South Yorkshire Times, October 9th 1943
Covenant Scheme
Formal Presentation to Nursing Association
The enthusiastic work of a subcommittee which in the space of five weeks launched and completed a covenant scheme for Mexborough Town Nursing Association, was warmly praised by members of the Association at a meeting in Mexborough Council Chamber on Monday when the scheme was formally handed over.
The scheme ensures the Association receiving a gross sum which will probably amount to £1,457 in the next seven years. Mr R. T. Rawding, chairman of the sub-committee, said that evening marked the conclusion of a successful effort to help the Nursing Association. On the inspiration of Mr. A. H. Wholton, a sub-committee was formed with a view to helping the Association to achieve its aims.
Members of the sub-committee were delightfully received by most people who were pleased to give and were in agreement that the Association needed more help than it was getting. What they had achieved would be sufficient with what the Nursing Association had in hand to bring Mexborough into line with other townships and to help them achieve what they had in mind for furthering local nursing work. He thanked the Directors and Editor of the “South Yorkshire Times” for publicity and subscriptions.
Mr. A. H. Wholton, secretary of the sub-committee, said the scheme was launched with the express purpose of providing a nurses’ home with a staff of at least two nurses, and the sub-committee urged that everything should be done to bring this about. Income under the scheme this year would be: Covenants £100 5s. 6d., annual subscriptions £4 14s. 6d., donations £20 12s. 6. total £125 13s, 6d. In the next six years, income should be £l05 each year (£630 in all). This made the total £755 12s. 6d., and provided income tax and earnings remained stable they would have in addition about £700 obtainable in rebate on income tax which was recoverable under a covenant scheme of this kind.
The Chairman of the Association, Mr. J. Shillito, said it had been their ambition for years to provide a nurses home in Mexborough. Thanks mostly to the ladies of the committee and their secretary they had a balance in hand. Their President, Mr. F. H. Harrop. had steered the Association through very troubled waters in the past as Chairman, and they were fortunate in having a man like Mr. Harrop as President The sub-Committee had put in some hard work to fulfil the ‘Associations ambition of providing a nurses home which they would have in a short time when opportunity arose. They were most grateful to the organisers of the special effort.
PRESIDENT’S THANKS
Expressing thanks for the subcommittee’s magnificent effort, Mr. Harrop recalled the early days of the Association when they used to wonder how they were going to get the nurses salary. He said they emerged from a very hard and difficult past and hoped they would not think their work was over because they were receiving the sub-committee’s gift which would be an added responsibility on the Association, and an added incentive for further effort.
Mr. A. Platt, secretary of the Association, spoke of efforts in the past to get money to provide a nurses home and said whatever plans were made by the seven members of the sub-committee they would be carried out by the Association. The Association would be celebrating its Silver Jubilee on February h, 1945, when all people in the town would be asked to help in a nursing Association week. A cheque for £125 12s. 6d., representing amounts already received under the scheme, was handed by Mr. F. S. Green, treasurer of the sub-Committee, to the President. Mr. Green said it was not because the sub-committee thought the Association had been lacking in efforts in the past that they had tried to help, but because they felt the Association deserved more help. He hoped that their efforts would be a spur to any future efforts of the Association. They had received encouragement from many people in Mexborough who had been very generous.
Mr. H. Parkin spoke of the enthusiasm of Mr. Rawding and Mr. Wholton and said how pleasant it had been to tackle charitable work of this kind. There could not be a better job than trying to help an Association which assisted sick people to get better. He thought something should be done by the Association to get people who benefited from their work, other than old age pensioners, to pay something to the Associations funds. Mr. Rawding agreed that people who received benefit should, by small subscriptions, make the Association self-supporting
Mr. Rawding handed a list of subscribers to the President.