62 By the Dart • Kym Paddon


They all know me so well. When my daughter, ella, was little she’d often spend Christmas Day here. Many of the guests have watched her grow up. she’s now 19 and at Cardiff Met university.” ella was a good swimmer and used to compete; “We were forever travelling here, there and everywhere. now she’s at uni it’s just me and my husband and we tend to spend our weekends just relaxing and catching up on jobs at home….as boring as that sounds!” Kym pretty much organises the guests’ lives for


them from hairdressers to opticians and dentists, who, incidentally, all come into the centre. GPs and nurses also regularly visit. some guests bring laundry for the team to do. Kim says it’s not a luxury but a necessity; “some of


these men and women live alone and doing a wash and dry is hard work for an 85 year old. We also give them baths, something which again they might struggle to do at home safely.” one aspect of northernhay which


can’t be ignored is the amount of animals around the place! There’s the aforementioned sally the dog, two cats called Hermione and Milo (one of which is clearly very well fed, perhaps he knows which guests to sit


near during lunch). Then there are two more ‘visiting cats’ Teddie and Pippin from Ibiza and two budgies whose tweeting conversation provides a comforting backing track to the ample chit chat. Kym is passionate about the importance of conversation, only putting the TV on for the 1 o’clock news and special occasions like the Wimbledon final or the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations; “We had a party for Her Majesty with all the union jack bunting and hats. Any excuse for a party here! We have football ones too, as well as st George’s Day and of course, Christmas celebrations.” Kym also likes listening to the many stories, often told, sometimes repeated (!). one of her favourite tales comes from a lady, liberated in Belgium during World War Two, who ended up marrying one of the english soldiers who saved her. The residents say Kym always has a smile on her face and she certainly goes about her job in a cheery way; pulling off shoes, finding foot rests, shouting loudly to the many who are hard of hearing. A can-do attitude which might have a lot to do with her upbringing; one of four children brought up by a single parent. It’s clear that work is a very big part of her life but that’s how she likes it; “sometimes I think I need these people as much as they need me,” she says, trying her best to hold it together. “I like having someone here to listen to me banging on! I don’t burden them with big problems but they do like trying to help me sort out my daughter’s latest dilemma!”


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