Cavendish

Cavendish Green Kindly supplied by Gareth Davies of Panodream

Cavendish is a large village in the West of Suffolk, between Clare and Long Melford, famous for its much photographed rambling Village Green with pink almshouses nestled in front of a Norman Church tower (see above!)

It was also home to the Head offfice of the Sue Ryder Foundation until fairly frequently, but still houses the Sue Ryder Museum which tells the remarkable story of this remarkable woman. In 1953, Sue Ryder used a small inheritance and some borrowed money to found the Sue Ryder Foundation, whose symbol is rosemary, a sign of remembrance. The foundation was dedicated to the memory of those who had been killed in the two world wars.

Soon after this she opened the first Sue Ryder Home for disabled people. By 1965, she had established 30 homes, where those bearing the scars of the war lived in comfort and without restriction, in England, Germany, Greece, Poland and Yugoslavia.

As Europe rebuilt itself after the war, Sue Ryder became a champion for the dispossessed. She travelled 50,000 miles a year, often driving, carrying supplies across the Continent, supervising the homebuilding and visiting refugees.

Through the years, Lady Ryder's organization continued to expand. There are now 20 homes in Britain and 80 centres in 20 countries around the world. In Britain, the organization has 2,500 employees.

There are residential centers and day-care centers that provide help for those with long-term illnesses and for those who need palliative care, and centers for people with neurological and degenerative diseases. Each year in Britain, 3,000 people are cared for at the residential centers, 12,000 visits are made to the day centers, and more than 37,000 home visits are made by the nursing staff.

In 1959, Sue Ryder married Group Capt. Leonard Cheshire, a war hero and holder of the Victoria Cross. Captain Cheshire had his own charitable foundation, and he first met his future wife when she visited one of his homes for the disabled. Her husband was elevated to the House of Lords as a life peer in 1991. He died the next year. The couple had two children, Jeremy and Elizabeth, who survive.

In 1979, the Queen Mother opened the Sue Ryder Foundation Museum in Cavendish, with exhibitions that included Lady Ryder's war uniforms and a reconstruction of her mother's room. You can visit the Museum which is open every day between 10-5.30pm. Call 01787 280252



One of the attractions of Cavendish is The George, and converted pub that is now a splendid informal restaurant, serving fantastic local food on the edge of the Village Green. See The George

Also in Cavendish is the Western House which is a friendly family B&B offering Vegetarian breakfasts!

So visit Cavendish soon and see the best that Suffolk has to offer.