Vicky (seated) with Friends at Winchester. Photo: Photo: Tony Philpott.
Not a job, more a way of life
Vicky Darling shares the highs and lows of being warden of a busy Meeting house
In 1993 I joined a small group to find a new warden for my Meeting. As deliberations over the contract, job description and advertisement in the Friend progressed, I began to feel that it might suit me. I resigned from the group and applied! It had never entered my head to be a warden, and I always felt that nothing would persuade me to leave my own home to take a residential post. I was due to retire from a busy nursing job at the local hospital; my family had long since left home. There was only me and the cat. I thought I could offer five years, but here I am, nearly sixteen years later. I have now decided, however, that it is time to leave. I hope someone may be inspired to apply to be our new warden. It is a unique job in a unique Meeting house. The main reason is that there are six, sometimes seven residents. Originally it was conceived as a way to help people in crisis when they needed a place to stay. This worked for about 20 years, but became impossible to sustain.
