From where it all began to some of the other remarkable men and women who have lived in Lilian Faithfull Care’s homes, SoGlos rounds up six amazing residents with remarkable lives in this hot list.
With each and every resident at Lilian Faithfull considered remarkable in their own right, SoGlos tells the story of just six in this article.
1. Lilian Faithfull
Giving the charity its name and its legacy, Lilian Faithfull founded the charity in 1946, age 81.
Living a remarkable life, Lilian Faithfull was captain and president of the English hockey team at age 30 and was also the first woman in Cheltenham to own a car.
2. Molly Ganniclifft
With an incredible life and career, Molly Ganniclifft trained to be a midwife in London when she was 23 years-old. With extensive training behind her, Molly moved to Uganda in her late twenties where she was also a nurse for the Colonial Nursing Office.
Having lived in Uganda for 23 years, alongside her husband and three children, Molly Ganniclifft came back to the UK, where aged 92, she attended the Secret Garden Community Hub at Lilian Faithfull’s day centre.
3. Robin Reckitt
Robin Reckitt is now a resident at Faithfull House. A keen art lover, Robin started drawing when he was really young. Joining the army, Robin served for 13 years and was an accomplished horse rider and also learnt to fly.
After his time in the army, Robin worked for Shell before he attended art school in his 40s. He worked for breweries, painting their pub signs but his real passion had always been painting birds. It wasn’t long before Bird Life International asked Robin to illustrate their books with his paintings.
Now aged 91, Robin still enjoys his art at Lilian Faithfull Care.
4. Len Cooper
Playing for England football internationally, Len Cooper is now a resident at Faithfull House.
Len’s impressive sporting career included winning the Black Country League for the Brierley Hill Boys and he also served in the 35th Signals Regiment in the Army.
5. Derek Tapson
Derek Tapson now lives at Astell House in Cheltenham and was once a flight lieutenant in the 197 Typhoon Squadron which were heavily involved on D-Day in Normandy.
Derek’s accolades also include receiving the French Government’s Legion D’Honneur award.
6. Robert Wood
Robert Wood served in the RAF in Egypt as part of his national service and decided to stay on for an extra year.
When retuning to Gloucestershire, Robert Wood renovated a derelict mill near Dursley, turning it into a lovely home and small cinema which he opened to the local people.
Alongside a career as a journalist and founding a local newspaper, Robert Wood now lives in Lilian Faithfull’s Resthaven home in Pitchcombe.
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