At West End Village, we’re proud to offer homes that give people the freedom to live life their own way. And for Thelma, that’s meant continuing a life built around care, community and independence — just with a little more support on hand.
Thelma moved into the Pavilion with her husband a few years ago, looking for somewhere safer and more manageable.
“We were living in Penkhull,” she says, “and we just didn’t feel safe anymore. My husband had Parkinson’s and we were both getting worried about things like falls. We saw West End Village and thought it sounded perfect, so we put our name down for a ground floor apartment.”
The move gave them both a new lease of life. With everything on site — from activities and entertainment to easy access for mobility needs — her husband was able to enjoy more of the day to day again.
“In our old house he couldn’t really get out in his wheelchair. But here he could just pop to bingo or stay for a show. It really brought him out of himself. That meant a lot.”
Sadly, Thelma’s husband passed away three years after they moved in. But even through that difficult time, she felt held by the community around her.
“The support I had from the neighbours and the staff was amazing. People offered me lifts to the hospice, did my shopping or just made sure I wasn’t on my own. It made a real difference and I’m so grateful for it.”
Thelma’s warmth and resilience shine through, but so does her story before she came to us. She spent her entire working life caring for others, starting as a mental health nurse in the 1960s and going on to work with children and young adults with complex needs.
“I always wanted to be a nurse,” she says. “When I was little, my mum would make me little nurses’ outfits and I’d play nurses with our cat. I’ve never wanted to do anything else.”
She qualified in 1964 and went straight into hospital work, caring for children with disabilities and mental health needs, many of whom had been removed from their homes.
“They’d come to us during the week and their parents would visit at weekends. Some of them had really tough starts in life and I just wanted to be someone who could care for them properly.”
Later in 1983, she moved to Fenton to work at a residential setting for young adults, teaching them vital everyday skills.
“We’d help them learn to eat with a knife and fork, or how to wash and dress themselves. For most people that’s second nature, but for the young people we worked with it gave them real independence. And that was everything.”
She worked right up until she was 60, supported by her husband and raising her children, then went on to volunteer at Dougie Mac Hospice after retirement. When she says, “I just like helping people,” it’s not a throwaway comment. It’s something she’s lived by every day of her life.
Now, living at West End Village, Thelma still enjoys her independence, her home and being surrounded by neighbours who’ve become friends.
“If you live on your own and want to be somewhere with a good community around you, this is the place. There’s always something going on if you want to join in, and if you don’t, that’s fine too. You’ve got your own space but help if you need it. It’s the best of both.”
At Staffs Housing, our goal is to provide quality affordable homes that people feel proud to live in, and to create communities where people like Thelma can thrive. We’re proud she chose West End Village and proud to be part of her story.
Want to find out more about West End Village?
Visit www.staffshousing.org.uk/westendvillage
