Get Connected Summer 2016
Get Connected is Connect housing's tenant magazine that is sent our quarterly with news and exciting happenings reported on.
Get Connected is Connect housing's tenant magazine that is sent our quarterly with news and exciting happenings reported on.
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COMMUNITY<br />
Diamonds<br />
are forever<br />
Congratulations to Eddie and Kath Ogden, tenants at Hawthorn Mill, on their 75th<br />
diamond wedding anniversary. We joined them at their celebration and they shared<br />
their story.<br />
What was your wedding like 75 years ago?<br />
Eddie: We got married in Colne, Lancashire<br />
in a congregational church.<br />
Kath: He was in the RAF and only got back the<br />
evening before. He got his suit half an hour before<br />
the clothes shop shut. During the war you were<br />
given a certain amount of clothing coupons, it<br />
was never enough to buy a proper outfit. But our<br />
family borrowed some and I got my dress from<br />
Leeds. I remember when my friends got married,<br />
they couldn’t afford to get a dress, so I lent them<br />
mine. I lent my dress out six times.<br />
How did you get together?<br />
Eddie: It just happened.<br />
Kath: We only lived in a small village, so there<br />
wasn’t a lot of choice!<br />
Eddie: I was the best you could get!<br />
Kath: He was quite a catch. I used to admire his<br />
hands, they were pianists hands. People would<br />
say he has lovely hair or teeth, but I liked his<br />
hands. They’re a bit knobbly now though!<br />
Listen to each other<br />
and talk things through<br />
because communication<br />
is key. You’ve got to battle<br />
on when things get tough.<br />
Kath<br />
A huge thank you Sue!<br />
Sue Hendry, Manager of<br />
Hawthorn Mill, has retired<br />
after 22 years. Sue has<br />
made a huge difference<br />
to the lives of tenants, the<br />
local community and to<br />
Connect too. We asked<br />
her for a few memories...<br />
This place has been a big part<br />
of my life. When I started I had<br />
just a telephone and a diary, no computer.<br />
Eventually, I got a computer and went on<br />
a training course. The tutor asked me if<br />
I had ever used one before, I said ‘No,<br />
but I can use a microwave!’<br />
One of my best achievements has been<br />
the COPS (Connect’s Older People’s<br />
Strategists) group that I created and love.<br />
Connect staff come to ask the group<br />
what they think about new policies.<br />
Tenants were quite shy at first, but now<br />
they speak up and share their opinions.<br />
The summer events have been<br />
wonderful. I have a fond memory of a<br />
donkey escaping at one – he rampaged<br />
through the fair and ran up to a lady who<br />
was bent down and bit her bottom!<br />
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