Sylvia Dixon

I am one of the senior citizens of the volunteers at the Booth Centre, before I came to the Centre, I did volunteer work at the mission hall at Spear Street day Centre, all together I have done about nine years volunteer work with the boys I think I am mother figure. My hobbies are handicrafts and gardening, I was unfortunately left a young widow and found caring for my garden and pond a vital part of putting my life back together again. I have fostered 32 children over the years and I have a daughter and grandchildren of my own and I would like to think that I have passed my passion for ponds and water gardening onto some of them. Since my husbands death I have moved house five times and every time my pond, trees shrubs etc move with me. My son-in-law always draws the short straw to move them for me, now jokingly says, “If you ever move again, you can put wheels on the trees and move them yourself.” I am now a pensioner and I'm never short of visitors who went to see my garden and ask for advice. Safety has always been an essential part of having a pond and I've never allowed children to be left unattended in the garden. This photograph was taken at Daisy Nook we went on a walk, about six miles, we had a very good day, I really did enjoy it.

The reason I started at Spear Street day Centre: I had always had a big family. In twelve months, the children I had for about eight years, went home to there mother in the febuary, my mother died in the March, then my husband died in the November, my daughter got married in the following May and left home. So after that I looked after my father for eight years until he died. My sister Beryl became poorly, so I looked after her until she died.

Then one day I was watching T.V. in the afternoon and I thought, I will go like a cabbage sitting here watching T.V. so that's when I telephoned the mission hall about voluntary work. The lady said, ‘we need volunteer workers here, would you like to try it’; so I went on the Monday for an interview and started on the Wednesday.

I made a lot of friends at Spear Street. I will always remember my first day. I went in the room, I didn't know any one, there was a boy sitting on his own. I told him it was my first day. It was also his first day there, he was called Jimmy. We became friends. He palled on with Sunny. I can remember Justin, Nicky, Gary, Wayne, Percy and Jean. There was Harry and Keny, who always had a nice smile. Sunny used to say, ‘put your arms around me and love me like a mum’. He was lovely. Sadly, he died.

One day we heard that Spear street was going to close. I was cleaning the tables when this young lady came in and sat down at one of the tables. I asked her if she was alright. She introduced herself as Amanda from the Booth Centre. Then she said, with the centre closing, would I like to go and work for her at the Booth Centre. I said I would think about it. Then one day, Alison asked if I had been down to the Booth Centre. When I said no she said, ‘The Booth Centre is stamped on your forehead. Go down now and have a look round’. When I came to the Booth Centre, it was all the same boys, they made me so welcome that I said I would like to start there. I started the next week.