An island children’s home which is closing its doors after 22 years is inviting its many former residents and staff to call in for a farewell event.
Tromode House children’s home, which was originally built to accommodate 10 young people and latterly was home to five, is to close its doors for good on December 1.
Stephen Taylor who is head of children’s residential services said the home, operated for the past 10 years by the St Christopher’s charity on behalf of the government, had reached a natural hiatus.
‘It’s not about funding or cuts or anything like that, it’s simply that the way we care for young people has changed. We find they do better in much smaller accommodation or foster homes within ordinary residential areas,’ he said.
‘The Tromode House home itself has come to a natural end with just one resident remaining who is about to move out and all the staff who wanted to be have been redployed elsewhere.’
When the home opened in 1992 it was called Cummel Shea and was the only children’s home in the island. Since then 100s of young people have passed through its doors.
‘It has been our job to make them feel safe stable and secure and build positive relationships with them and give them a sense of achievement,’ Mr Taylor said.
Jillian Jones, who has worked at Tromode House since it opened said it had been a privilege to work with so many of the young people who had lived there. Her colleague Anne Duff who also worked there for 22 years said how rewarding it had been to see their residents move on and flourish as adults.
The event to bid farewell to Tromode House is at Tromode House on December 2 from 4pm to 7pm and organisers hope to reunite as many former residents and staff as they can. For more information, call Mr Taylor at Fenella House on 660292.