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Hatherley Brake was opened in November 1938 as a home for girls. Became a mixed home in July 1964. Hatherley Brake finally had to close due to lack children entering the home, it closed August 1978. While some may say this was a sad day, this can be chalked up to another success for our founder Dr Thomas John Barnardo. The changing scene in the child care services in the Midlands Region has resulted in several difficult decisions having to be made. One of these has concerned the future of Hatherley Brake in Cheltenham, and the children who live there. This home was opened in 1938 and until recently had served Barnardo's well with accommodation for up to twenty-three school aged children. However, due partly to its location and partly to a shift of policies of the various local authorities in the Midlands it has begun to be underused. For five children, however, this has been their home for some time. All these are children who are in the care of Barnardo's and not sponsored by a local authority, and towards them we have a special responsibility. Therefore it has been decided to move house. Hatherley Brake will be disposed of and Mr. and Mrs. Parr, the present Superintendent and his wife, will be setting up a family home for the group. They will be the first salaried foster parents in the Midlands Division. With the children they will be moving into a pair of suitably modified modern semi-detached houses in Cheltenham sometime in the autumn. In this way Barnardo's will be providing a stable family unit for as long as it is required by the children, in an area the boys and girls know and have been settled for some time. R. C. COLl.lNS |