Children's Home had routines, each cottage home operated supervised by housemothers and assistant housemother who were responsible for daily care needs of children under their care which could be up to 14 children at one time. Mr Norman Vardy and Matron Elizabeth Vardy over saw that the homes were running smoothly and behaviour of children acceptable. They enforced discipline when necessary, corporal punishment was used on the boys, the cane I recall, for persistent running away from the home or being problematic to their individual housemother. All the cottage homes had a weekly inspection by Matron Vardy which often resulted in my Cottage Home 9 some lively discussion with our housemother Aunty as on occasions was seen as being a little unkempt messy. From the children's toys play day room. My housemother would stand her ground always stating this is the children's home, it was to be lived in. We had daily tasks to do making own beds assisting younger children Matron often inspected the bedrooms. We had the hospital iron style beds and taught to make the bed in hospital folding corners of the sheets in that precise way. I have slight recall memory doing it several times to get it right on the rare occasion. If naughty we could be sent to bed all day to think over why and what we did wrong this was called going to Mr Whites party, because all the sheets were white. One of my duties because I was a persistent bed wetter was to take the wet sheets bedding of the couple of children whom suffered like myself wet the bed to the laundry in the morning and collect it after school. Holmeleigh laundry in the grounds quite a walk from my cottage it was next to repair maintenance buildings A Mr Fox was the handy man, he had been a housefather before I arrived in Home 7 with his wife whom had died. All clothes bedding had labels the number of the cottage home so it was very organized. I lived at Holmeleigh when we could have our own clothes very basic usually three sets. We had school uniforms and school shoes and slippers. A vivid memory was that my housemother requested Matron to allow us girls to have our first home made dress. Initially this was rejected however Matron relented gave her approval and the invoice was made out and material purchased. The dresses made by the homes dress marker in Home 1 all individually fitted to body size. I choose red/pink. Another significant memory that stands out our home had sometimes day outings at Skegness . The first movie I ever saw was the sound of music then a few years later Jungle book with another set of houseparents as Aunty had gone on maternity leave expecting her first baby and did not return to care for us 1968. I also recall Aunty requesting to Matron new sheets as holes were in ours we had draw sheets for additional protection those of us bed wetters This was not granted not sure why. Holmleigh had a large storage block near admin offices all food supplies delivered weekly once ordered by housemothers three copies of the invoice white pink yellow. Our food very basic healthy menu written up every week we tended to eat the same meal on the same day of the week. No food was ever allowed to be left it was served up to the child until eaten no matter how long it took even if it meant you having it at next meal food waste was not acceptable. Hasslet was my real dislike it because I felt nausea, this meat was a cold variety of offal ?meat rolled up in fat bits. I developed a way pretending to chew it placing pieces in my underwear during meal times then rushing to toilet dumping it down the toilet I was never caught. I did learn to bake cakes wash up or dry put away after every meal times all items used often the children had dis agreements during this time. I recall having my first milk shake strawberry quick shake in day time. And night time hot warm drinking chocolate before bed at supper time. An relief house mother gave us coffee liquid camp drink for morning tea it was an horrible taste. After school we immediately took off socks shoes washed the socks and polished the shoes for next day ready for school. The home had a cloak room we had individual lockers as not to get mixed up. Whilst at Home 9 Holmeleigh I became aware of the stigma of being in care it was cruel at times. Some of the staff been employed decades. Others housemothers single older very strict people the old guard they tended to run the single sex homes Miss Ramson Miss Butler girls homes. Miss Scewry had the boys home 10 next to Home 9. They were called Mother then surname. We called our carers Aunty then christian name. I was fearful in particular of these three housemothers avoided contact at all costs. though many stories of certain incidents did surface you could hear their occasionally raised voices instructing children under their care. I visited Miss Ramson home only once it was spotless a school friend lived their and invited me to tea. No talking was allowed at all during the meal time the whole period of time complete silence I went back to my home thinking how well off I was not to be living under her care. Home 10 I understand remains in its original state and had not been altered, it's like looking at history in the past by years of yesterday. I revisited Holmeleigh in July 2007 entering Home 9 and 10 with permission from Lincoln Social Services. Many buildings knocked down laundry hospital and the famous land mark arch way all gone. This visit reconnected me to my childhood past.