A beautiful celebratory cake, made by a 95 year old resident, was shared at a successful networking and celebratory event.

The trustees from the Andros Almshouse Charity in South Chailey hosted an informal breakfast network event in September 2021 which took place at Grantham Close, where the charity have 35 flats, currently giving homes to 41 residents.

The event was an outstanding success, and welcomed trustees from local almshouses, including Haywards Heath, Ardingly and East Grinstead.

It was wonderful to meet everyone and hear all about their charities and the history behind them. The outcome of the meeting was unanimous, agreeing that they would like to continue to collaborate, enabling everyone to share knowledge, growing bigger and better and raise the profile of almshouses in their local area and throughout the country.

The trustees of the Andros Almshouse Charity are working closely together to work towards a greener future by looking at heating upgrades, bicycle sheds and electric car points. They are passionate about their carbon footprint and keeping up-to-date with changing developments.

Jill Bailleux (Chair), Pat Stepney (Resident), Kate Ellis (Scheme Manager)

They are also enthusiastic about working closely with The Almshouse Association and want to share practices and experiences with others. With this in mind, they are aiming to become a Regional Champion for the South East region.

They were extremely pleased to host this event in their newly decorated residents centre and enlisted the services of a local caterer who provided an outstanding breakfast using local Sussex produce.

Like many big events this year, their plans for the 75th Anniversary celebrations have had to be postponed to next year. However, they took the opportunity to have a beautiful celebratory cake made by 95 year old resident Pat Stepney, who has lived happily at Grantham Close for 37 years.  

They were also joined by many other residents for tea and coffee and to enjoy a slice of Pat’s delicious cake!

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