Middlefield Hospital
Here are a selection of video clips from the project about Middlefield Hospital.
Please keep checking back as more will be uploaded in the coming weeks.
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel here.
The views expressed in these videos are the personal views of the participants/interviewees and do not necessarily (and are not intended to) reflect the views of Solihull Action through Advocacy and/or the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Sheila and Lin - Social Events at Middlefield Hospital
Sheila and Lin, who used to work at Middlefield Hospital, remember some of the social events that were held for the residents and the public.
John's Story
Janet tells us about her friend John who used to live at Middlefield Hospital.
He was moved into Middlefield when he was 3, and lived there for over 20 years.
Janet - John and Barry's different experiences of Middlefield Hospital
Janet, founder patron of SATA and good friend to John and Barry, former residents of Middlefield, reflects on their experiences.
Different people had different experiences of living in the same place, such as Middlefield.
John viewed Middlefield quite positively, and it was a very important part of his self-awareness.
Barry did not view it as positively and did not really like to talk about it.
Institutions and Belonging - Open University Social History of Learning Disability Conference 2019
On Tuesday 16th July, Claire, Colom, Kathleen and Jennifer went to speak at the OU's Social History of Learning Disability Conference.
Roger - Life at and after Middlefield
Roger reflects on life for the residents of Middlefield Hospital and how it changed for them after they moved out.
Roger - Memories of Middlefield Hospital
Roger tells us about his experiences of Middlefield Hospital.
He explains how care provision for people with learning disabilities started to undergo big changes in the 1980s.
Ian - Moving into the Community
Ian discusses his experiences of helping Middlefield residents move out into the community with Kathy.
Full subtitles are available, just click the settings button.
John on Hospitals and Plymouth
Janet tells us about John, a former Middlefield resident and friend of hers.
John is the man standing up in the yellow hat in this photo.
She helped him move down to Plymouth as he wanted to live by the sea. He lived his last days there happily.
He was in and out of hospitals a lot in his later years. He also moved back into the care system. However, as Janet discusses, he quite liked being in hospital. She wonders whether this is to do with his upbringing at Middlefield Hospital.
Janet - Start of the Advocacy Movement
Janet discusses how the closure of big institutions such as Middlefield led to the start of the Advocacy movement in Solihull.
Janet is the Founder Patron of Solihull Action through Advocacy.
You can find out more about the work of SAtA here https://solihulladvocacy.org.uk/