Visitor’s Tales

For many years, Ian Miller was the Town Moor Money Charity Visitor, visiting recipients and organising coach trips and pantomime visits.

Albert was an elderly bachelor who cared for his invalid sister who owned the house they both lived in. A former PT instructor he pushed his sister around in her wheel- chair for years. When she died, her children wanted him out of the house so that they could sell it and share the proceeds. However, Albert won a court case and won the right to end his days there. As a former bricklayer he had large strong hands and I was surprised when he told me his hobby was painting “on glass”. He showed me his latest effort on a pane of greenhouse glass with a frame of black insulating tape! He explained that he put the glass on top of say the decorative lid of a chocolate box and painted the picture underneath, like a tracing! He presented me with one which was more interesting than attractive and took every opportunity to tell others on outings that I had one of his paintings. After his sister’s death, things went slowly down- hill with him. One year he did not turn up for the summer outing and when I rang him, he said that at the age of ninety his memory was failing. I resolved the following year that he wouldn’t miss out and I called on his neighbour who made a note of the details and said that she would get her husband to drop Albert off at the pick-up point. The trip was to Tetley’s Brewery, Leeds and we each got a voucher for a free drink with our buffet lunch. After lunch we had an interesting tour of the brewery and some ladies went off to the market while most stayed inside looking at the small menagerie etc. One lady told me she had been to the market and “that old man with the grubby raincoat” had spoken to her. I could think of only one person who fitted that description – Albert, and he was off site! Would he find his way back? To cap it all, another lady said that after his free drink Albert had been up at the bar buying more! Teatime came but as I feared Albert didn’t. My wife offered to search for him – like seeking a needle in a haystack. One of our coaches left for home and miraculously, my wife appeared with Albert! Apparently when lost he had been asking where he could get a bus to Byker and fortunately no one knew Byker was in Newcastle, otherwise we would have lost him! Sadly, Albert passed away before the next outing!