Hospiscare, Exeter

Email: lucyann.ashdown@ahpcc.org.uk

Lucyann has been a Spiritual Care Lead since 2014, in Essex, Dorset, and now in Devon. She spent most of her career in health care, initially as a nurse, followed by three decades as a midwife; practising as a home birth specialist, senior lecturer, clinical supervisor, as well facilitating groups for parents and professionals. She is also a mediator. Involuntary childlessness caused her to reflect deeply on the meaning and purpose of her life. In 2008 she was ordained as a minister in the Church of England. Lucyann has always been drawn to supporting people and those who support them in time of transition; whether birth, key points in life or death. She relishes the privilege of being a compassionate presence at these pivotal moments. She enjoys being alone in nature, singing, running, growing vegetables and knitting.

Lucyann is also Bishop’s Advisor for Wholeness and Healing, Salisbury Diocese, and trustee of The Guild of Health and St Raphael.

Moorin Babawale

Havens Hospices, Southend on Sea

Email: moorin.babawale@ahpcc.org.uk

My name is Oluwamoorin Babawale, but preferably called Moorin. I am an ordained minister at my local church in Laindon, Essex. I am married and blessed with wonderful three kids.

I’m an educator/tutor, freelance media woman, singer-songwriter, community facilitator, web designer, instrumentalist, and content creator. I founded and direct my local community gospel choir. I am highly blessed to be the Spiritual Care Lead at Havens Hospices.

My chaplaincy journey started over a decade ago when I was going through multiple stillbirths & miscarriages on top of my mum that was diagnosed with multiple cancer that eventually led to her demise. All these simultaneous trials whilst I was pregnant and expecting our 1st surviving child.
These trying periods were life-changing moments.

It was comforting, reassuring, and pleasant to have the support of the hospital chaplains that handed me life jackets. This act of compassion and empathy propelled me to give back to the profession which meant a lot to me during my darkest moments.

I refer to myself as an “octopus” with many tentacles, because as a mum I have learned to multi-tasking, and juggle activities together at the same time. I am passionate about individual personal development, taking up challenges, responsibilities towards community engagements, well-being, pastoral, emotional, and spiritual care within my local community.

During the lockdown, I collected and shared food, groceries, and toiletries within my neighbourhood. I still run a local food bank from our 20-foot container in our back garden.

I counsel, support, empower and work with local charities to bring hope, comfort, smiles, confidence, and reassurance to many whom I cross paths with.

My Christian faith and music have always been important to me and often find myself supporting individuals and families who are not ‘church’ goers but sought after deeper meaning to their connection to spiritualism when they face a storm in their lives or just going through a hard day.

The community choir I started almost 10 years ago has become more of a sanctuary, and counselling cell to my members and community than the purpose intended for. Singing has always been my passion and music is my admired, powerful tool. Over the years I have worked with different not-for-profit organisations, hospitals, churches, local businesses, and people of great talents and with a strong community spirit.

I had worked with Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Goodmayes Hospital, Thurrock, and Basildon Hospital. These hospitals are all within a multi-faith setting. However, it has been a blessing and privilege to serve in my current capacity as Spiritual Care lead at Havens Hospices and UKBHC Ambassador. The positions I cherish and will continue to hold in high esteem.

In this capacity, God has used me to be a succour and a source of hope and support to my patients, staff, and families in their low times. Making unbearable moments a bit bearable and making everyday count.

Email: carol.gully@ahpcc.org.uk

I am now retired, but from 2013 – 2024, I was Spiritual Care Chaplain at Rowans Hospice near Portsmouth. My first experience of chaplaincy was being part of the chaplaincy team at the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust in Greater Manchester. Originally I trained as a primary teacher, working in a variety of schools and was ordained in the Church of England in 2005.

I have a husband Paul who is also a Priest and two grown-up daughters. I am passionate about ecologically-friendly gardening – I have three wormeries! I also like to sing.

Martin McGonigle

Dougie Mac Hospice, Stoke-on-Trent

Email: martin.mcgonigle@ahpcc.org.uk

Hello, my name is Martin and I’ve been in spiritual healthcare for over 20 years; 14 of which in Palliative and End of Life, in both the NHS and Charitable Sectors. I’ve always worked in multi-cultural and multi-faith contexts and aim to make spiritual, pastoral and religious care equitable to all and have a particular interest in how we provide this care to people who are unable to express who they are or what their wishes might be. I’m a member of the Zen Buddhist tradition (being given the Dharma name of Doshin) and have used the insights of this to shape my work, particularly the practices of Not Knowing and Bearing Witness.

Ali Pandian

Rachel House Children’s Hospice, Kinross

Email: ali.pandian@ahpcc.org.uk

I grew up in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and then St Andrews.

When I left school I lived in Thailand for a year. This was an amazing experience which opened my eyes to a completely different culture to the one I had grown up in and taught me so much about hospitality.

I always had a love of theatre, which led me to my first degree in Community Arts at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. It was in Liverpool where I met my husband and we had our children, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. I worked in Women’s Aid for a number of years before feeling a call to ministry, and particularly chaplaincy, when our children were wee. This led to us moving to Scotland.

I trained as a Church of Scotland minister and was ordained to an NHS healthcare chaplaincy post in 2017, where I remained before joining CHAS (Children’s Hospices Across Scotland) in 2021 as the chaplain at Rachel House in Kinross. I was familiar with Rachel House as I spent a day a week in Rachel House during my time as a probationer minister with the Church of Scotland. I am passionate about connecting with other chaplains and finding out how we can support each other to serve well.

I live in West Lothian with my husband and our children. I feel ‘at my best’ when I balance work with swimming, running, walking by water, going to the theatre and connect with friends and family.

Wrexham Maelor Hospital, BCUHB, Wrexham

Email: gary.windon@ahpcc.org.uk

Having spent twenty years in the computer industry I re-trained for ministry in 1998 and after ordination in the Church of England in 2000 started parish ministry in a curacy post in the West Midlands. Ecumenism has always been important to me, my home church being an Anglican/Methodist LEP. Although technically an Anglican, I have led Church of England, Church in Wales, Presbyterian Church of Wales and Methodist churches. After 16 years mainly based in a hospice I have now transitioned to palliative care in a NHS setting.

My interests outside work include skydiving, motorcycles, heavy metal and hill walking – and trying to work out a way of combining them all in one weekend!

Tim Leeson

St Helena Hospice, Colchester

Email: tim.leeson@ahpcc.org.uk

I was born in Belgium, and lived in France and the USA before settling in the UK in 1997. I was a youth worker for 18 years, and made the jump to healthcare chaplaincy during the COVID pandemic. I started as a hospital chaplain at Colchester Hospital before becoming Spiritual Care Lead at St Helena Hospice in December 2022. Like many members of the AHPCC, I divide my time between the hospice inpatient unit and doing community visits. I’m passionate about spiritual care being evidence-based, patient-led, and inclusive of all faiths and worldviews.

Outside of work, I love music, video games, comedy and spending time in nature!