Spaceforall project team member John Hook writes:
“I would like to let the church congregation know how much of a privilege and pleasure it was for me to talk with and introduce Rose Buddies to some of the hidden features of our historic church building. My emphasis was mostly on the changes that have been made over the centuries and how things will be changing yet again which was felt to be important information for this group of users of the site.
Rose Buddies are a very cohesive and supportive group who engaged very positively to the different aspects that were drawn to their attention. They show a genuine care for each other and gave each other lots of encouragement when faced with a challenge. Thanks must go to John Harrison for the major challenge of the church tower and in particular the descending of that narrow spiral staircase, one very careful step at a time.
I encouraged the Rose Buddies to be hands-on with a lot of the artefacts and I was impressed with how they shared their observational skills about individual features. Challenged by me with some questions and explaining how they felt about an experience they demonstrated not only a good understanding but also a willingness to share confidently with the rest of their group.
I hope that what was taken away in the form of experiences has also helped them understand the need to close the church building, and temporarily close some of the space around the church to enable more changes that will bring the building into this century from a long historic past.
Thank you Rose Buddies for the opportunity to meet you all and for sharing with me the experiences you enjoyed during our short time together.”
Rose Buddies is a community support service for adults with LD, who receive little or no statutory support services and live in the Wokingham Borough. It has an office base in The Cornerstone.
