Mr.Gurung’s Journey with The Stoll Foundation

On the third of September, we sat down with one of our former residents Raj Gurung, who was happy to share his experience of being a Stoll Foundation resident and how we helped him on his journey.

Mr. Gurung first came to The Stoll Foundation in 2018 and remained as a resident at Centenary Lodge, our property in Aldershot for five years until 2023. Our former resident joined the Queen’s Gurkha Signals Regiment of The British Army as a young boy in 1965 and served until 1988 upon completing his service, serving a role as a Radio Telegraphist and reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant. Overall, Mr. Gurung was grateful for his experience in the Army because he “had the opportunity to work with different people in different places making lots of friends”.

After leaving service, Mr. Gurung went into the workforce, firstly overseas in Brunei then Nepal and then in the UK. He did not have much trouble transitioning back to civilian life at first and was doing okay. Whilst here in the UK, Mr. Gurung lived with his daughter but then moved into a rented house when he was due for his pension. This is where he struggled the most. The house that Mr. Gurung moved into was in bad condition with mould everywhere. There were other families living in the home as well, so it was very crowded and very cold. This was a difficult period for Mr. Gurung and he described his situation as “horrible”. That was until a friend working at a Gurkha welfare advice centre recommended seeking help from The Stoll Foundation and even helped him apply for our services.

In 2018, Mr. Gurung moved into his new flat at Centenary Lodge, describing it as “Marvellous!” as if he was living in a high standard hotel. Mr. Gurung was the first person to move in from a Nepalese family, our staff and other residents were instrumental in helping him settle in. Mr. Gurung himself then became influential in helping other Nepalese families move into their homes with us, helping to translate and settle into the community and he continues to do so even after leaving his Stoll Foundation home.

Whilst living with us, Mr. Gurung let us know that he was helped a lot by our housing officer and scheme coordinator and there were so many activities that he could get involved in like Christmas parties, gardening and Yoga. He was very pleased with being able to make a lot of new friends, experiences and learn new things. He particularly recalls his experience during lockdown because he felt that he was “very safe” at The Stoll Foundation and benefitted from being able to spend time in the garden getting fresh air. Mr. Gurung particularly wanted to thank staff members Anne Walker and Anita Fry for their help with all his home needs.

Mr. Gurung has now moved on to live at Haig Housing, which he was referred by The Stoll Foundation and now says that his current living situation is even better! He has been able to settle into his home and community very well and was very grateful to the Stoll Foundation for helping him through the process from start to finish. From joining us in 2018 to leaving in 2023, Mr. Gurung was supported from his “horrible” living situation to living in a “marvellous” home where he is comfortable and able to live a happy independent life.