I greatly enjoy Christmas Carol Concerts, especially those in support of our chosen charities, despite my dementia. Many people are still kind enough to invite us and ask me to “perform”, which is challenging enough, quite apart from just getting there.
So much depends on Sally being interested and free, as with so much these days. Alas, we weren’t able to attend the concert for the Brooke charity, which supports working horses and donkeys; it simply didn’t fit in.
Even though I’ve retired and am largely out of the public eye, the event for our local baby and young people’s hospice was just down the road, in the chapel of Winchester College, which our eldest son, Alexander, attended. Returning there is always a joy.
I was thrilled to see the latest list of scholars posted on the ancient Great Gate at the Porter’s Lodge entrance. It stays up for a year. I remember the pride we felt when Alexander’s name appeared many years ago.
Winchester, unlike most private (or public) schools, doesn’t do Common Entrance. It has its own very challenging tests, and the most promising boys sit for Election to scholarships.
Alex won one and later went on to take a First in English at Oxford, yet more pride. It proved to be a wonderful concert. Hospice Chaplain Nicky Smallwood and Chief Executive Mark Smith welcomed everyone and spoke movingly.
The first reading came from the hospice Chair, Andy Meehan, who’d had a successful career in retail and is now giving back to the voluntary sector.
Next was one of the finest journalists in modern broadcasting, the BBC’s Diplomatic Correspondent James Landale, who lives in Hampshire.
Alastair Stewart attends a local Christmas carol concert that holds special significance for him and gets into the festive spirit in this Living With Dementia
| GB NEWSThen came our dear friend Khalid Aziz, who worked for both BBC and ITV local news before establishing his own communications business.
After Khalid was Jack Godfrey, followed by Paul Morgan, Head of Fundraising, who also assisted Jack. Next up was Clare Scheckter, who, like Khalid, is a Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, and whom we’ve known since prep school days.
Then Lt Col Jim Phillips, Commanding Officer of the Army Training Regiment, supporter of the hospice since 2008. The penultimate reader was Sally Taylor, until recently the lead presenter of the local BBC news.
I was last to go. I’d marked my script up with a coloured highlighter. Reading aloud is tricky with dementia; it’s easy to lose your place or to suffer a sudden word blindness.
When I finished and sat down, Sally gave me a discreet but very welcome thumbs-up. Mixed signals this week on the economic front: slower inflation, rising unemployment, but another cut in interest rates.
A flat-lining economy, it seems. Even the Governor of the Bank of England sounded gloomy. Roll on Christmas, with all the children and grandchildren, joy of joys. Blessings to you all, and thank you for your kindness and support.