Reports and statements of accounts booklet for Penylan House, Cardiff, 31 December 1992

Description

A booklet giving the reports and statements of accounts for the Jewish Home for the Aged, South Wales, Monmouthshire and West of England, which was located at Penylan House, Penylan Road, Cardiff. The cover of the booklet features an illustration of Penylan House's exterior and states that the information inside covers up to and including 31 December 1992.

Throughout the booklet there are advertisements for local businesses, mostly Cardiff-based, such as Prosser & Co Pharmacy, Curran Insurance, Covers Dress Agency, Bogod Group and Frozen Food (South Wales) Limited. As well as these, there are messages from individuals such as a page which states 'Wishing the Home every success from Stewart and Jackie Greenberg and Laura-Jane, Emma, Jodie'.

There is a list of the Board of Management, with the president being Prof. D. Weitzman, Honorary Secretary being Mrs M. Cantor, Vice presidents being Mr H. Shatz and Mr A. W. Blasebalk and Honorary Treasurer being Mr F. Toffler. Assessment officers, Trustees, Life Governors and the General Board are amongst other groups which are also named. It is emphasised that the Home is not state-controlled therefore is dependent on voluntary contributions. Further donations are encouraged and towards the back of the booklet, there is a form which is titled 'Covenant to contribute' to the Home. This allowed readers to promise to pay a certain amount annually for the next four years as a donation to the Home.

In addition, the booklet contains reports from the President, the Treasurer, the Matron and Penfriends (as opposed to a report from the Welfare Committee, which had been featured in previous financial reports). The President's Report (by David Weitzman) states that the balance between residential and nursing patients has "changed dramatically", with the Home now catering for 49 nursing and only 8 residential occupants. A new lift had been installed and the redecoration and refurbishment of bedrooms had been undertaken. Synagogue services had been held in the Home every Yom Tov and a visit was made by the Chief Rabbi (Rabbi Sacks). Members of the Welfare Committee joined with new volunteers to form a new group (as the members "decided that they were unable to continue their efforts in that particular form") and worked together with Penfriends to continue to raise funds and run services for the Home. The president mentioned one of the events run by Penfriends (the evening of Jewish Humour) as being a great success.

The Honorary Treasurer's Report stated that due to increased wage and repairs expenditure, there was an increased cost of 11% to run the Home. The Matron's Report expresses concerns about the Community Care Act (1990), stating that it brings an "uncertain future" as the Home would not be able to admit applicants who failed the Social Services Assessments unless they had private funding - as a result, the Home may be faced with empty beds in the future. There is also a report from M. Cantor of 'Penfriends', who outlined the volunteers and their roles, for example, Mimi Rapport and Monty Marsh were to organise monthly shopping trips and small outings.

A subscription list is included as well as the Revenue Account, the Balance Sheet and the George and Betty Fox's Project Account. The booklet ends with a note of thanks for people who have donated money, time or goods to be sold in aid of the Home. On the back cover of the booklet gives thanks for all the donations in 1992 and encourages readers to include residents in any celebrations they may be having the following year. Readers are encouraged to help in the "tremendous task we have in running this Home" by endowing a room, bed, furnishings or a plaque, which would both leave an everlasting memorial and improve the Home. For example, to endow a bed cost £750 and to endow a double room cost £5000.

Pencare (formerly known as 'The Trustees of Penylan House') is a charity, which offers care for elderly people of the Jewish faith and is currently based in Cardiff, although the catchment area for the home covers South Wales and the West of England. Pencare has been working with Linc Cymru to redevelop their care home, Penylan House, to ensure high quality care to Cardiff's elderly Jewish community and extending the care to elderly people not of the Jewish faith.

Mr Henry Silver and other members of the Cardiff Jewish community had originally founded a Home for the Aged in 1946 in Canton. In December 1948, the Home moved to Holme Towers in Penarth to provide more space for its large number of applications. Despite the beautiful surroundings, the Home in Penarth was quite isolated, so the difficult decision was later taken to move the Home to Penylan Road in Cardiff, meaning many residents were now closer to their friends and relatives. Residents moved to Penylan House in February 1959.

Sources:
http://opencharities.org/charities/243968;
http://www.housingcare.org/downloads/facilities/generated-brochures/134508-penylan-house-nursing-home-cardiff-wales.pdf;
Cajex, Magazine of the Association of Jewish Ex-service Men and Women (Cardiff), Vol. IX, No. 1, Ninth Year - March 1959, pp. 60- 65.

Depository: Glamorgan Archives.