A Dorset girl through and through
Date of news/blog: 18th February 2026Winifred Mary Barrett, or Win as everyone calls her, is a Dorset girl through and through.
And ironically, at Pine Martin Grange she is now less than five miles from the countryside home she lived in with her parents and brother when she was aged one.
When she was nine and following the death of her aunt’s daughter, she was taken to London and lived and went to school there for six months, just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939.
In an archive of war memories gathered and published by the BBC, Win told how they had black-out practices and were told what they should be doing to prepare for war.
Her mum, understandably, was not keen on Win remaining in the capital any longer so she returned to Dorset where she was delighted to discover the family were moving to a home in Winfrith which was a lot less remote than the isolated countryside home she was used to.
During the war Win recalls being awoken by a large explosion and it was only days later they discovered a bomb had been dropped close by and that it was only the thick woodland around the home which spared the family. It was believed the bomb had been dropped on heaps of cow dung which, from the air, the pilot must have mistaken for a row of soldiers’ tents!
Win also saw Winston Churchill, even though at the time her actual description was of a man with a bowler hat smoking a cigar.
You can read more of Win’s thoroughly interesting wartime memories here – https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/84/a5712284.shtml
After the War, Win worked in various jobs before meeting a young man named Albert Barrett, who was a Dairyman. They fell in love, married and lived on a dairy farm at Woodsford.
Win’s daughter Deborah says: “Mum really enjoyed going to dances with my dad, and they always belong to social clubs and things like that in the area. She was a real joiner of things.
“She was always a country person by heart and particularly loved her garden which was her pride and joy.”
Albert died, sadly 20 years ago, after 51 happy years with Win. They had two children and Win has two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
When it became apparent that Win was struggling at home by herself, the family started to look at the residential care options in the area.
Deborah’s brother, Christopher, is friendly with a couple called Tony and Jenny Medley who live at Pine Martin Grange and so they decided this would be a good choice for Win.
“We were aware of how well Tony and Jenny were getting on in Pine Martin and how it suited what they needed,” says Deborah.
“We thought it would be good for mum as well and we definitely made the right decision by choosing the home.
“She had some medical issues when she first arrived and the home were brilliant because they concentrated on sorting these first.
“They got mum to do exercises and she can now get out of a chair much better than before so that’s made a huge improvement to her standard of quality of life.”
Deborah says her mum loves the social aspect of the home, including the mealtimes where she is the first to encourage people to tuck in.
“Mum really likes talking to people and one of the wonderful things about Pine Martin Grange is that she’s made to feel part of a much bigger family,” adds Deborah.
“She’s happy because there’s always a lot going on and she is always involved in whatever it is.
“It really is an exceptional home.”