Split Personality

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

A Monument for Janice



I am very grateful to my nephew Donny for his patience and expertise in putting this onto the Internet for me.




Janice, my lovely schizophrenic sister



A few months ago on The Ilford message board I learned about a new development which is to be built on the site of the old market in Ilford, almost on the very spot where my sister Janice died. I like to think of it as a monument to her.

I like to think of this beautiful building as "Janice Towers"

It is to be called Pioneer Point. It will be a very big building – 33 storeys high, with hundreds of cheap flats for poor people, and an arts and crafts centre so that poor people and immigrants can start little businesses.

A lot of people don't seem to think that this building will be good for Ilford. They say the people behind it are only trying to make money. Well, I can't blame them for that, because that's why people are in business. My late husband was a builder.

Because the new building is going to be a memorial to Janice, I found out about the people behind it, and was amazed to discover that they are involved with schizophrenia, the illness that caused my sister's death.

The company building the Pioneer Point belongs to two men called Tom O'Donnell and Hayden Chittell. They are very rich businessmen with jobs all over the world – in China and the West Indies, and Spain and many other places. They live in beautiful houses and travel in lovely chauffeur-driven cars, but what many people may not know is that they also do so much to help people who are not so lucky as them.

Mr. Tom O'Donnell - Chairman, Empire Property Group Intl.


Mr Hayden Chittell - CEO Empire Property Group Intl.



They have a schizophrenic charity, which is called Empire Schizophrenia Trust. In only two years they have already put on events like horse racing, musical aeroplane flying and special classical music recitals to raise money for the charity and help people like Janice. I thank these two gentlemen from the bottom of my heart for their generosity with their free time, because they must be incredibly busy with their building and still they are finding time to help people who need it. I hope they will receive the rewards that they truly deserve.





Horse racing luncheon for investors


posted by Doris Villiers at 9:12 AM

7 Comments:

  • You're a silly old woman, you're as sick as your sister. Private Eye has brought down Maxwell and Aitken and Archer, who ended up in prison, and is in the process of exposing Conrad Black. These are international business magnates that the Eye has exposed.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:39 AM  

  • I really feel for you Doris - I know a great deal about schizophrenia, having a brother who suffers from it. However, I'm afraid your faith with Pioneer Point is misplaced, however honorable. Ilford, where I am a resident, is little more than a slum, full to bursting with Asian and Eastern European thugs and this building is not going to improve the situation - if anything, it's going to make it worse. I saw your comments on the Ilford site, and I'm afraid you will probably come under a great deal of attack from some of the more vocal users of that site who are firmly against the Pioneer development. I myself was initially excited about it, but then when I saw that the market is just going to be yet another extension of the multi-cultural slum that Ilford has become, then I was very disappointed indeed. Not to mention the buy-to-let policy which is sweeping this area of London and which will, I dare say, be yet another opportunity to house more unsavory characters in the new Pioneer Point.

    I am so very sorry that you lost your sister and I wish you the very best, but I'm afraid I cannot agree with your views with regards to Pioneer Point and the developers behind it.

    Beware the wolf in sheeps clothing...

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:30 PM  

  • I have looked at your blog, and am very moved by your story. But I hope you won't be offended if I say that the colours aren't very nice. Did you know that you can change the look of your blog by choosing a different "template"?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:05 PM  

  • I just wanted to mention that I used to work in property development for a very prestigious company in Mayfair in London and, believe you me, developers do NOT do anything out of the goodness of their hearts. My company was forever involved with "charitable" causes...do you think it was in order to ease any guilt from the millions that they made? No, it wasn't. So just be aware that at the end of the day, these people are in business, plain and simple.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:11 AM  

  • Hello Doris,
    Its good to hear your computer is back working. You sound like you have some lovely ideas in store for the children at christmas and thank you for your idea about the decorations, i'm going to attempt them myself....fingers crossed! I just also wanted to say to you to please ignore what ever nasty person wrote that last post...how horrible and unnecessary. As my mother used to say....if you don't have anything nice to say.....don't say anything!I agree with your opinion of Pioneer Point and I hope it will be the lovely building we all hope (especially in memory of your dear sister). I understand some peoples sceptisism and they are entitled to it, I would just ask that they wait and see and in the mean time....don't be rude to people that agree with it....theres simply no need! I hope you can delete that horrible post so no one else has to read the bitter words of a very nasty person.
    I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and good wishes for the New Year.

    Take care

    xxxx

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:31 PM  

  • Thank you all for your comments. I am sorry I didn't reply sooner, but I have only just found how to do so.

    It is a shame that some people have to be rude, but that is their privilege - it is a free world that we live in.

    I am certain that Mr Tom O'Donnell and Mr Hayden Chittell will build the Pioneer Point and that everybody in Ilford will be very happy when they see it.

    With Christmas coming so soon I am very busy baking and freezing and also trying to decorate the room for the children, so I cannot spend very much time on the Internet at the moment, but I shall be back in the New Year.

    Merry Christmas to you all.

    With best wishes

    Doris

    By Blogger Doris Villiers, at 2:10 PM  

  • Quote: "hundreds of cheap flats for poor people, and an arts and crafts centre so that poor people and immigrants can start little businesses."

    Nonsense Doris! These are luxury, high spec apartments, and the "centre" where "poor pepole and immigrants can start little businesses" will likely consist of Nandos/ Starbucks etc! With the greatest of respect, you are entirely deluded.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4:45 AM  

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