CARE PLAN

Published in the National League South game v Welling United Tuesday 29th October 2019. We won 1-0 in front of 630

This year’s 10th anniversary of Non League Day saw me celebrating, not on the Arbour Park terraces but at a wedding where I bumped into Slough resident Tony Johnston who previously lived in what was the Vicarage and is now the care home right next to Arbour Park. Here's his story.

Oxford House was built around 1907 as The Vicarage for Saint Paul's Church just a few hundred yards further up Stoke Road. In the late 70's it was acquired by the Johnston family to house their growing family and was later adapted into a Nursing Home in the early 80's. The Johnston family remain the proprietors of Oxford House today and it is now a comfortable home to some 34 local elderly residents. It has a reputation for outstanding quality of care and is held in very high regard locally as one of Berkshire's very best care homes.

Tony continues the story “The current Arbour Vale site was previously the playing fields of Orchard School. When plans were first mooted for the site to be Slough Town FCs new home ground, we viewed the plans with a mixture of apprehension and enthusiasm. As a local family, we share a sense of connection with The Rebels and a number of close friends are life-long fans of the Club (some might say obsessed). Fans have long pined for a return to having their own home ground and this seemed to be a great solution after many false starts. However, we did had some concerns around security, light pollution, noise levels and increased local traffic congestion, not to mention the thought of a previous green field site becoming a potential eye sore.

“The Club, its main building contractors and Slough Borough Council's planners worked with us collaboratively to address each of those concerns. Due consideration was given to enhanced security fencing, thoughtful floodlighting, road planning and parking restrictions, so that none of our concerns have proven to be a problem. The eventual site layout and architecture has subsequently enhanced the local landscape and is now a local landmark for the town. Throughout construction, the assigned Project Manager met with us regularly to update us on progress. We think the ground looks fantastic and offers a brilliant new facility to Slough residents. Recent form suggests players feel good about the facilities too.

“The Club have been kind enough to provide Oxford House with a number of complimentary season tickets allowing our residents, and their Carers where necessary, to attend matches. These tickets are well utilised and we now run a 'book' to ensure they are used evenly across all of those residents that enjoy the game as demand for the tickets is always high. We have many family members who comment that for "Mum or Dad" the outings to Arbour Park are often a highlight in their week. Slough Town FC Staff on match days are very accommodating and the allocated viewing area is spot on. Competition amongst staff to accompany residents can often be fierce! We have some families who particularly wanted their parents to reside at Oxford House because of this ease of safe and accompanied access to match days. One of our current residents has been a huge fan since the 1930's and one of their relatives, Charlie Wakefield, was a goalkeeper with the club between 1937 – 1949 making 232 appearances. His brother, Percy Wakefield set up Upton United and Slough Villa in the late 1920's, and in 1930 when he was 19, played his first match for Slough Town but mainly paid for Slough reserves. He eventually became a ref and was later vice-chairman of the Slough Referees Association. Two brothers and two keepers!”  

So much happens behind the scenes to make a football club tick, to make it part of its community. The story of the Rebels relationship with Oxford House care home, to me sums up all that is good about the club and why it’s so important to get things right off the pitch as well as on.