Campassion Care Trust is a charity registered in England (No. 1162926). During our decade of existence we have been fortunate to have had others involved at different times with appropriate skill sets and gifts. Thanks to all who have collaborated in one way or another. There are always ways to get involved and this year we are hoping to gather people to pray and learn together on a quarterly basis.
Trustees and Core Team
Professor Cecilia Brassett
Chair of Trustees
Cecilia is Chair of the Trustees of the Campassion Care Trust, and is so thankful for the way in which God has brought together Christians from different churches to be involved in this ministry since the group was formed in 2014. Her background is in general surgery but she now works as the university clinical anatomist in Cambridge. Her experience in caring for the elderly comes from personal involvement in looking after terminally ill relatives and friends, and in going into care homes as part of church teams for services and visits. She is especially concerned about meeting the emotional and spiritual needs of elderly folk in homes, for them to know they are valued and loved by God through the actions of His people. She worships at Christ Church Huntingdon.
David Farrer
Trustee
David is a Trustee and Treasurer of the Campassion Care Trust. He is a member of St Paul’s Church, Cambridge and after so many years’ involvement with several other Cambridge charities is well known to many. David initially became interested in care for older people when the idea of a Christian Care Home in Cambridge was mentioned in the 1990s. Since then he has been involved with caring for his parents and aunt plus together with his wife Mandy supporting many of the older members of their church and neighbourhood. He usually chairs our monthly CCT meetings.
Dr Anna Gannon
Trustee
I am a Roman Catholic, and a Benedictine Oblate at Glenstal Abbey, Ireland. I regularly attend Mass at St Edmund’s College, Cambridge, where I am also Eucharistic Minister.
Since 2019 I have been volunteering in the Chaplaincy at Addenbrookes Hospital, a weekly commitment that I totally enjoy, as it really brings solace to the patients and their relatives, and helps the nursing staff too.
Hilary Bugden
Trustee
I was nursing for many years, mostly in cardiac care, both in Canada and in the NHS, contributing to the care of the elderly throughout that time.
I have supported worship services over the years in different care homes, and have more recently been actively involved in caring for the elderly, both in my own family (currently supporting my elderly Mother who is still living on her own) and within our church family (Cambridge Presbyterian Church), including visiting some of our ‘shut-ins’ regularly. Becoming acutely aware of the obvious need, I was keen to be involved in exploring the possibility of a Christian care home locally.
I participated in the conferences that Campassion have organised previously, encouraging others to respond to the widespread need of our elderly folk.
Joan Russell
Joan grew up in London where she worked as a food microbiologist. She moved to Canterbury first, then to Cambridge in 1993. She is a member of Rock Baptist Church where she is particularly involved in children’s ministry. She leads the over 60s’ Club and a ladies’ daytime bible study group. She also leads a weekly health walk in Milton Park. She became involved with Pilgrims’ Friend Society (PFS) in the 1980s when a fellow member of her church in London moved into the Camberwell home. She has visited several PFS homes and attended numerous of their meetings and conferences. When she heard of a group interested in setting up a Christian care home in Cambridge, she decided to get involved.
Rachel Simonson
I have been involved with Campasssion Care Trust for over 10 years and served as a founding Trustee. I particularly enjoyed the conferences we arranged in collaboration with other groups including Embracing Age and Pilgrims’ Friend Society. I stepped down from this role in the summer of 2024 so that I could become a (very part time) freelance project worker for the Trust. I am building up support for the work in several ways including fundraising, creating a new website and networking (one of my passions). I am sure that one day we are going to know which way this vision will be fulfilled. A considerable amount of the rest of my life is spent in two care homes (In York and in Surrey) supporting my Mum and my mother-in-law. I have recently started volunteering in the care Home in my local village, the need to spend time with residents and to encourage the carers is something very dear to my heart.
Carmel McDonnell
I have been involved with Campassion Care Trust since 2016. My role in this charity as Care Home Liaison Officer is to encourage local Christians to make a difference in the lives of older people in care homes through pastoral visits and /or taking worship services. My longstanding interest in coming alongside older people stems back four decades when my neighbour at the time, a social worker, needed people to step in and help two elderly sisters in our street at weekends. They both became friends, and I regularly visited them in hospital and in their care homes till they passed away. I also gained experience of care homes after I befriended my late mother’s friends, some of whom went into care homes. More recently my aunt was in a care home, and I helped to support her and also chatted to other residents while visiting her. I firmly believe that the smallest acts of kindness can make a difference in the lives of older people.
Anne Jarvis
Anne is a part-time teacher of English as a foreign language, but at one time worked as a missionary in Peru. She has spent many years supporting and caring for elderly relatives and friends, having power of attorney for a number of them during their lifetime, and as executor after their passing. She has a special concern for the elderly who are retired missionaries to ensure they are informed and supported in their old age. She is a member of St John the Evangelist’s, and has links with St Martin’s Church.
Mary Burdett
Mary’s interest in Campassion Care Trust stems from her work in Social Services before retirement, where an important issue for her was whether residents’ spiritual needs and wishes were met. Following retirement she cared for her mother until she died at 99, spending the last 8 months of her life in residential care. Subsequently she visited other friends in residential or care homes over time. Members of local churches provided a regular informal church service. She is particularly keen to support the aims of Campassion in the hope of the provision of a Christian facility for older people needing residential care.
Robin Agnes
I was privileged to grow up on a farm in Jersey in a Christian family which modelled an amazing level of care for the elderly. For several years during my childhood and teens elderly relatives were living with us; and when we returned from missionary work in Belgium as a young couple with 2 small children we were 4 generations living in the farm house, including 3 of my grandparents!
As a teenager I saw in the New Testament, especially in Acts 6, how the Early Church made caring for the elderly a priority. Probably the top priority for their practical giving. I feel an increasing burden to see today’s Church taking this responsibility more seriously.
With my wife, Eileen, I have been serving the Lord in pastoral and teaching ministry for over 50 years. At present we work mainly among people who are struggling in life, and we see so much loneliness and isolation. At the same time resources for helping the elderly and marginalised are increasingly stretched.
My mother was the most incredible example of a Christian caring for the elderly, with sacrificial devotion and love, through most of her adult life. Thankfully, in her 90s, she in turn was cared for in my youngest sister’s loving family home. Sadly, for various reasons, such examples of care within the family is increasingly rare in our 21st century world. BUT, this is where the church has a great responsibility and a wonderful opportunity to step up to the challenge in Jesus’ name.