Posts by Ruth Preston

Starting with an encounter 14 years ago, Helen McKay-Ferguson from our sister charity Pilgrims’ Friend Society shares how the church can play a vital role in looking after those facing dementia, supported by the charity’s relaunched dementia information pack. As a 22-year-old student, I found myself sitting across the table from a man in a…

“It has been so long since I saw anyone I knew in the flesh. Seeing her face has literally made my year! I almost cried.” (‘Time to Talk Befriending’ scheme member aged 91) We hear a lot about the issue of loneliness in our society. Experiencing chronic loneliness can occur at any age. The risk…

The coronavirus pandemic has caused significant disruption to our everyday lives. According to Age UK, loneliness affects well over one million people over the age of 65 in normal life, but the pandemic has caused this statistic to drastically double. Older people are spending more time alone than ever before and this can detrimentally impact…

With the ageing population changing the demographics of our communities and our churches, it is important that Christian faith organisations focus now on those people living in the fourth age; that the spiritual, pastoral and faith needs of older people are acknowledged and supported. It is time to realise the real potential for kingdom growth…

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with another one of our wonderful Church Champions, Debbie. She had so many wonderful stories to share and we have done our best to capture the beauty of what she shared in this blog post.      Debbie attends St Christopher’s Church in Springfield, Birmingham. Of course, currently,…

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Debs from Hope Community Church in East Manchester. Debs shared with us her heart for older people and how she is doing her best to support others during the coronavirus.      As a young child, Debs was close with her grandad and saw him as her…

Reaching, serving and empowering older people Welcome to this February Faith in Later Life newsletter where we will be sharing updates and news, signposting to new resources, and highlighting opportunities for you to get involved with.       “Faith in Later Life have been inspiring, helpful, encouraging and affirming. Lots of ideas to consider…

A blog post by Church Champion, Ruth Ranger.     My work as a Community Engagement Officer for the Christian charity Pilgrims’ Friend Society (PFS) means that I am able to promote Faith In Later Life amongst a large number of churches and other contacts in the Chippenham & North Wiltshire area. The Covid-19 pandemic…