Worsley Home For Boys

This Home was established on 8 August 1898, with an opening ceremony held in the local parish church. After a sermon given by the Revd FK Hodgkinson, the congregation walked in procession to the new Home, which was then officially declared 'open' by Lady Ellesmere. At first the Worsley Home could only accommodate six boys, aged 2-11.

In the first few years the Home underwent some considerable alterations. In 1904 a new playroom was opened on the ground floor, complete with a seesaw and a swing for the boys. The garden was also transformed in this year, with lots of new shrubs and trees donated by Lord Ellesmere. In the following year, the Home more than doubled in size when the neighbouring cottage came up for sale. The Society promptly secured the lease and after refurbishment Worsley Home could accommodate 18 boys.

One of the most popular ways of raising funds for the Society's homes was to host a Pound Day, and the Worsley Home hosted many such events. They were called Pound Days because people were invited to visit the Home and donate either a pound in money or a pound in weight of something useful, such as food or other groceries. In 1912 the Home hosted the most successful Pound Day of any Society home for that year, when they received 1,463 lbs. of groceries and more than £20 in money.

The most notable member of staff during these years was Miss Stevenson, who worked as the Matron from 1907 to 1924. The troubles of wartime forced the Home to close in 1939 and the boys were evacuated to Shap (on the edge of the Lake District). They returned to Manchester in 1940 and took up residence in a new home in Ryecroft.