150 Years of Dingleton Hospital

16/12/2022

DINGLETON HOSPITAL'S 150TH ANNIVERSARY FILM FUND APPEAL

It is fair to say that our Dingleton Hospital 150th Anniversary celebrations on 20th August were a huge success! It is also true that organising and running the 150th Anniversary celebrations took a lot out of us! We, the 150 committee, have needed time to draw breath, recover and re-galvanise our efforts.

We are now re-invigorated and...WE HAVE A PROPOSAL!

We would like to produce a film to commemorate the 150th Anniversary. We have been looking into options and the costs of such a film. The film will include footage of the 150th celebratory day: the gathering at old Melrose railway station and walk up Dingleton Hill, our tour around the old hospital site, our celebrations afterwards at the Ship Inn. We hope to include digitised extracts of 16mm archive films of Dingleton Hospital. We collectively have such a rich film archive of life at Dingleton. It would be wonderful to pull it all together into one recording. The film of the day will include footage of those who kindly reminisced on camera about their Dingleton memories. There is such richness and diversity in these accounts which go back to the 1950s and cover all aspects of Dingleton life.
We hope to screen the 150th Anniversary film next year and make it available for purchase. It will be placed in the Dingleton Hospital archives at Edinburgh University, along with the digitised 16mm film footage and other memorabilia gathered for our Anniversary celebrations.

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

Current estimates of costs:

Editing and production of the 150th Anniversary Celebration film: £1925
Digitising of 2x16mm reels of film of Dingleton Hospital: £1000
Incorporating the digitised archive into the Anniversary film: £550
TOTAL £3475

This is a large amount to raise, and we are in a recession and in the run up to Christmas. But, if you can, please dig deep and donate through our JUST GIVING page at:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/dingletonhospital150years?utm_term=q3kZzNXxV

The film will be a celebration of ALL Dingleton friends, colleagues, patients, and family, those there on the day and those who could not be, and those who are sadly no longer with us. It will be an investment in preserving Dingleton Hospital’s legacy of pioneering service provision, the dissemination of progressive mental health care practices across the globe, contribution to the Border economy, and the transformation of professional and personal lives.

If the 80 people who attended on the day donate say £20…we will have £1600 and will be almost halfway there! If others donate, and if some can give more generously, we can and will reach our target! Our appeal will reach those from the Dingleton family now overseas, people in the USA, Canada, Japan, Norway, Sweden and elsewhere. Please pass on this information to as many people you know who may be interested.

With huge thanks…………………The 150 Committee


https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/dingletonhospital150years?utm_term=q3kZzNXxV

Weʼre raising money to help fund a Dingleton Hospital 150th Anniversary Film. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

26/08/2022

26/08/2022

Saturday's 150th celebration was SUCH a joyous occasion. So many people from times past reuniting in friendship and reminiscence, coming from all over, and representing all eras of Dingleton's history. Including: the great grandson and great granddaughters of hospital coachman James Gordon, who lived and worked at the hospital in the late1870s/early 1880s. The son of Dr George Bell, Max Jones’s predecessor, who only heard of the event by chance two weeks earlier. The great grandnephew of Dr Jim Maxwell, a medical associate to George Bell, who left Dingleton to become a medical superintendent in Aberdeen when Max Jones was appointed.
We had countless mental health staff from times gone by, as well as from present times, representing many professions, from many different countries and many different backgrounds, all exemplifying the human creativity, inspiration and compassion that was Dingleton. We had previous patients, bringing their own colourful individuality and courage, re-acquainting with people and spaces holding mixed memories.
We started on old Melrose railway platform, in full sunshine, no-one in any rush to climb the hill, with so many greetings and renewed acquaintances to be made. Later, Dingleton Apartments’ Residents Association warmly welcomed us into the hospital grounds, enabling us to saunter, blether, reminisce, and appreciate the splendour of Dingleton again.
Our videographer unobtrusively captured conversations, encounters, and images all afternoon, and continued to do so at the Ship Inn, where we enjoyed an impressive buffet and an exhibition of Dingleton memorabilia and photographs. Those that wanted to, took part in a Talking Heads experience, an opportunity to reminisce on camera with our videographer.
An impressive £500 was raised for The Difference in ticket sales, donations, and book purchases of Dingleton Hospital: A Therapeutic Community.
On behalf of the 150 Committee, we’d like to extend a big thank you to everyone for contributing to such a memorable and happy occasion. Thank you also for the many lovely comments from those who couldn’t be there on the day. We plan to produce a film of the event, to be screened and made available at a later date. Please watch this space for details of our Film Fund. Do add your own impressions and photographs of the day, using hash tag .

With warmest wishes,
The 150 Committee.

17/08/2022

FILMING OUR 150 YEARS OF DINGLETON HOSPITAL CELEBRATION

We have commissioned a videographer to film the event on Saturday, so that we have a record of the day, for now and for the future. We will be asking on the day if anyone wants to opt out of being filmed.
We are also looking to digitise several recently discovered reels of 16mm film, which include a 1971 BBC ‘Man Alive’ film of Dingleton Hospital and a home video taken within the hospital.
We anticipate arranging screenings of our completed 150th Anniversary film, and the digitised 16mm films, at some time in the future.
We NEED YOUR HELP in raising funds to secure the filming, editing, and digitising. If you are interested in pledging a contribution to our Film Fund, please do so, either by messaging us through Facebook or by emailing [email protected].

Thank you very much indeed!

The 150 Committee

17/08/2022

Ticket sales for The Ship Inn buffet are now closed. Food can be bought separately at the bar. Please let us know if you'd like parking reserved in the hospital grounds.

12/08/2022

So...we have reached the dizzy heights of 50 Likes! Congratulations Mauro Arias for clicking that icon! 👍Keep them coming!🙂

11/08/2022

Any vegans or veggies going to The Ship? Please let us know here or at [email protected] by 13th August

10/08/2022

MEDIA
We have had articles in the Southern Reporter and the Border Telegraph this week and interviews with Borders Radio and TD9 Radio.

THE WALK
Those who are walking, please bring your own DRINKING WATER. We will have marshals and leaders on the walk, with access to simple first aid kits. WE CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR INJURY, ILLNESS OR PERSONAL SAFETY.

Please gather on the OLD RAILWAY STATION PLATFORM (TD6 9PR) from 1PM. Use NUTWOOD CARPARK (TD6 9EQ) behind The Ship Inn for parking as the town will be busy. Walkers will be arranged into groups of ten, leaving at intervals. Each person will receive an event ticket. Any outstanding ticket payments can be made on the day. Those NOT attending the Ship Inn afterwards will also receive tickets. In this case, we ask for a SMALL DONATION to THE DIFFERENCE, our charity, instead of paying the full price.

CAR LIFTS, PARKING AND FACILITIES
We can offer those NOT walking up Dingleton Hill a LIFT both ways, as PARKING IS LIMITED. This also provides the option of walking DOWN Dingleton Hill on the return. We have two car drivers, one with a 7-seater car, the other a 4-seater car.

There is ALLOCATED PARKING OF 15 SPACES for the event in the grounds of the hospital. These should be RESERVED, in advance, through the 150 Committee. Priority will be given to those with ACCESS NEEDS. There will be a marshal at the GATES of the hospital on Chiefswood Road, to direct those requiring parking AND those arriving on foot.

We will ASSEMBLE at the designated CARPARK from 2PM and then walk round the grounds, in groups of ten or so, following a DESIGNATED ROUTE. The route is suitable for those with ACCESS NEEDS, including users of wheelchairs and mobility scooters. It is important to keep to the planned route as the GROUNDS ARE PRIVATE. The Dingleton residents are fully aware of the event and may participate.

MELROSE GOLF CLUB have kindly given us permission to use their clubhouse FACILITIES, including access to the DISABLED TOILET. REFRESHMENTS are available to buy at the bar and there are tables and seating. PLEASE MAKE A SMALL DONATION to the club in this case.

SHIP INN
We will gather at THE SHIP INN, MELROSE square from 4PM. There is a FREE CARPARK at NUTWOOD behind The Ship Inn accessible by taking the first left turn after The Ship Inn. Late payment for the buffet can be made at this stage if this remains outstanding. PLEASE LET US KNOW of any DIETARY NEEDS BY 13th AUGUST.

MEMORABILIA
The exhibition of memorabilia and artefacts will include items on a table and the screening of old photographs and cine film on television screens. PLEASE DO NOT HANDLE artefacts unless explicit permission is given.

MEMORIES
We would love your memories of Dingleton Hospital. Please do write them down and email them to us at [email protected], either before the event or afterwards.

10/08/2022

50 TICKETS SOLD!
PLENTY MORE. Buy by 13th AUGUST. Use friends/family, NOT business in PayPal, to maximise profits for The Difference. More to follow.

24/07/2022

Tickets £6 each available here!

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/dingleton150years?locale.x=en_GB

Don't forget to request a FRIENDS AND FAMILY payment when purchasing or PayPal scoop £1.
Please answer 'What's your payment for?' with the NAMES of EACH ticket holder-to-be and their CONNECTION to Dingleton, if possible.

Thank you!

150 Committee

Go to PayPal.Me/dingleton150years and enter the amount. It's safer and more secure. Don't have a PayPal account? No problem.