SUMMARY      JOB DESCRIPTION FOR ALL STAFF

SUMMARY      JOB DESCRIPTION FOR ALL STAFF

Music @ Middleton Hall

Tony Stace will be appearing in concert on the 8th August 2010 at 2:00pm here at Middleton Hall.

Come and join us for an afternoon of musical magic and humour!

Tony will also be accompanying our very own Eileen Davey, who will be singing a selection of all time favourites.

Tickets are £8, including refreshments and are available from:

Middleton Hall Reception: 01325 332207
Cliff Davey: 01325 333218

There will also be a prize draw and raffle!

All proceeds to go to ‘The Friends of Darlington Memorial Hospital’

Sunday 11th April – Concert tickets now available. All proceeds to Friends of Darlington Memorial Hospital.

Music @ Middleton Hall

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND
Andrew Nix
In concert with the fabulous sounds of his Compact Atelier “Orchestra”

With a guest appearance from our very own Eileen Davey
Sunday 11th April 2010 At 2.00pm

Tickets £8 inc. Refreshments Prize Draw & Raffle

Tickets available from
Middleton Hall Reception 01325 332207
Cliff Davey 01325 333218

All proceeds to Friends of Darlington Memorial Hospital

Two local charities are set to benefit from a talented couple’s passionate interest in music.

Cliff and Eileen Davey, who live at Middleton Hall Retirement Village in Middleton St George near Yarm, have raised over £1,000 with a sell-out concert billed as ‘The Magic of the Musicals’. The money will be divided between the Holistic Cancer Care Centre at James Cook hospital in Middlesbrough and the Middleton St George Community Centre fund.

Mrs Davey, 76, first started voice training when she was 11 and has since performed internationally. In 2005, she was the guest artiste on the Orient Express.

It was music that first brought her and her husband Cliff together. They met in 1953 when Cliff, a classically trained pianist who taught himself to play jazz, was a member of band that recruited Eileen as its singer. They have been together ever since.

Since Mr Davey retired in 1991, the couple have employed Eileen’s singing talents to fund-raise for local charities, and have achieved an impressive £17,000 to date.

The latest event at Middleton Hall, which also featured award-winning organist Andrew Nix and sold over 100 tickets, was a spectacular success according to Middleton Hall Retirement Village’s Head of Operations, Andrew Grimston who was very impressed with what the Daveys had achieved.

“We were almost in a position of having to turn people away,” he said. “The Daveys put a fantastic amount of effort into organising this and should be congratulated for creating a superb event.”

Andrew added: “We have a very vibrant community here and this event was a perfect addition to the range of activities that are on offer for both residents and visitors. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.”

Cliff Davey was delighted with response to the concert and paid tribute to his wife.

“Eileen is a very accomplished performer who has never earned a penny from her singing, instead she has been able to use her beautiful voice to support some very worthwhile causes,” he said.

“I am so proud of her and after all these years her wonderful voice still continues to amaze and enthral audiences. At this event we were also very lucky to have Andrew Nix as her brilliant accompanist.”

Many of the Davey’s past events have been in aid of James Cook Hospital’s Holistic Cancer Care Centre but, as residents of Middleton Hall, Mrs Davey explained that they wanted to also help a cause near their home this time.

“We have lived at Middleton Woods for almost two years and absolutely love living here so we decided to donate half of the proceeds towards something to benefit the local community, which we hope will be the refurbishment of the local playground,” she said.
Mr and Mrs Davey, who have just taken delivery of a brand new digital piano, are now busy planning their next event.

The well-travelled Stockton resident made a point of always swimming in the sea wherever she went on holiday with her late husband Dr John Manning. Since he died about 13 years ago however she hadn’t ventured into the water.

So she was delighted to find that her new home had a pool – and an encouraging fitness instructor, Alister Douglas, Middleton Hall’s Healthy Living Coordinator, who accompanies her into the water every Wednesday – including the week in which she celebrated her 102nd birthday!

“The water does you so much good,” she says. “I used to swim quite well but in recent years had forgotten how to. Alister is helping to remind me just how enjoyable it is!”

In between swimming lessons, Doris enjoys twice-weekly keep fit sessions overseen by Alister or his assistant David Butterfield.

“You’re not dead when you reach 90 you know – you can still keep fit. And you can go in water at any age!” laughed Doris. “Alister is so enthusiastic – it means you do more for him than you would anyone else.”

The mother of three, grandmother of eight and great grandmother of three, learned breaststroke and crawl while at school and continued to enjoy swimming all her life.

“Whenever I saw the sea, I had to get in! And not just in warm climates either. I have swum off the coast of Norway and Sweden too.” Doris recalls.

“My grand daughter in Cumbria is a champion swimmer and she calls me and says ‘keep it up Granny!’”

As a professional artist, Doris painted in oils and particularly enjoyed capturing scenes from the North York Moors. She started painting almost 60 years ago and her work has been exhibited on Teesside, in Darlington as well as London and Paris.

Alister Douglas says that Doris is an amazing lady. “She makes full use of the support we are able to offer at the Spa and it’s an absolute privilege and pleasure to be able to assist her,” he said.

“Doris is a wonderful example of what people can do if they are given the opportunities.”
Doris was born in London on November 21st, 1907. She moved to live in Hartburn in Stockton in 1931 after marrying her husband Dr John Manning who worked at Synthetic Ammonia and Nitrates Ltd in Billingham before it became ICI.

A new woodland has been created on the outskirts of Middleton St George – thanks to the region’s only retirement village.

And so committed to the cause is Jeremy Walford – MD of Middleton Hall Retirement Village – that he planted many of 750 trees himself!

“In 30 years’ time, this will be a well-managed, mature woodland area and I love the idea of knowing that what we have done will be around to be enjoyed by future generations as well as the current residents of Middleton Hall,” said Jeremy.

“I also hope to be able to walk among the trees when I am older and think ‘We created this’.”

The wood will also have personal meaning for all members of the Middleton Hall staff as each was given a tree within it as a gift from Jeremy. In addition, residents, families and friends of the retirement village can sponsor a tree or group of trees.

Comprising a mixture of fast-growing birch and ash, slow-growing oak and Scots pine plus rowan, alder, beech and cherry trees, the woodland will form part of a circular nature walk linked to Middleton Hall’s 20-acres of grounds. The path for the 120 residents as well as their families and visitors will link the new planting to existing copses and a field, enabling walkers to experience a variety of landscapes and have different aspects of the surrounding countryside.

“It fits in really nicely with our aim to provide as many recreational opportunities as possible for our village community,” explained Jeremy.

“By this summer, there should be something for everyone here to enjoy, whatever their fitness level.”

The project was made possible thanks to a Woodland Creation grant from the Forestry Commission.

Schemes have to meet national and regional priorities and be of public benefit, because, for instance, it enhances the landscape, provides a recreational area and/or creates woodland habitat for wildlife.

The Forestry Commission’s Woodland Officer for the North East, Rachel Sparks, said that the Middleton Hall scheme, with its composition of native tree and shrub species, will contribute to the biodiversity value of the area.

She added: “New native woodland can enhance the habitat of many woodland bird and animal species throughout its progression through various stages from young trees to mature woodland.

“Middleton Hall’s new woodland will also expand the existing mature native woodland on the property”

Residents at Middleton Hall Retirement Village will have the chance to be involved in all aspects of gardening under the guidance of new head gardener David Richardson.

Since taking charge of the 35 acres of land at the retirement complex between Darlington and Yarm, the former Estates Manager at Pinchinthorpe Hall has prioritised seven projects which will not only improve its appearance but also the way in which it is used.

Middleton Woods apartment owners have already become keen composters since David created five different sites for food waste around the ground and, next spring, he will be encouraging them to grow their own fruit and salad items in windowsill containers.

“Many of the residents here came from homes with fairly large gardens and miss not being able to grow things so I am going to provide them with lots of opportunities to do so,’ said 31-year-old David. “In the meantime, they are welcome anytime to help with the weeding!”

Enlarging and enhancing the existing allotment area is another project on David’s list so that he can supply not just the Middleton Hall kitchens with ultra fresh and organic vegetables but grow enough to sell in the on site shop too so that Middleton Woods residents also benefit when cooking their own meals.

During the winter months, David has plans to lay footpaths through Middleton Hall’s woodland. Using bark chippings, he will create several circular walks of varying distances and erect bird-feeding stations at various points along the way for added interest.

And he hasn’t forgotten the less mobile residents of Middleton Grove (assisted living suites) and those in Middleton Gardens which offers residential care. One of his first jobs was to restock the pond at the front of the main hall.

“The goldfish have already bred and the plants are now attracting dragonflies and damselflies, making it a really interesting area for residents to sit around,” he explained.

David is even planning to make his mark inside the retirement village’s various accommodation schemes by growing lots more perennial flowers, such as chrysanthemums, in the grounds and greenhouses especially for use in displays around all the communal areas.

It’s a far cry from his previous job where, for nine years, he was in charge not only of the gardens at the hotel near Guisborough but a 150-acre farm comprising 120 Dexter cattle, 40 Swaledale sheep, rare breed pigs and 250 chickens – all bred for meat to use in the restaurant.

But for David, who has a degree in Environmental Management, the job at Middleton Hall is, literally, a welcome return to his roots. He spent his childhood helping his father on the family allotment.

“My Dad used to show his produce at national level so I have very high standards to live up to,” says David. “I have eight projects on the go at Middleton Hall and can’t wait to see them all come together to achieve my main overall aim which is to enable residents, visitors and staff to all to enjoy the garden in whatever way best suits them.”

Middleton Hall MD, Jeremy Walford, said the grounds at Middleton Hall were a very significant part of the retirement village for residents, families and visitors.

“David’s appointment will ensure that, now all the development is complete, we can take the grounds to the next level. I expect we should be winning awards for the gardens very shortly!” he added.