What I like best...

 

The records found in the Trust’s archive are mostly written by those in authority and obtaining the views of the children in the Charity’s care is rare. For those in the Charity's care in the mid-1930s however we have several short essays in response to an essay question set for the children entitled, ‘What I like best at Belmont and why’. The children were only invited to comment on their ‘best’ thing and so the picture we get is not balanced but this is still a valuable opportunity to hear the children’s thoughts on their home life.

The answer as to why this essay was set for the children is answered in an edition of the Charity’s magazine of 1935 which explains this was the question set for an essay competition with an annual prize donated by a supporter of the Charity who, the magazine states, enjoyed hearing about the children’s activities.

A small selection of these essays written in October 1935 by children aged between nine and 13 reveals some of the ‘best things’ referenced, including Christmas Eve, particularly when Father Christmas comes to give out the toys and the annual Garden Fete. The prize-winning essay went to a girl who enjoyed the Sunday Evening Service the best, but one of the most popular activities referred to in these essays appears to be gardening with several children declaring this to be their ‘best thing.’ One boy describes being given seeds to plant and making and maintaining an archway and seat made of branches.

As the Cheadle site where the children homes stood was referred to by the Charity as their ‘Garden Village’ it’s perhaps unsurprising that the children were encouraged to become keen gardeners. The Charity magazine,‘The Children’s Haven’ 1928 edition confirms how the activity was promoted:

Produce was also grown in the gardens to be as self-sufficient as possible which was particularly important during the war when the area devoted to produce increased. The 1941 edition of the Charity’s magazine describes how gardeners on the estate were called up for service or left to take up munitions work and so the services of two land-girls were obtained.

Taken from 'The Children's Haven' 1935

The benefactor who inspired the essay writing competition is not named but they have inadvertently left us with a valuable snapshot of the thoughts and feelings of the children in the Charity’s care during this period.