The special day in the life of the ASPH Pastoral Care Team took place at the traditional Easter Carol Service when one of the volunteer Chaplaincy Visitors, Mrs Diana Manthorpe, received her official licence to serve at St. Peter’s as an Honorary Lay Chaplain.  Di was given her “Readers Licence” by the Venerable Stuart Beake, Archdeacon of Surrey.  This is an unusual event, since Readers are normally licensed to minister within a Church, rather than a Chaplaincy.  So this is a “first” not only for St. Peter’s but also in an “Acute”  NHS setting within the Diocese of Guildford.

Di is well known to many hospital staff because her work has been mainly in healthcare and she has spent much time at St. Peter’s.  She qualified as a Nurse in 1968, and went to Weybridge Hospital as a Staff Nurse in 1969, becoming a Ward Sister before moving to St. Peter’s in 1974 where she was a Clinical Teacher in A&E and then a Nurse Tutor. After a varied and interesting career Di came back to St. Peter’s in 1991 to serve for four years as a Non-Executive Director on the Trust Board.  Since then she has maintained her links with ASPH and has had a number of Project Management roles before joining the Chaplaincy Team.  She gained a Diploma in Theology in 2003 and served as Reader at St. Mary’s Parish Church in Byfleet.   Her new role at St. Peter’s brings Di back full circle to where her career first began.

Judith Allford, Head of Pastoral care, commented: “I am hugely indebted to all the Chaplains and Chaplaincy Volunteers who serve with me here at ASPH. We could not manage without them. It is wonderful to welcome Di in this new capacity and I rejoice in the many gifts and qualities that she will bring to her role.”