Burseledon Annexe

I was sent there for 6 weeks in 1971. I have no idea why and neither does my mother. I was 10 and it was frightening to be sent away. After 2 weeks I was allowed home for the weekends but that actually made things harder to cope with because then each week I was ripped away from my family. I remember that I was made to drink tea - having never had it before and I hated it. There was children there with huge medical and mental conditions and I didn't understand - I had never seen people like that before. I made friends with a girl who was learning to administer daily injections for diabetes. There was no schooling and my last night was 23 Dec and I was the only child left. I slept in a huge ward all alone with giant teddies. There was play time and some memories that were positive. But most of all I remember not know why was there and how happy and warm home seemed (and how I felt left out) and how cold the hospital was that I spent all week in. It's unthinkable now that you would remove a child from a happy middle class home and place somewhere without your parents actually knowing why.

I went there in around 1973/74 aged 4 or 5. I had been in hospital with an asthma attack but have no knowledge as to why I went there instead of going home. My 89 year old father has no recollection. I didn't like it at all, not sure how long I was there but remember being very unhappy, all I wanted to go was go home.

HI - I was also sent there at 13, after horrendous bullying at school and undiagnosed ADHD until I was 48, 4 years ago. I am writing a book and believe so many of us were there for emotional burnout and of course at that time none even knew about ADHD, OCD, Autism etc until after 2000 and would be keen to know if you realised you were neurodivergent?

Thanks
Mel
@theadhdhumingbird
mel@melsimslifecoach.co.uk

I stayed at Burseledon annex about 1978 and 1979 i was about 9 or 10