Ann Midwinter is the new Anna Chaplain for Thame in Oxfordshire. Around 130 friends, family and well-wishers – including the Chief Executive of BRF Richard Fisher – were at the service on Sunday in the parish church of St Mary's.
Ann said: 'I am very honoured and privileged to be commissioned as an Anna Chaplain to serve my church and town in this way. I feel I have been on a journey travelling towards this office over a good
many years.
It brings together a combination of my faith, first of all, and secondly, living in Thame all my life and serving the community in various charities and organisations dealing mainly with the elderly. Plus, having been a Town and District Councillor seeing the need for an organisation such as Anna Chaplaincy and how it is very much needed, particularly, at this time.'
Ann has twice served as Mayor of Thame and has lived in the town most of her life. She and her husband have two daughters and four grandchildren who all live in Thame.
The Chief Executive of BRF, Richard Fisher, who spoke at the service, said:
'I am inspired every time I meet or talk to members of our Anna Chaplaincy network. Many are older themselves and having retired have found themselves drawn to this new ministry. Anna Chaplains have such a passion for what they do and many have found it very difficult not being able to exercise their ministry in care homes during so much of the pandemic, at a time when they were most needed. However, they have been amazingly inventive and have found ingenious ways of still offering support, love and care.'
He concluded his talk with these words:
'We are thrilled that Ann is being commissioned today for the Thames Valley Team. Ann, as you begin this ministry here, please know that you will be in my prayers and those of the Anna Chaplaincy team at BRF.'