Sally Nevitt was one of the very first members of the Anna Chaplaincy network, as the older person’s director at Immanuel Southbourne, in Bournemouth. Among the many aspects of ministry with older people at Southbourne is Memory Lane, first established in 2018. This is a group for people with dementia and memory loss who meet weekly for an afternoon of activities to promote their well-being and cognitive function; it is run by staff and volunteers at Immanuel.
After five years of establishing Memory Lane, Gay Francia stepped down in late 2023. Immanuel are keen to appoint a new leader. Details of the post can be found on the church website.
Alongside Gay, Gill Hunter was involved in Memory Lane from its inception, researching weekly themes and creating suitable activities. Each session ends with a brief ‘thought for the day’ based on the theme, and guests may choose to take home a printed Bible verse and a short prayer to read and keep at home. Since the reflection and take-home verse proved popular with guests, the church decided to bring them together in a new book for others to enjoy.
The themes have now been collated in a beautiful book called Reflections. It covers topics as diverse as the 1950s and 1960s, jobs and occupations, St Patrick’s Day, treasure and valuables and Hollywood greats. The cost is £8.00 plus £2.50 post and packing. To request a copy email the church office (office@immanuelsouthbourne.org).
Immanuel is known in Bournemouth as the church that welcomes people with dementia. Sally has been recognised as a resource for other churches on this specialist area of ministry by the URC Church to which Immanuel belongs. She has been a much-valued contributor to the online Anna Chaplaincy training course over several years, and it is the prayer of BRF Ministries that the wonderful work pioneered at Immanuel goes from strength to strength.