This is a series of outtakes from films made by the De La Pole Hospital in Willerby which have been spliced together in no particular order.  The original films were made under the direction of Dr J A R Bickford, the Physician Superintendent of De La Pole Hospital, Willerby, to show good practice in the care of long term psychiatric patients.  Most of the scenes are of patients trying to play sports.  (Some scenes may be felt to be disturbing.) The film begins with some elderly patients who...

This is a series of outtakes from films made by the De La Pole Hospital in Willerby which have been spliced together in no particular order.  The original films were made under the direction of Dr J A R Bickford, the Physician Superintendent of De La Pole Hospital, Willerby, to show good practice in the care of long term psychiatric patients.  Most of the scenes are of patients trying to play sports.  (Some scenes may be felt to be disturbing.) The film begins with some elderly patients who are seated and eating.  Then there is some cricket kit being packed up before other patients play a game of cricket on a beach.  This is followed by a young woman who stands next to a desk, followed by shots of the grounds of the hospital, a man demonstrating hand ball and patients playing croquet and other ball games.  One of the staff gives a demonstration of how to use a baseball bat to one of the patients, and they all gather around for a cup of tea.  Then another helper shows how to use hurling sticks to patients. Back in the hospital gym they play with a gym ball, and then there are snatches of badminton, a fishing boat in Hull docks, and the statue of William III, in Hull.  Then there is a scene from the film Worm in the Bud, before there is footage of a leafy country roads near the hospital.  There is a longer section of film showing female patients having a game of bowls.  Then male and female patients have sprint races, before a male member of staff helps a female patient climb a rock face, and patients have a game of ball on the beach. Again back at the hospital the patients are playing various games, including long jump, shot put and volleyball.  They are then all sitting at long tables in a field being served lunch.  Then a group of them walk along the cliff top near Filey, followed by a larger group dressed in sports kit.  They have a game of hand ball on the beach, and back at the hospital, play baseball and shot put.  Then there is some mixed dancing (filmed too fast), and staff relaxing. Patients work putting together cardboard packing boxes, then at an outdoor barbeque.  Back again to playing bowls and cricket, hurling and rugby, then sprinting and being shown how to throw a discus.  Then high jumping is followed by a game of women playing cricket, hurling, women doing long jumping and volleyball, tennis, kicking a rugby ball, and an odd method of high jumping.  Then the patients are shown eating yogurt, finishing with male patients struggling to dress themselves. Acknowledgements are gratefully made to the Hull ‘B’ group hospital management committee and to the nursing staff and patients of the hospital.