Anna Chaplaincy blossoms in Cheltenham

Back row (L to R): Christine Wisdom, Gill Ford, Ann Lewis, Graham Ledger, Revd Brian Dunlop, Howard Padley, Debbie Ducille (you are a bit between rows!). Front row (L to R): Mary Leonard, Lois Wiltshire, Nicola Isaac, Revd Jennifer Wood, Helen Wolfendale, Mary Padley.

At a wonderful service on Sunday 28 January, a group of twelve Anna Chaplains and Anna Friends were commissioned for CaBiC (Cheltenham & Bishop’s Cleeve) Anna Chaplaincy by Anna Chaplaincy ministry lead, Debbie Ducille, at Holy Apostles’ Church, Cheltenham. Each of the Anna Chaplains and Anna Friends commissioned had taken part in the ‘Introduction to Anna Chaplaincy’ training course, run locally, in Cheltenham, by CaBiC coordinator, Gill Ford, and each one volunteers as part of a growing CaBiC Anna Chaplaincy team.

The service was led by Holy Apostles’ vicar, Revd Ashley Collishaw, and formed part of a regular Sunday morning service, which provided the opportunity for the whole congregation, as well as friends and family of those commissioned, to learn more about the work of Anna Chaplaincy nationally and the vision which Revd Brian Dunlop, chair of CaBiC trustees, has for its work locally. CaBiC was set up in 2019 as an interdenominational charity to develop Anna Chaplaincy in Cheltenham and Bishop’s Cleeve. The interdenominational nature of the venture was beautifully demonstrated at the commissioning, with Anna Chaplains and Anna Friends representing seven different Church of England churches, as well as the Roman Catholic, Methodist and United Reformed churches across the town.

Revd Brian Dunlop gave the talk, introducing Anna Chaplaincy, emphasising how its ministry is fun, rewarding, challenging, humbling and an immense God-given privilege. Referring to the well-known reading from Luke 2, Brian observed that the presentation of Jesus in the temple and his recognition as the long-awaited Messiah by Simeon and Anna is an amazing example of intergenerational interaction: a young baby; in all likelihood, a teenage mother; a possibly older father; and the two faithful and righteous older people, Simeon and Anna, all coming together in the temple. Brian stressed the need for the church, whilst understandably focusing on children and young people, not to fall victim to the same tendency as is often evidenced in wider society, where older people are often made to feel invisible.

Referring to Glenn Campbell, who, during his farewell tour following a diagnosis of dementia, was lifted up by the audience joining in with the lyrics when these escaped his memory, Brian encapsulated what Anna Chaplaincy is about: ‘We are there to help and to lift up; to dilute loneliness; to hold and renew people’s identity; to be present with them in their present; to advocate for older people where necessary; to bring joy and fun; to be a channel of God’s love.’

In seeking to fulfil those objectives in Cheltenham and Bishop’s Cleeve, the CaBiC volunteers are currently leading or helping with face-to-face services in eight local care homes, involved with taking regular Messy Vintage sessions into three care homes and running a monthly community Messy Vintage, supporting knit and natter groups and care home coffee mornings, as well as distributing a weekly written service to ten different care homes. They have also been instrumental in the success of craft projects at Easter and Christmas, through which thousands of knitted items have been distributed to care home residents and carers over the past few years.

The journey to commissioning in their own words

Click on each name below to read a little about how each of these twelve individuals came to be involved with the work of Anna Chaplaincy. May it encourage and inspire you.

Revd Brian Dunlop (Anna Chaplain)

Lois Wiltshire (Anna Chaplain)

Three years ago I moved from Norwich to Cheltenham to be near my family after my husband Mike relocated to heaven. I am an active member at Pip & Jim’s Church, Grafton Road, Cheltenham – the first time I have been part of the Anglican community in my Christian Journey. Training with CaBiC was a wonderful experience at this time of my life and I look forward to where this will lead me in my service of following Jesus in my local community.

Graham Ledger (Anna Chaplain)

I am a chaplain qualified to HMPPS standards and have successfully attained the Catholic certificate in religious studies, following two years of study on a course provided by the National Council of Catholic Bishops.

Since coming fully surrendered to Christ in the early 2000s, I resigned from my career to take the transferable skills into ecumenical Christian voluntary work. I am chaplain for Langley Trust Gloucestershire Project – a provision of forensic step-down for men in a residential care setting.

I am the founder of Street Pastors in Gloucestershire through Ascension Trust and I serve on the board of association for Cheltenham Street Pastors as this apostolate enters its 15th year of successful operations in 2024. The role for which I am to be commissioned as Anna Chaplain follows over a decade of lay ministry voluntarily serving the spiritual needs of elderly people in the care home where I will be formally serving in this role. It was through collaboration between our chair, Revd Brian Dunlop and I, that enabled me to give support to the work of establishing a fully ecumenical board of trustees for CaBiC.

Helen Wolfendale (Anna Chaplain)

In 1992, I started working as a carer in a nursing home in Cheltenham and soon realised there was no spiritual support for those living in the home. At the time, I belonged to a Christian dance and drama group, and I thought I could bring this group in to take a service for the residents at Christmas, Easter and Harvest. The head of home, at the time, was really pleased with this arrangement and we continued to offer these services until the home moved to a new location. At times, the service did meet with some opposition, but the new home’s current owners are a Christian-based organisation and, during the pandemic, I found myself in the ‘bubble’ as a carer and, as a result, when everything closed down and no one could come into the care home, I was able to continue to hold services for the residents.

Ever since that time, I have, with the permission of our local vicar and the care home manager, been taking a Communion service at the care home twice a month, continuing as a volunteer since my official retirement as a carer. I was even awarded a medal by the organisation (the Order of St John’s Care Trust) for playing a pivotal role in supporting the residents’ spiritual care during the pandemic and enabling them to continue to participate in worship. My concern was always what would happen to the service if I was unable to do it and, on hearing of Anna Chaplaincy, I volunteered to do the ‘Introduction to Anna Chaplaincy’ training course and become an Anna Chaplain so that I could be part of a bigger team and so that I could benefit from having the support of other volunteers with the services. I now have an Anna Friend who regularly attends the services with me and know that there are others I can call upon if needed.

Christine Wisdom (Anna Chaplain)

Having had many years of volunteering, as a Samaritan and a Street Pastor, I was intending to retire and slow down. Instead, I found I was being led towards working with older people and, in particular, engaging with Anna Chaplaincy.

I have now been a trustee of the local charity developing Anna Chaplaincy locally, known as a CaBiC, since it was first set up; but I wanted a more hands-on and practical approach. I began helping with care home services alongside pastoral work within my own Methodist church and thought that I may be suitable as an Anna Friend. But this was not where I believe God expected me to be and so I am taking on the role of Anna Chaplain.

I don’t know where this will lead, but I hope to be able to continue taking and helping with services locally alongside developing outreach spiritual and pastoral care from my church.

Gill Ford (Anna Chaplain)

I first became aware of Anna Chaplaincy when Debbie Thrower came to speak at an event in Cheltenham, organised by Revd Brian Dunlop. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to become involved in some way. At the time I was working as a lecturer in law, but, as a result of witnessing the increasing isolation of my own parents as their health deteriorated in later years, I began volunteering as a befriender with Age UK and a local befriending charity.

What I heard about Anna Chaplaincy from Debbie stayed with me and, when I saw the advertisement for a part-time coordinator for CaBiC Anna Chaplaincy, I felt that this was an amazing opportunity to become more involved in the spiritual support of older people and help to begin to build Anna Chaplaincy locally. Having had the immense privilege of working under Brian’s guidance in my role as coordinator for CaBiC and supporting him in some of the growing opportunities for chaplaincy work in the area, I am now excited to move into the role of Anna Chaplain, while also doing some further training in chaplaincy by taking the ‘Contemporary Chaplaincy’ course run by Waverley Abbey College.

Mary Padley (Anna Friend)

I was first introduced to Anna Chaplaincy when a friend sent a link to a pattern to knit crosses for the residential homes in Cheltenham. She wasn’t a knitter but I am! When I delivered my crosses, I met Gill Ford who was organising the project. She explained about Anna Chaplaincy and I confessed that I was a retired Art teacher, with a real interest in sewing and embroidery. The following September I had an email from Gill asking me if I would help with the Christmas project of producing a fabric advent calendar for all the residential homes. This I did gladly. My husband and I decided that we would love to get more involved with the chaplaincy and took the training. I have continued to take part in the Christmas and Easter projects and have also become linked with a local residential home. I visit there usually once a fortnight for a ‘knit and natter group’, more nattering than knitting! It is lovely getting to know the residents and bringing the outside life into their lives. I love hearing about their lives too. I hope to get more involved in Messy Vintage in the future.

Howard Padley (Anna Friend)

I am 80 years old and have been a Christian for most of those years. I have visited some care homes in Cheltenham with a Christian entertainment group over the past 40 years. For some of those, I was a regular visitor to the one in which my mother-in-law was a resident. I’ve been well aware of the need and opportunity for spiritual support for residents.

A few years ago, Mary, my wife, was involved in knitting gifts for care home residents at Easter. This put us in touch with Gill Ford, the local Anna Chaplaincy coordinator for CaBiC. As a result, both of us joined the first training scheme a few years ago. After the training, we both took on the role of ‘Anna Friends’.

My role over the past two years has been to take part in regular worship services in three care homes. I visit one about three times per month and the other two, once. I feel very much at home in this role and have formed good relationships with residents in all three homes, including opportunities to pray for some and provide a listening ear to others.

Ann Lewis (Anna Friend)

I have been a follower of Christ all my life, being confirmed at the age of 15 at my local United Reformed Church Cheltenham of which I am still a member. My outreach work has been mostly with children, teaching in Sunday school, running a toddlers club and assisting in Messy Church; having a family of three boys gave me plenty of experience. 

In later years, I became a carer for my mother who lived until she was 96 and it was this experience that made me aware of the lack of spiritual support available for elderly people, especially when they can no longer attend church or have to move to residential care. It was hearing about the spiritual work of Anna Chaplaincy that inspired me to become an ‘Anna Friend’. At present, I enjoy helping at a community Messy Vintage where we offer friendship, worship and creative activities and I hope to expand this mission by taking Messy Vintage into local care homes.

Nicola Isaac (Anna Friend)

My name is Nicola Isaac and my journey to Anna Chaplaincy came primarily through my work in social care in a residential care setting during the Covid pandemic years but was fermented by the eleven years devoted to caring for a surviving parent until my father died in 2019.  

I gradually realised that I had a special gift for befriending and supporting older people and this empathy has only deepened in recent years. While running parallel to my initial Anna Chaplaincy training, I was appointed to run a weekly Evensong service at the residential home for which I worked and support the pastoral care of those residents who were ill in body, mind or spirit and/or nearing the end of life.  

Having now taken full retirement at 67, I’m hoping to make future use of these same pastoral skills where they can be best utilised within the local community I serve.

Mary Leonard (Anna Friend)

I’ve always been interested in being with and helping older people, even though I am rapidly becoming one now! A lot of older people become very isolated and miss friendship and fellowship. This is often true of older church folk who can no longer get to a church setting.

I have been helping at a weekly service in a local care home, which has some very regular participants. I play the piano for the hymns and enjoy getting to know the folk there. One of the men says it is the best time in the week for him, particularly if we have a Wesley hymn!

Revd Jennifer Wood (Anna Friend)

I was born in Stockport and went a to local primary school and then to a local grammar school for girls. After leaving school, I trained as a children’s nurse in Manchester, where I worked in theatre and intensive care until after my second baby was born, and then became a full-time mum until after my third child was eleven years old. We moved to Cheltenham in 1982, with my husband’s job.

I had always attended church and soon became involved at All Saints Cheltenham, singing with the choir, helping with junior church, running a prayer group and helping out as required. After completing a BA Hons degree in religious studies over five part-time years, I shared in leading a diocesan education course.

In 1991, I took up a role summarising medical notes for a local medical centre, graduating to the post of network administrator three years later, where I remained until I retired in 2013. All Saints had then become part of the North Cheltenham Team Ministry.

I trained as a chaplaincy volunteer at Cheltenham General and very much enjoy being with people. While still in employment, I trained for a full-time year at St Stephen’s House Oxford, before being ordained as a distinctive deacon in 2009. 

As a deacon, my weekly commitment involves being in church on Sundays and attending weekday events when I am able. I assist at the altar and lead non-Eucharistic worship, officiate at baptisms and funerals and do a lot of home visits, including home Communion visits. I have continued to volunteer in the hospital chaplaincy, covering the chaplain’s day off each week.

After remarrying in 2017, I moved with my new husband to a house in Bishops Cleeve, which has a care home nearby. I have teamed up with the community outreach worker from the local Methodist church and visit the care home weekly, to lead worship and occasionally drop in, getting to know the residents over tea or coffee.

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