Eston House, 1981 - 2009

In 1981 the Hull Community was asked to staff the Respite Care Centre for Handicapped Children in Eston in Cleveland. This was to offer some relief to parents of handicapped children and give the children a great holiday in a different environment. M Agnella McGrath RSM who had already been teaching handicapped children was missioned to Eston House along with M Christopher RSM in May 1981. In the early months Ann Mary RSM also gave valuable help in organising the house. In 1983 M Ursula Welsh RSM replaced Sister Christopher and soon became one of the mainstays in Eston House. In the first year of their new ministry the sisters helped over 70 families and had coped with 398 admissions. Eston House became registered to accept 12 residents and six Day Care children at any one time. The community relied on support from many young volunteers some of whom went on to look for careers in Special Education. Many of the activities and treats were very simple things – like the opening of a cycle track around the back garden, when one of the residents “officially” opened it by cutting a ribbon! During 1990/1 Social Services laid down many new measures to control the work of such ventures and it was felt that the cost of implementing all the changes would be too big a challenge to undertake, especially as there were no other sisters forthcoming to take on this ministry. Thus in 1993 Eston House was wound up and sadly was quickly vandalised and finally set on fire. The area where it once stood is now covered by a housing estate but there will be many who remember with thanksgiving a Mercy ministry given to the most vulnerable.

Taken from www.ourladyofmercy.org.uk/ourstory/under Normanby house, Eston House