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A WOMAN OF VISION By Constance Gooding
“A woman of Vision” is how Rev. Tom Stuckey, former Minister of Wesley Methodist Church described her in one of his books. And so she is. Full of passion and energy ref works of serving and helps. Exhibiting clear, purposeful Vision for changing the day to day experiences of vulnerable groups in her Community for the better. Constance Gooding, now Co-Ordinator of the Globe Luncheon Club for the BAME Senior Citizens in Reading, a work which she has pioneered over for the past four years, began her career of giving care to others, as a Registered Nurse’/ Midwife in Guyana, South America, where she grew up. Desiring to reach the top of her Profession, do the best for which she was capable, and of course improve her material lot in life, she competed and won a Pan-American Health Organisation and World Health Organisation Scholarship, to pursue Studies in Nursing Education/ Administration, at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Kingston, Jamaica. This Qualification propelled her from being a first year Ward Sister, to the position and status of Nurse Teacher in the country’s main School of Nursing. From there it can be said that her Pioneering career started. Very soon after, she was chosen to lead a new two-year Nursing Programme, and shortly after replicate it, in the outlying hinterland of Guyana. She later became the Principal Tutor of a non-government Nursing School in the Bauxite Mining Area. It is said by her colleagues, that it was easy to recognise the students who were educated under her tutelage. They carried themselves well, were courteous and kind, passed their exams, and got married before having children. Coming to England as she tends to tell it, for a rest, she worked at the Battle Hospital, Reading in the Elderly Care Department, as a Staff Nurse, then Ward Sister. As Care in the Community was being rolled out in the late 80s, Constance explains that she could not bear to be a part of giving the low standard of care which was being meted out to the Elderly. She sadly realised that she was a representative of the Hospital Administration, could not at the same time be a true Advocate for the patient. So she resigned her Post as Ward Sister, hoping to work as an Agency Nurse. She became ill on the day she was due to do her first shift with the Agency. Whilst waiting to have Surgery, she enlisted the help of a young man, and went on the Oxford Road, and surrounding streets,
every Wednesday night to witness about Jesus to anyone who would risk stopping to listen, and invite them in to a very informal Christian meeting, held in the Methodist Church. She looked specially for , Alcoholics, Prostitutes; people who would not normally go to “Church” or be received well in our Churches on any day. Churches in Reading Drop-in Centre, situated in St. Saviour’s Road/Berkeley Avenue, was birthed, when a group of Homeless men, who at that time slept in nearby Squats, asked for somewhere where they could go to during the day, have a wash, read the Newspapers, play games, listen to the radio , have something to eat. They asked for a Drop-in Centre. They said that there was no God; that if there were a God, then he did not love them, to have them sleeping on the streets, eating food from rubbish bins. Constance vowed to them that within one year, there would be a Drop-in Centre for them. She did not know how that was going to happen. Ten months later, on 31st October 1990, CIRDIC was opened by the then Mayor Robert Dimmick. Constance was the first Manager. She had managed to gather people around her from most of the Churches, who in turn invited other people to the work, people with the necessary skills. Her very modest home was used to store food. She supplied the Homeless group with hot cooked food twice a week and on Sundays. Appeared at Church Services and other Events around Reading to publicise the need for volunteers and Finance. Soon a Management Committee was formed, then Charity Status achieved. The rest is History. Constance understood her role as Pioneer of this work. The emerging phenomenon of homelessness in Reading was a complex one. Who was sleeping on the streets, and why? Which age group was most affected, which gender? Did everyone need a flat or house to live in? Were some in employment? What part was poor Mental Health playing? How many were being seen regularly by their GP? What about family relationships? What was being presented to us, Service Providers? The Drop-in Centre, in addition to providing warmth, company, clean clothing and a hot meal etc, was a space to assess the needs of individuals, and develop streams of care and intervention. A healing Centre for individuals, at that time presenting with situations of homelessness, which would develop over a period of time. As more and more people were added to the volunteer base, highly skilled and qualified individuals, Constance realised that the time
