The couple took care of more than 600 orphans

From a young age, Mrs. Pauline and her husband wanted to take care of as many orphans and helpless children as possible. The children they adopted were all over the country, even in Belarus and Lithuania, ranging from three days old to teenagers.

Pauline has had a desire to take care of children since she was a child. At the age of 15, she took a nursery nurse training course. She and her husband then opened Camelsdale preschool in 1968. Mr. Roger worked as a ranger and worked at the school.

The first child came to them in December 1965 from West Sussex Social Services. The boy suffered from bronchitis and the couple cared for him in a handmade sauna tent. One day the boy was suddenly taken away because he had found a foster family. "He stayed with us for 10 weeks. The night he left, we stared at the crib at the end of the bed. I sobbed and Roger said 'if foster care leaves behind such sad things, we won't do it again in the future. ", Pauline said.

Even though they say that, they cannot ignore it when they know there are babies in need of care. In the following years, hundreds of children came to stay at their home. Remember one summer, the family welcomed 11 children at the same time. They turned their backyard into a campsite for their children to play. "Roger joked that our house was a 'production line'. Every night when he came home from work, he would count the children on the dining table, to check if anyone else had arrived," she said.

Pauline and her husband often take care of the children until the authorities find them adoptive parents. For 56 years, their house became a place that provided shelter, care, and love for more than 600 children.

Many children stay in contact with their grandparents over the years. A pair of twins came to their grandparents when they were 13 years old, and stayed at home until they were 17 years old. One of these people has settled in Australia and sent wedding photos at Sydney Harbor to Pauline and her husband. The other person who calls often, currently works for a construction company, is also happy with a family with two daughters.

Ms Pauline recently met a woman in a park in Chichester who shouted "Auntie Pauline". She came here with her husband and children. Only when she saw her daughter did Pauline remember that she had lived with her when she was 3 years old for about 18 months. From there, Pauline talked to her adoptive parents and learned that she was a very wonderful mother.

After seeing the children off many times, Pauline no longer cried. She said: "We used to have a rule that when I bought them a suitcase, it meant their future was about to begin. And we always treated their departures as a celebration. It was like like climbing a mountain: we take them up and walk down to take another child up."

In early May, they gave the last child to a foster family. The boy came to them when England went into lockdown for the first time. The 20-month-old is lively and adorable. This time they broke up, their feelings were different from before. "Watching my last child pass away in May was really difficult, because I knew there wasn't another child to take my place," she said.

Now that they are old, the couple decided to retire. Their living room displays a collection of photos of children who have visited recently. They also keep six photo albums for each time the children visit. In addition to raising more than 600 children, the couple has 5 children, including 4 biological children and 1 adopted child, for a total of 11 grandchildren.

Jacquie Russell, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: "Pauline and Roger's compassion for children is rare and hard to find. Their love and dedication has changed the lives of thousands of people. Hundreds of children, no matter how much we say thank you to them, it is not enough for 56 years of love and devotion."