Names on the buses

947 Grace Eyre Woodhead

Connections with Brighton and Hove : Grace Eyre Woodhead was born in Brighton on 24 February 1864, one of twelve children born to a comfortable middle class family. She studied at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford from 1884-1886, so was amongst the first female students admitted to an Oxford college. In 1898 she began organising holidays in Sussex for under-privileged and disabled children from London’s East End. These activities gradually developed into a model of community-based ‘guardianship’ This was a controversial approach at that time as the government focused more on control as a method of ‘care’. Legislation passed in 1913 promoted institutions, where people with learning disabilities would be isolated from mainstream society. This meant that the informal “guardianship scheme”, run by Grace and her supporters entirely voluntarily, had to conform to its regulations and the Brighton ‘Guardianship Society’ was formed, funded by regular subscription and community fundraising efforts. For the next 20 years or more, Grace and the Guardianship Society resisted all attempts to undermine their work, and they broadened the range of support on offer. This included day centres offering occupational training – the first one which opened in Brighton in 1914 was probably the first of its kind in the country. Grace’s innovative approach which combined compassion, respect and practicality was much admired by local authorities, institutions and charities across the UK. Her vision can be summed up: “The Society endeavours to provide bright and healthy surroundings and to try to inculcate a feeling of happiness and a sense of usefulness and confidence in all clients; thus giving them a place in the sun”. Grace Eyre Woodhead died on 5 April 1936 but the charity she founded continued to flourish. In 1950 the ‘Guardianship Society’ moved to its present premises in Montefiore Road, Hove, and in 1988 changed its name to The Grace Eyre Foundation as a tribute to its founder. The Grace Eyre Foundation is now an inclusive, person centred service offering a diverse range of services in London, Brighton & Hove and across West Sussex: The successor to the ‘guardianship’ model continues in ‘Shared Lives’, with people living and sharing their lives with family carers.

636 Scania Omnidekka carried name since delivery in February 2004, on METRO Line 1. Metro 1 branding removed April 2012. Bus sold in November 2020.  Between 7 March and 19 March 2013 bus displayed retiring Roger French's name. Name reappeared on Mercedes Streetdeck 947 in March 2024.