Revd John Holder on “Chaplain to the Stars".
Rev John Holder’s career
in education and the Church of
England is summarised in the November 2010 Parish Magazine.
This Monday evening he led 13
of us in carefully planned prayer and meditation including a reading of the
Beatitudes (Luke 6:20-38) and then went through and augmented a presentation
on the National Star College, what it consists of and
what is hoped to be the way ahead.
The College was
founded in 1967 under a slightly different name ,
to help Thalidomide children, initially 15. There are now 160 residents
and 20 day students in the age range 16-25, plus about 200 local adults (this
last category come for adult and
community learning programmes). Because
the “pupils” have physical handicaps and require individual help and
education programmes, the College
has some 600 staff, many of them carers.
The level of help needed along with the extensive use of specialised
electronics mean that it is not usually practical to use volunteers.
There is central
Government funding and some from Local Authorities, in both cases because of the
College’s educational status, but the College still needs to raise
funds, particularly for future development.
The College’s aims are to
maximise each pupil’s potential for a degree of independence and self
confidence, and to equip them with coping mechanisms.
John is lead Chaplain at the College.
The Chaplaincy is multi-faith so John can call not only on other
Christian denominations but also Muslims and Jews depending on what
individual pupils need. There are Christian services at the College, but
the Church is perhaps more about helping those
at the College through whatever is thrown at them, including bereavement.
Pupils and staff may have spiritual allegiances, or be agnostic or
atheist.
The future development of
facilities at the College both at Ullenwood and outposts was jeopardised
in 2009 when the Learning and Skills Council withdrew a multimillion offer of
50% funding . Somehow the gap
has been closed to merely £1million, so please give generously.
The Christmas cards, designed by pupils are excellent.
With very many thanks to John for a truly interesting, and I think heartening, talk.
David Long