Tony at Denville Hall

BY LINDA CORNISH
Tony was diagnosed as having Motor Neuron Disease last December. In May this year he had a terrible fall and was in hospital for three months and then I managed to arrange for him to go to Denville Hall - a Residential and Nursing Facility in Northwood (Middlesex) set up especially for theatre people. It's run by a Trust headed by Lord Attenborough and is in a beautiful house left to the profession for its specific purpose by a famous actor/manager (Charles Denville) who operated in the early part of the last century.

The 'clientelle' range from very sick people in the Nursing Wing (newly opened last year with 6 million pounds raised by Richard Attenborough himself and all the decorations, furniture, drapes, pilows etc chosen by Lady Attenborough) through to the merely elderly who could no longer 'manage' in their own homes.

There is a wonderful (apochryphal probably) story about Denville Hall: A nice middle-aged actress arrives to visit a friend who's living there. Before going to her friend's room, she notices a woman sitting in the hall-way and - recalling that they'd worked together a few times, some years before - she went over and said:

"Hello Amy, do you know who I am ?"

"No dear" replied Amy, "But if you ask Matron - she'll tell you!"

I visit every week and Simon and Andrea go each week end. It's distressing for us to see him so vulnerable but worse for him to be so, I'm sure. We're certainly in no doubt that he's in the most caring, loving environment possible and even on his days of some despair, he says how much he likes it there and how lovely the Staff are - "They seem to like me" he says.