Borradaile Trust was founded on Christian principles and those same principles are upheld today. Our beautiful chapel is a place of worship for all denominations. There are regular Sunday services, Anglican in the mornings and other denominations in the late afternoon. Due to our advancing years we do have fairly frequent memorial services too – these are occasions that we turn into celebrations of the person’s life rather than any concentration on its ending – so we try to fill the place with flowers!
A plethora of activities go on within the Trust. Two excellent libraries exist, one each at the Cloisters and the Close, so there’s easy access for all residents. In a section of the Cloister library there’s always ‘work in progress’ on some jig saw or other, a resident can be found puzzling over some piece that seems to have no place, only to find that the person who was there before them made a small mistake. There are the bridge players who meet once a week for a communal game, but many other games go on in various homes. Scrabble games on a Friday afternoon keep minds active too. Bingo on a monthly basis provides much entertainment. The bridge, scrabble and bingo all take place in the Smetham room, the Trust’s main lounge, situated within the Cloisters.
There are outdoor sports too. Teneset, a form of mini tennis, is enjoyed most Saturday afternoons. Then there’s bowls, croquet and putt-putt. We also have a recreation room housing TV’s, a snooker table and dart boards. Many residents take regular walks in the extensive, fenced and guarded grounds. Those with dogs are especially diligent in this activity. We also have the joy of having pets at Borradaile. The limit is supposed to be one per home, but the rule does get bent a bit. As well as the domestic pets we have many resident bush squirrels which provide a lot of entertainment – they have only moved in in recent years, due to the devastation of the environment that surrounds us. They are, as the old boll weevil song went, ‘looking for a home’.
The trust boasts a splended chaple, and several Bible study groups exist within Borradaile. All multi denominational. It even happens that Catholics and Pentecostals can be found studying the Word together. We all worship the same God! We have a monthly newsletter. It contains local news, a variety of quotes and articles; plus single verse quotations from the Bible – gentle reminders of our Creator.