YELDALL MANOR OPEN DAY

I mentioned yesterday that we were going to Yeldall Manor today so we set off just after 11 am and arrived just in time for the hog roast, which was delicious, after which we found a cool spot under some trees, so I took a quick shot of the house, with Mr. HCB’s now-famous “Tilley” hat in the foreground.

It was also a kind of Blip meet today with our friend, Heidi and it was really good to see her again before she goes off to Denver for a month so we won’t see her over the summer. It was also good to meet Sue Hedger, who works at Yeldall Manor - I have been a friend of hers for a while, but had never met her - so we met for the first time today - and I don't think it will be the last time we meet!

After we had finished eating, Hannah, one of the supporters of Yeldall, which relies on donations to keep running, had her head shaved and we were encouraged to give money to show our support,  not only of her, but to help the Bursary Fund at Yeldall.  You can see several shots of Hannah at various stages of her “head shave”.  Originally, her hair was halfway down her back and the biggest chunk was cut off first and will go to the Little Princess Trust, which provides real hair wigs to children and young people with hair loss after cancer treatment.  A very worthy cause, so the bucket that came round was full of notes!

There was an Open Air Service at 3 pm and it was great to hear the testimonies of about fifteen of the men who are residents at Yeldall and at various stages in their rehab treatment. Many members of their families had come to the Open Day and it must be wonderful for them to see the place where their loved ones are being helped to conquer their addictions.

Many of them told us that they had grown up in homes where they had been abused and this had set them on a downward spiral into drug or alcohol addiction. Several had been in prison but without exception, they all said that they wouldn’t be where they are today without help from the staff and counsellors at Yeldall. 

All the men admitted that they couldn’t have become “clean” without the assistance of the various stages of the programmes at Yeldall, and many became Christians, which they said really helped them on their journey out of addiction. 

Today was a very special Open Day as Leighton, one of the residents, was baptised by full immersion - we use a baptismal pool that is very similar in our Church, being Baptists - our water is always heated - but this was cold!  When Leighton gave his testimony, several times he said that it was a miracle that he had been changed so much.  It was wonderful to see and hear all the comments made by various residents whilst he was being baptised - there was such a strong bond between these men, several of whom were “big men” and had many tattoos, but they were not ashamed to show their feelings, something they all said they couldn’t do before they became residents at Yeldall.

Before the service some of the little ones were playing near the pool and then again after the baptism, which you can see down the right hand side of my collage, there were at least four lads and three girls actually playing in the pool - they must have been quite cold, as by this time, it had clouded over, but it didn’t seem to bother them.  One of the bigger boys was taunting the younger ones, but that didn’t last long - one of the dads threw him into the pool and you can see the splash he made in the bottom right shot.

Of course, there had to be the obligatory “selfie” and I don’t need to tell you who’s who, I’m sure!  There was a strawberry cream tea, but the queue was so long that we decided not to stay, but went instead to spend some time with Heidi at her home, which was great.  We have come home with a large bag full of goodies from her fridge, as she is going to be away.

We are now safely back home, having thoroughly enjoyed our day - and we have been privileged to share in the joy and excitement of our extended family.  It was lovely to speak to Leighton and his fiancée, Kirsty, after the service - I did get a lovely shot of them, but didn’t ask their permission, so can’t post it on here, but I told them that it will go on our fridge and that we will be praying for them. 

There was so much love and joy around today that it was palpable - and it was great to be part of that. 

“It’s not about how much you do,
     but how much love you put
          into what you do
               that counts.”
Mother Teresa