Imagine that you are a patient on one of the wards - you have been admitted for tests and you are waiting for the results. Of course you are very worried and trying not to show it. You hear another patient say they are going to the chapel for the service on the Sunday morning. Maybe you could go? Would it help you? You haven't been to church for some years, perhaps only a hatch match and dispatch church visitor. So you ask if you could go. One of the volunteers collects you from the ward and takes you in a wheelchair to the chapel. Much to your surprise there are quite a lot of people there, and they make you very welcome - not a very long service, communion available if you would like it, and for Catholics there is a Eucharistic Minister there to give any Catholic patients or volunteers communion.
After the service there is coffee and tea for anyone who would like to stay for a short while and have people to talk to, before being taken back to the ward.
Would you like to be a volunteer? You must be fit as some patients are heavy and also there could be a long way to walk to collect patients from the wards. You may like to know what you will need to do as a volunteer.
When you arrive at the chapel - usually about 9.00 am, you are told which ward to go to. On arriving at the ward you will check with the nurse in charge that the patient still wishes to go to the chapel. During the service you will watch the patients in case someone is wishing to return to the ward. Finally, you will help with giving refreshments and most importantly talking to the patients, before taking them back to the ward. Some of the patients do not have visitors so it is a very important to talk to them. We are lucky as we have four masses to choose from, so if you normally go to 10.00 mass there are another three from which you can choose.
Tina Lee and her daughter Nicola went down on Christmas morning to take patients to the chapel, and then went home to cook dinner for the family. Tina has kindly agreed to take over the co-ordination of the volunteers from St Columba’s, now that I am leaving the area. Her phone number is 020 8651 1717.
Maureen Sullivan