Alan Southward: Pat and Jack lived in Tor Street. He was Head Waiter at the Star Hotel and she was the waitress. Jack died before her, maybe she commissioned the plaque? They had a black poodle, they didn't have any children. They used to come into my newsagents shop next to the Westminster Bank.

Dear Kirsten,
I was “gobsmacked” to see a photo in the WELLS JOURNAL of Aug. 28 of the plaque on Pat & Jack Jenkins’ bench on the Moat Path, as my wife and I have taken responsibility for keeping this bench clean and re-varnished for the past 15 years or so.
The story behind this is that we came to live in St Thomas St. in 1982, and our ten-year old son, Paul, would take his dog, Patch, for a walk, often along the Moat Path and into the Palace fields before breakfast every morning, also when he returned from school every afternoon. As he was walking his dog, he met a lovely elderly gentleman, Jack Jenkins, walking his old spaniel, Sally, and they became good friends. After a few years, sadly, Jack became ill and died. His wife, Pat struggled to walk their dog, now a Yorkshire Terrier, “Sparky”, as Sally also had died. Pat was badly afflicted with arthritis, so Paul offered to take Sparky with Patch, as he had to pass Pat’s home, which he did until he left Wells to go to College in 1990. So, of course, we were left with Patch, and we also took responsibility, as Paul had, for walking Sparky. Pat eventually had to leave her home in Tor Street to go into Cathedral View Nursing Home, where a year or two later she passed away. They had kindly allowed her to have Sparky with her in the Nursing Home and she had left word that we should have “first refusal” on Sparky when she died. But Patch had died in the
meantime, and we did not wish to take on another dog, but a member of the Nursing Home staff was keen to have him, so he found a good home, until he eventually died.
After Jack’s death, Pat had this bench, on the Moat Walk, dedicated to his memory, with a plaque to that effect placed on it, but when Pat passed away we felt it appropriate to replace it with one commemorating Pat as well as Jack. They had no family in the
area, and as Mendip Council were not looking after the benches, and some had got into a dreadful state, covered with moss, lichen and mildew, and peeling varnish/paint, my wife and I determined not to let the Jenkins’ bench get into a similar state, as they were such dear friends, so as necessary we would clean and revarnish their bench. Then, much to our surprise, the Council (?) presumably, suddenly realised the state of the benches on the Moat walk and within the last year have repainted them all ! So, we are relieved of our responsibility for a while, until they begin to deteriorate again. Paul now lives in Washington State U.S.A., and is married with two small sons.
The former neighbours of Pat and Jack now live in Fletcher House: Charles and Eileen Spencer, who are both well into their 90s, but still compos mentis, and they could probably give you more information about the Jenkins’ earlier life, if you want it.

Siegfried Edwards, 21 Drake Rd. Wells

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