Bernhard Baron Cottage Homes
About Bernhard Baron Cottage Homes
Bernhard Baron Cottage Homes provides excellent care for elderly residents, individuals as well as couples in Polegate, East Sussex.
Bernhard Baron Cottage Homes Description
Bernhard Baron Cottage Homes started as the Diplocks Cottages which were built in 1936 as a memorial to Caleb Diplock, a wealthy Polegate resident and landowner. They were for the poor and needy living within three miles of the Parish Church.
In 1945 his distant relatives succeeded in contesting his will and the Cottages were put up for sale.
Under the Trusteeship of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), with the generous help of the Bernhard Baron Trust and many other donors, the cottages were purchased and renamed the Bernhard Baron Cottage Homes. The Homes are for anyone in need (social, physical, economic or other), of any religion or political opinion and of any race.
The first Residents were elderly evacuees who had been made homeless in the 1939-45 war.
As a charity our care is focused on the residents and does not need to make a profit for anyone else. There are 24 cottages, each consisting of a sitting room, a bedroom, a bathroom with a bath or a shower, and a small kitchen. Half the cottages are particularly suitable for couples. Our main building has 34 en-suite bed-sitting rooms in addition to lounges, dining room, facilities such as hairdressing, and the inevitable administration and support facilities. Several of the bed-sitting rooms are particularly suitable for couples.
We provide three course lunches with choices for each course in our state-of-the-art kitchen. Breakfast and tea are served in the dining room or in residents’ own rooms and friends and family are welcome to join everyone for a meal. The kitchen staff know and respond to the needs and preferences of every resident.
The Homes are set in beautiful gardens with a path designed especially for wheelchairs and for those who need walking aids. The Millennium Path winds through flower beds and wooded areas with benches along the way, offering lots of opportunity to sit and take a rest. A carer will accompany residents who need a little help.
Reviews
This lovely painting was presented to us by the family of the late Sonia Harris, who was a resident at BBCH for 6 years.
Residents enjoying New Year's Eve Celebrations!
Look away if you're not a fan of creepy crawlies! We had a visit from ZooLab(an animal handling experience company). They specialise in animal therapy sessions with anything from Giant African Land Snails to Corn Snakes! The Residents got to touch and hold the animals while the handlers talked about the habitats, the global distribution of the animals, their diets and any potential predators that the animals might endure.🕷🐌🐍
Cottages at Bernhard Baron Homes
BBCH is looking very festive. Kit, Beryl, Maureen, Joyce and Len have been very busy decorating the trees! They're looking lovely. 🌲⛄
One of our Residents donated this lovely Zoetrope Christmas decoration. It's in our reception area if you would like to take a look.
Residents enjoying a Salvation Army Christmas Concert.
We have recently refurbished, what was staff housing into a training room. David has been very busy transforming the top floor into a light, airy and functional space for staff training and trustee meetings. We felt we needed a dedicated room to accommodate these sessions, instead of using the other lounges which can sometimes be inconvenient to the Residents. The new training room is equipped with a projector for presentations, drinks machines and bathroom facilities.
Thank you to the Residents, staff, volunteers, friends & family of BBCH for supporting our Christmas Fayre 2018. We raised £1800.38 for the Residents' Welfare Fund.😀👏
Residents enjoying making the Christmas table decorations last week, for today's Christmas Fayre.🌲🎅⛄🕯️
Network Rail came to Bernhard Baron Cottage Homes to give the Residents a very interesting talk about Polegate railway station and the risks associated with the level crossing. Tracey Partridge and Andrew McKinnon told the Residents about the history of the railway station in Polegate and the various aspects of Network Rail who own and operate the railway infrastructure in England, Wales and Scotland. This was followed by a presentation and discussion on the health and safety... issues surrounding the station and the level crossing. Tracey, who visits the Polegate Station every three months to assess the health and safety aspects, told the Residents that they had made several improvements to the station and the crossing, including:
Implementing anti slip treatments & reducing trip hazards
Introducing 4 audible alarms (which are louder than the 2 previous ones) for pedestrians when the gates are coming down..
Introducing a red flashing signal and sensors to direct pedestrians who find themselves on the wrong side of the barrier.
Introducing scanners to find “lost” pedestrians so barriers can be opened in an emergency.
Adding extra time to allow people time to cross.
Andrew told Residents of BBCH there are currently 700 projects going on in Sussex and Kent alone. The railway maintenance teams work through the night to get the work done with minimal disruption to commuters.
The infamous phrase ‘ the wrong kind of leaves ‘ causing delays , popped up. It turns out to be true! When wet leaves hit the tracks, they stick like glue and the wheels lose their grip. Trains have been known to slide with their brakes on for 10 miles on wet leaves and going up hill they cannot get the traction they need. Track teams work around the clock in autumn using specialist machines to clean the rails and before the autumn, train drivers receive refresher training using simulators to help them improve the skills they will need to deal with slippery rails.
The Residents found the talk really interesting and were pleased to be able have their concerns answered from the very people who run our railway networks. Thank you to Tracey and Andrew for coming to Bernhard Baron Cottage Homes.
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Wednesday 14th of November .. BBCH Christmas Fayre. Doors Open 10am. All Welcome 🌲🎅
Lovely display of Harvest Festival Gifts at BBCH.🍞🥫
JJ enjoying a trip to Burrswood Health and Wellbeing.
The Christmas Coffee Morning is just around the corner! Please share ☕🍰🌲🎅
Check out the most recent aerial views taken of the Homes.📷✈️
Our Residents received a lovely letter from Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare for the cat blankets they knitted . 🐆🐈🐱