It was an absolute joy when my friend Archie Ferguson invited me to visit him at his new home at the Royal Chelsea Hospital. I have known Archie for 15 years and he and his lovely wife Jennifer allowed my husband and me to use his canal boat moored at Horningsea for occasional retreats when we needed a half day to get away to pray about some big decision. The boat and beautifully kept mooring where they grew flowers and vegetables, not to mention all the window boxes and tubs down by the river were part of the Quiet Gardens movement As a couple they were dedicated to “sharing outdoor space for wellbeing and the inner journey” with anyone who needed it. The creation of beautiful accessible garden space remains a passion for Archie to this day. Quite soon after getting to know them, Jenny was diagnosed with dementia. Very early on, Archie bravely told the whole church family and so we began our journey of supporting this amazing couple through the next 10 years. To begin with Jenny could still manage to read the Bible in church and come to our Home Group which was very near to their home. As a couple they participated in any medical research going, always looking to help others and another joy was the dementia choir they both sang in. Jenny finally needed more care than Archie and their daughter and her family could provide and went into the first of several care homes, moving to more appropriate care as the illness progressed. With the help of great care staff and chaplains and pulling together as a family, they survived C-19 but Jenny was finally promoted to glory in October 2021. Her husband of over 60 years was lost without her even though he said she had “died” many years before…
The germ of the idea to move to this very unique, central London “Hospital” had been one of Jenny’s many great ideas, and now he was widowed (had no dependents) and hadn’t been an officer (the other criteria), he was free to apply. He had a 4 day/2 way residential interview and the upshot was a few months later he became a Chelsea Pensioner! The BBC followed his progress on “The One Show” as he moved out of his home in Cambridge and on to leafy pastures new in South Kensington.
Archie always took great interest in the Campassion vision and to this day he regularly calls me up to ask for prayer needs and enquire about progress. Having been so intimately involved with care homes for so long he has a burden and a heart to see a Christian Care Home come to fruition. He still comes up to Ditchburn Place on Mill Road on occasion where he helped lead a weekly worship service for the residents there for many years.
My visit to the RCH and time spent with Archie in the expansive grounds as well as in the (Sir Christopher Wren designed no less!) chapel, the café, pottery studio, allotments and dining hall as well as time talking with management was eye-openingly helpful! Our care home will not be on such a grand scale but there was lots to learn and to be inspired by.
During a recent conversation, hearing about his friendships, opportunities and more much, it was obvious that it has been a good move for him but also that he is still striving to use his days aright, serving others whenever he can and that he is so grateful for his new life.
He currently lives in a berth (think army not navy) and has the whole 658 acre site at his disposal but the time may come when he needs to move into the recently modernised hospital proper. What a wonderful prospect!
