and 9 Feature: Ar-Lyn Residential Home

Peter and Linda: Three decades of care at Ar-Lyn

For 35 years, Ar-Lyn residential home in Lelant has been a special place for people in their later years, offering care and support in a warm, friendly atmosphere. Owners Peter and Linda Oxley aimed to match family life as closely as possible, and the presence of gentle Australian shepherd dog Indi, and the scent of freshly-baked shortbread, helped everyone at Ar-Lyn feel at home.

Now, the couple are to retire. “We love what we do,” says Peter. “But I’m nearly 75, and Linda is 70, and Covid has had a massive impact on the lives of everybody here.” Ar-Lyn closed just before the first lockdown in March 2020, but a shelter was set up in the garden for visitors, so residents could see them through the French windows. Peter and Linda have always welcomed visits from friends and families, but as Peter says. “We wanted to stop any possibility of the virus getting into the home, while still giving families visual contact.”

Peter was a senior executive with a frozen food company until he developed septic arthritis

following a knee operation in 1984 and was unable to work for six months. “It gave me time to think about what I wanted to do, and residential care was something I’d always been interested in.” After looked at around 300 houses, he fell in love with Ar-Lyn, a spacious Edwardian house in beautiful gardens in the heart of Lelant. “A few months later, a young lady came for a job interview – and she’s still with me today! Linda is the most outstanding carer I’ve ever come across.” A close friendship developed over almost 20 years and blossomed into love. Throughout those years, the couple have been supported by staff who as Peter says, “care from the heart”.

St Ives girl Linda had been a carer for most of her life. ”When I was eight, my grandfather came to live with us, and my job was to wash his back. When I was a bit older, I loved getting old people’s shopping for them. My mum was a cook

at a nursing home, and I would go and sit with the residents.”

Linda later worked at the Chy an Albany Hotel, where she organised singalong evenings for guests. At Ar-Lyn, she and Peter made a point of celebrating occasions such as Valentine’s Day and Mothers’ Day. Christmas was always a highlight, starting with the switching-on of the spectacular lights display, and culminating in presentopening round the Christmas tree on Christmas Day.

In the annual pantomime, there was a role for everyone, whatever their physical and mental capabilities, and residents spent months working on art and craft entries for Lelant Village Produce Show. “We wanted to show them that they could still do things,” says Linda. “One lady had never baked in her life, but she made a Christmas cake when she was 102, and decorated and iced it.” In 2012, Peter and Linda staged the Ar-Lyn Olympics, with events such as a wheelchair race and shot put, followed by a medal ceremony and the singing of the national anthem.

If a resident was terminally ill in hospital, Peter and Linda would always ask if they could come home to Ar-Lyn, so their final days could be as happy as possible. In recent weeks, they have been finding new homes for their residents. “The dog is really missing them,“ says Linda. “He used to lay down beside them, and when they were poorly, he wouldn’t leave them.”

The couple plan to spend time with their children and grandchildren – “my granddaughter said to me: “It won’t be long before we’re making shortbread together”, Linda says – and go fishing, a shared passion. Peter recalls: “One of our residents, Gilbert, was 104 when we invited him to a fishing trip, and he caught his first fish!

“This is an emotional time for us – but we’ve had an amazing life at Ar-Lyn.”

Tributes to Peter and Linda:

“I applaud you both for a truly wonderful gift, making lives happy and meaningful to the very end. Those who lived at Ar-Lyn were very lucky to spend their time laughing and singing with the extra super staff, not to mention enjoying the most wonderful food and entertainment ever. You will be greatly missed.”

“Mum blossomed under your care, just like her roses – she loved going outside to see them in bloom. In the week before she died, she was still living life to the full, thanks to you.”

“I will always be grateful for the years of love and care you gave Mum, and the peace of mind you gave me. You are a very special couple who have dedicated your lives to others. I can’t forgive you for retiring before I moved in!! “

National Coastwatch Institution:

Meeting the challenges of a summer like no other

NCI St Ives is bracing itself for what looks like being the busiest time in a very busy year, with an unprecedented numbers of tourists set to visit the town during the peak summer weeks.

With ongoing restrictions on foreign travel meaning many more people will be holidaying at home, the volunteers at the National Coastwatch Institution station on the Island will need to be even more vigilant as they provide the eyes along the coast to keep everyone safe. The local branch of the NCI continues to operate seven days a week, 52 weeks a year despite the Covid-related difficulties which have seriously stretched its resources.

Plans to return to the two-person watches so important during busy months had to be postponed when Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the final lifting of restrictions had been postponed until 19th July.

The social distancing which means that only one watchkeeper can be in the station at any time has, for more than 16 months, also seen the NCI unable to begin the training of new recruits to replace those who have moved on. Several newcomers were due to begin training in June, but that also had to be postponed until 19th July – at the earliest.

Fundraising has also taken a big hit, with hardly any visitors to the town for several months, and the bookstore at the station, which provides a useful stream of income, also had to be closed for several months, including during the G7, although it is open again now.

The summit proved an interesting and challenging time at the NCI station, with only those watchkeepers who lived within walking or cycling distance able to work. Station manager Helen Simpson said: “Without the adaptability and willingness of the volunteers, we would have been very restricted. The Island is always a focal point for visitors, and during the G7 many were interested in the Navy boats and police activities in the Bay. Inspite of this, the solo watchkeepers maintained their focus, ensuring that people on, in and around the sea stayed safe.”

If you are interested in becoming an NCI St Ives watchkeeper or supporting the organisation visit www.nci-stives.org for details.