When Freida Jones was asked to share her story, she didn’t just answer questions. She sat down with pen and paper, and hand wrote every single word. Each page carries her voice, her memories, and her heart.
Her story is one of love, loss, and an undeniable strength.
Freida’s Handwritten notes
Freida’s beginning was not easy. When she and her twin sister were only six weeks old, their mother left England and returned to Scotland, seeking comfort with her own family. A year later, when Freida was just eighteen months old, her aunt and uncle came to visit. They offered to take her home with them for a short while, to give her mother a rest. What was meant to be a temporary arrangement, became permanent, and Freida’s mother never got her back.
She grew up believing her aunt and uncle were her parents, never suspecting otherwise. Then, at nine years old, she was told the truth, that the people she called “Mum” and “Dad” were not her parents at all, and that somewhere else was a family she belonged to by birth. It was a confusing and painful discovery for a little girl.
Perhaps it was then that Freida’s strength began to take root, quietly but firmly.
At sixteen she had left home to live with her fiancé’s sister. A year later, she was married, and 1 years, 1 month, 1 week and 1 day later, she was cradling her first baby in her arms. Out of a childhood marked by confusion, she built a life of her own.
When Freida was just nineteen, she moved into a small house in Brecon, a place that soon became filled with the sounds of childhood. The garden wall at the back of the house marked the edge of the River Usk, a river that would become the heart of so many happy days.
In the summers, when school was out, her children and their friends would rush down to the river as soon as the sun was up. They swam until their fingers wrinkled and spent hours canoeing along the water. Looking back now, she knows that it was those moments, those ordinary, sunlit hours by the water, that shaped her most of all. “The love and lives of my children have shaped my life,” she says. And in the way she speaks of them, you can feel just how true that is.
A Heart Made for Caring
Caring for people has always been at the centre of Freida’s life. She always had fondness for older people and for those with special needs. That deep compassion led her into her work as a carer. For many years, Freida worked in care homes, saying “I never get tired of their company.” Freida gave people the most precious gift she could, her time and her heart. Beyond her work. While volunteering with the Red Cross, Freida was once asked to lay the wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day on their behalf.
Freida’s last day as a carer at Brookside on May 21st 1989. She was getting the traditional bath which was always carried out when people left.
Freida’s compassion has never been limited by distance. In 2013, she travelled to Gambia, a journey that left a lasting mark on her heart. During her visit, she met a young girl named Fatu. Moved by Fatu’s spirit and determination, Freida chose to support her education, funding her through both school and college in Gambia.
Freida and Fatu
Love Until the End
But life was not without heartbreak. At just thirty-four years old, Freida was widowed when her husband fell ill. He was diagnosed with bowel cancer, a cruel disease that spread relentlessly through his body. For eighteen long months, Freida stood faithfully by his side, caring for him and loving him through every moment, until the illness finally took him from her.
It was a loss that changed her world forever. Yet even in her grief, Freida’s strength endured. Her children became her anchor, and their love gave her the courage to keep moving forward, one day at a time.
Years later, Freida found love again. At forty, she remarried, building a new chapter of life and happiness. But heartbreak returned. At sixty, she was widowed for a second time, once again losing her husband to the same cruel disease that had taken her first.
This time, the suffering was long and relentless. Her husband had hidden his symptoms for five years, and by the time he finally told her, the illness had already spread too far. The first operation touched his bladder, bowel, intestines, and lymph glands. The second operation took part of his lung.
Then came the strokes, one on each side. Through it all, the cancer continued its merciless course.
What he wanted most was to come home, and Freida made sure that he did. For seven months, she nursed him at home, pouring all her strength, patience, and love into his care. It was not easy; she carried the weight of that suffering with him, but she never left his side. She gave him comfort and love until his very last day.
Onwards and upwards
Through all the heartbreaks and challenges she has faced; Freida has carried with her a simple but powerful motto: “Onwards and upwards.” Whenever life felt unbearable, whenever grief or hardship weighed heavily on her shoulders, those were the words she repeated to herself. Onwards and upwards. It was her way of reminding herself that no matter how dark the day, she could still rise again.
Looking back now, Freida knows what she would tell her younger self if she could. In her own words: “Take your time. Life isn’t a race. Reach for the stars, you never know how far you can go at any age.” Some amazing advice from someone who has lived through so much and still chooses to believe in new beginnings.
New beginnings
Freida had been living on her own, but her health made life increasingly difficult. Living with diabetes meant that some days even simple tasks felt overwhelming. At times, she struggled to manage the daily running of her home, and there were long stretches when she couldn’t even get out to do her shopping. Her health declined further, and she found herself in and out of hospital.
In June 2024, after another hospital stay, doctors told her she could not safely return home. It was a hard truth to face. Different care homes were suggested, but when they mentioned a dementia nursing home, Thistle Court Care Home, Freida felt a sense of certainty. “That was it,” she says. “I knew this was where I wanted to be. Thistle Court was my chosen home because it was Dementia care based. I felt that I would be able to offer support and help to those who needed it. I have always worked with dementia patients, and I wanted to continue helping those who needed it.”
Freida at Thistle Court Care Home
In her quieter moments, Freida loves to keep her hands busy and her mind at ease. Reading, knitting, beading, and card-making. Moving to Thistle Court has given her the space and support to enjoy them again, without the worries and struggles of living alone. She has found kindness, and a team who truly care. She even discovered a lovely surprise, a close friend she made years ago had a daughter working at Thistle Court!
For Freida, Thistle Court has been a fresh beginning. “Now I am at Thistle Court, and my life has just begun, so onwards and upwards,”
At Thistle Court, residents (who they fondly refer to as family members) like Freida aren’t just cared for, they are supported to live fully, to keep their independence where they can, and to embrace each day. It’s more than a care home. It’s a place where life can begin again.
To learn more about Thistle Court Care Home please visit Thistle Court Life Captured – Thistle Court Care Home