THE INTERACTIVE FILM MAGAZINE
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Sweet (Royal) charity!
With Hugo a triumph at the 2011 Royal Film Performance,
John Mahony reflects on the
work of the charity which benefits from this annual regal event
John Mahony reflects on the
work of the charity which benefits from this annual regal event
Having recently returned from the bedside of a gravely ill resident of Glebelands in Wokingham, the care and nursing home of the Cinema and Television Fund (CTBF), and thinking of the wonderful care he was receiving, it seemed appropriate to set down some facts about this marvellous charity.
I have served the Fund for over 25 years, for most of that time as a Trustee and Chairman of the Glebelands committee, and have worked with and for some amazing people, such as the man I had just left.
Now aged 90, he had served as a combat cameraman with the Royal Marine Commandos in Burma moving on to accompany Earl Mountbatten through to his appointment as the last Viceroy of India, including the Japanese surrender at Singapore.
In civilian life he became a newsreel cameraman with memories of the Derby and the Cup Final, before joining the newly-formed Granada Television and shooting Coronation Street from its first episode.
Without legs and suffering other illnesses he has not missed a Cenotaph ceremony in some 40 years and last year he travelled to Burma to visit the graves of comrades. Sadly he died a few weeks after my visit. But his final days were spent in the loving and compassionate care of a truly dedicated nursing staff.
The CTBF was founded in 1925 with the objective of relieving hardship among those who worked in cinema. Much of this was a legacy of the Great War and beneficiaries received a weekly grant. Ten years later, Glebelands was purchased by Sir William Jury and gifted to the Fund.
As the industry grew, so did the need for funding, which initially came through the philanthropy of the Trustees together with well-supported cinema collections.
1946 saw the first Royal Film Performance, A Matter of Life and Death, in the presence of the King and Queen and the two Princesses, which generated the right royal total of £512!
The first Royal Patron of the fund was King Edward VIII in 1938 and this has continued through to the present Patron, The Queen.
The annual RFP, attended by a member of the Royal Family, has also continued and 2011’s screening of Martin Scorsese’s family adventure Hugo was attended by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.
The advent of commercial television brought increased demands upon the CTBF but commensurate with this came increased support from the giants of this new industry such as Lord Delfont and Cecil Bernstein.
More recent changes in television production with the resultant increase in freelancers has brought even more calls upon the charity.
It currently gives support to over 1,000 beneficiaries in their own homes sometimes a simple weekly cash grant or the payment of telephone rental.
This support may, however, amount to many thousands as in the case of an injured beneficiary put into intensive care and repatriated from Africa or that given to a technician whose young wife died leaving him with infant triplets.
Glebelands has recently been totally refurbished and now has 40 residents in state-of-the-art private rooms. It consistently receives "excellent" grades in surprise inspections by government agencies.
Adjoining the house is a recently built development
of 28 one and two bedroom apartments of a very high standard, which are rented or leased as sheltered housing. Work will commence shortly on a further 50.
Fees at Glebelands are competitive but if any qualified beneficiary is unable to meet these charges they will be reduced in part or totally.
Recent residents at Glebelands include a
set foreman who built the streets of St Petersburg for Doctor Zhivago (near Madrid), one of the ladies from Tea with Mussolini, and an RSC actress with memories of Olivier and Burton, who was involved in Zhivago and
shared the lead with David Kossoff in Ring of Spies. Still
shared the lead with David Kossoff in Ring of Spies. Still
living there is a renowned cameraman who was the Director of Photography on the Oscar-winning documentary Daybreak in Udi (1949) and who has stark memories of an horrific steelworks disaster when he saw his assistant engulfed in flames.
These wonderful people resident at Glebelands need varying levels of care from help with dressing through total nursing to, sadly, terminal.
This is given by highly qualified and devoted staff. They are waited on at meal-times and there is an extensive programme of activities not only internal but, using a generously donated minibus, residents travel far and wide. Recent trips include the Garter ceremony
and tea with the Bishop of Bath and Wells in his
palace.
and tea with the Bishop of Bath and Wells in his
palace.
Support for the CTBF continues but of course so does its costs. Happy news recently has been a gift of
£1 million from the Albert R and Dana Broccoli Foundation, in recognition of which the apartment block has been named The Broccoli Cloisters.
£1 million from the Albert R and Dana Broccoli Foundation, in recognition of which the apartment block has been named The Broccoli Cloisters.
Then, following the death of Carry On producer Peter Rogers, a long-time supporter, the charity was gratified to learn that it is the beneficiary of almost his total estate.
Asa Butterfield, Chloe Moretz, Martin Scorsese and Sir Ben Kingsley at the 2011 Royal Film Performance of Hugo
THE CINEMA & TELEVISION BENEVOLENT FUND
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You can find more information on the CTBF at www.ctbf.co.uk and on Glebelands at www.glebelands.org
