Yeldall Manor....AND a Blipmeet!

Yeldall Manor is a Christian drug and alcohol rehab centre in Berkshire and very close to where I live. I’ve blipped it a few times already - it is a ministry close to my heart - not only because of the great work they do and the many lives which are transformed - but because my parents started this ministry over 40 years ago, and for 3 years we lived on site as a family. I’m immensely proud of the legacy left by my parents and am happy to be involved even in a very small way.

It’s a busy month for me as I leave tomorrow for a few weeks in the US. But I am so glad I made sure I was around for today! The afternoon started with a hog roast and there were numerous stalls where volunteers sold hand made items to raise money for Yeldall - cakes, cards, photographs, plants, and more. There were games for both children and adults. And there was plenty of ice cream!

The blipmeet part was an added bonus - my dear friends Mr and Mrs HCB of Honeycombebeach fame decided to come this year. They’d been many years before - before we had even met through blipfoto. It was one of those ‘small world’ stories. It was lovely to have them there with me. And lovely to be treated to an ice cream by Mr HCB. you’ll have to check out Mrs HCB’s blip to read her version of the day and to see a picture of all three of us!

At 3 o’clock was the more formal part of the afternoon - a celebration event where we heard news of what’s happening at Yeldall as well as testimonies from a number of the residents from various stages of the programme - telling us what it’s actually like to spend several months at Yeldall. There was even a baptism of one of the residents as he wanted to make a public profession of his new-found faith which was part of HIS journey from addiction to freedom.

One rather unusual part of the day was when Hannah, a supporter and volunteer at Yeldall decided to raise money by having her head shaved. She raised hundreds of pounds in donation money which will go to the Bursary fund - to help pay for those residents who are unable to get government funding to attend Yeldall. Hannah is one very brave lady - and I think she looks fantastic with her now very short hair!

The afternoon ended with tea and scones and strawberries, although we didn’t end up staying for that. Mr and Mrs HCB came back to my place and we had our own private afternoon tea with strawberries raspberries, and we caught up with our recent news before they had to head home and I had to do my final prep for leaving for my long trip tomorrow. It was a very special day!