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St. Raphael's
Residential Home for Visually Impaired People
St Raphael's, situated in a quiet residential area of the
historic city of St Albans, specializes in the care of people
who are blind, partially sighted or deafblind.
Established in 1932, it is a large red brick Edwardian house
with an interesting turret. St Raphael's is affiliated to St
John's Guild, an organisation within the Church of England
catering specifically for visually impaired people. At St
Raphael's, our aim is to provide an environment where residents
feel secure and valued.
St Raphael's stands in attractive gardens in part of St Albans
Conservation area. Situated nearby is St Albans Cathedral
situated in spacious and beautiful parkland. The ancient Roman
City of Verulanium is in close proximity as well as many other
outstanding historic landmarks.
St. Albans beautiful park contains Roman ruins.
Location
St Raphael's is situated in the heart of the
historic City of St Albans, which dates back 2000 years. St
Albans is some 24 miles from central London and benefits from
its accessibility to the M1, M25 and A1 (M1).
The house is within easy walking distance of the town centre and
main shopping precincts. Its central position gives excellent
access to local shops, museums, theatres, restaurants and
churches. Our Activity Organiser arranges regular outings and
trips to places of interest.
Accommodation
St Raphael's is constantly being updated and
re-furbished. There are two communal sitting rooms, both
overlooking the garden. One room has a television and video with
a loop system for the hard of hearing. The standard of
furnishing is high and very comfortable.
The corridors are wide enough to allow access for wheelchairs.
Some rooms have en-suite facilities and all have a wash basin.
There is a lift to all floors.
Residents enjoy an afternoon nap in the lounge. Included in Fees
• Private rooms,
some with en-suite facilities.
• All meals and refreshments.
• 24 hour care. •
Personal laundry. •
Full programme of daily activities 24 Hour Care
The Trustees aim to ensure the highest standard
of 24 hour care, through our team is led by the, Co-ordinator,
Manager and Deputy Manager, together with Senior Staff.
The Manager arranges formal staff training at the local college
as well as a range of in-house training programmes.
Suitably trained care staff, under the day-to-day supervision of
the Managers, Senior Care Staff and overall direction of the Co-ordinator,
ensure that the residents' Care Plan Programmes are carried out.
St, Raphael's works in close liaison with Local General
Practitioners and the Inspection Team from the Commission for
Social Care Inspection (CSCI.)
There is also a visiting dentist, hairdresser, chiropodist, and
optician as well as a range of therapists including music and
movement, massage and relaxation etc.
Social Activities
Our Activity Organiser arranges a daily
programme of activities and together with trained volunteers,
encourages participation in a range of interesting pastimes,
hobbies and events.
We strongly believe at St
Raphael's that each resident should decide on how they will
spend their time. We hold regular residents' meetings, which
gives everyone an additional opportunity to voice their opinion
and make suggestions.
Dominoes is a popular rainy day activity! Cuisine
Meals are generally served in our bright and
attractive dining room. All seasonal fruit and vegetables are
delivered fresh daily. We specialise in home made quality food
and our cooks will cater for individual tastes and diet.
The Chapel
St Raphael's has its own chapel where some
residents enjoy attending the weekly services organised by our
house chaplain. Other residents value using the chapel for quiet
reflection.
The peaceful chapel is ideal for reflection. Welcoming
All
St Raphael's, a Church of England organisation, warmly welcoming
people from all denominations. Summary
We wish all residents to feel at home from their
first day at St Raphael's. Our staff stimulate active and
independent lifestyles and encourage new friendships.
St Raphael's is registered with Hertfordshire Social Services
and the Commission for Social Care Inspection.
Contact Us
For further information or
for a free copy of our brochure feel free to call us on;
St Raphael’s
29 Avenue Road
St Albans
Hertfordshire
AL1 3PY
Tel: 01727 851337
Fax: 01727 835809
e-mail:
straphaelsoffice@btconnect.com
www.stjohnsguild.org
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We Offer;
A central location,
comfortable accommodation and Personal Care.
Home cooked meals, daily activities and a tranquil garden.
A safe, caring, warm and homely place to live.
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Our Aims
• Provision of a safe, caring, warm and
homely place within a Christian environment, where people with a
visual impairment can live in peace and dignity, maintaining
identity, privacy and self-esteem.
• The delivery of excellent standards of residential and personal
care to promote and maintain physical, mental, emotional and
spiritual well-being.
• Assessment of individual social and health care needs by
carefully listening to and involving residents as well as
including family, friends and others, in the provision of care
tailored to individual need.
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The History of St. Raphael’s
Written by the
Founder:
Miss Dorothy Light
In the year 1922, a certain Sister Mary Elizabeth of the Anglican
Community of St. John the Divine, Natal, came to England with the
intention of forming a Religious Community of Blind Sisters, on
the line of the Blind Sisters of St. Paul’s in Paris. She settled
at Froyle in Hampshire; a near neighbour was Bishop Chandler, the
retired Bishop of Bloemfontein, who was Vicar of Bentley, and she
interested the Bishop into her scheme.
As a result, the Bishop wrote a letter to the ‘Church Times’ in
February 1923, explaining the need for a house in which to start
the scheme, and asking for money to finance it. Among those
interested was Father Eves, the Bishop of All Soul’s, Clapton
Park, who would have welcomed the Community to his Parish.
At this time, I was Honorary Secretary of St. John’s Guild and we
were living in Hampstead. I vaguely remember going with Sister
Mary Elizabeth to see a house in Clacton that Father Eves thought
would be suitable, but it came to nothing.
The next move was a public meeting held in All Saint’s Mission
House in the Parish of St. Matthews, Westminster. Bishop Chandler
was in the chair. Father Eves spoke, so also did Dr. Mary
Scharleib. A small committee was formed with the intention of
founding a house where blind women could test their vocation to
religious life. At this stage, St. John’s Guild was interested,
but nothing more. Our hands were full; we went, as a Guild, to a
different church in London every month, seeking out lonely blind
people in different parishes and our members were growing.
In December 1923, we visited St. Mary’s, Charing Cross Road (which
has since been pulled down). After tea, Sister Mary Elizabeth gave
a talk and my notes state that 70 were present. In those days,
there was only one branch of the Guild for the whole of London.
Meanwhile, Sister had been hard at work and one year after the
public meeting, a house at Epping was blessed and opened on St.
Lucy’s Day, 13th December 1924. It was called the Covent of the
Sisters of St. Raphael and opened with two Postulants. I paid one
visit to this house but can remember very little about it. What
stays in my memory was the sight of a donkey in a field adjoining
the house. found that it was used to draw a small cart in which
Sister used to drive about the village.
The Bishop of Chelmsford asked seven people to act as Council for
the administration of the secular affairs of the community, headed
by Bishop Chandler. I do not know what went wrong, but I do know
that Father Eves and Sister Mary Elizabeth could not agree and the
situation became impossible.
In December 1925, only a year after the house had opened, Bishop
Chandler sent a letter to the ‘Church Times’ signed by himself and
the six other members of the Council saying they had asked the
Bishop of Chelmsford to relieve them of their responsibility. The
letter goes on to say “we have encountered difficulties which have
shown the impossibility of carrying out the original purpose of
the house at Epping and with the giving up of the house the
purpose of the Council lapses.” The letter was signed by all the
Council.
Sister Mary Elizabeth was a determined person and she was not
going to be deterred by failure. She wrote to the Bishop of St.
Alban’s asking for his permission to open a Retreat House for the
Blind in his Diocese. The Bishop gave his permission and promised
his support. I do not know why Sister chose St. Alban’s for at
that time St. John’s Guild had no connection with the city, but it
proved a wise choice and Sister set to work to raise money to open
a Guest House along the lines of a Retreat House. She collected
£500 and bought 20, Blenheim Road for £1,450 in 1925, raising a
mortgage for the rest of the money needed.
Sister was fortunate to obtain the services of Mrs. Sutton, a
capable and kind woman with a real devotion to the work and from
the start she proved to be a real home maker, assisted by a maid
with only one hand who did the housework!
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