On Wednesday 11th February 2026 we welcomed our guests to Winchester Cathedral for another Dementia Friendly Memory Tour – there have been several recently and more are planned over the coming months.
Quite often one or more of our guests has in the past been closely connected with the cathedral. Today was no exception. One gentleman who came with his wife had been head chorister at the cathedral many years ago. He continued to sing there as a tenor. His wife gave her services as a flower arranger for 40 years. She met a former colleague during our tour, who is still a current flower arranger.
Our guide, Pam Meir, took our group into the calm, candlelit Quire where everyone could sit down in comfort to see, touch and admire the beauty of the embroidered cushions, created in the 1930’s. The wife of our ex-head chorister showed us where he used to sit in the Quire. The cushions remain in perfect condition today, in spite of the thousands of cathedral personnel who would have, and still do, sit on them today.
In addition, there is so much to see to lift and calm the mind and body. The beautiful wood carvings, glowing in the candlelight of the Quire, the ornate wooden carvings, the warmth and smoothness of the wooden seating, together with the high Gothic, stone vaulted ceilings. Many times our guests gazed up to enjoy such beauty.
This tour was yet another rewarding and joyful experience for our guests, their carers, and our small team – Deborah Macartney, Diana Brooks and Pam Meir. We always come away having learnt something more about the cathedral. This time our former ex-head chorister told us a few things about the fun he and his fellow choristers used to have during their more relaxing moments – he certainly knew every nook and cranny of the building!
At this time in the cathedral we have the Here comes the Sun exhibition – we ended our tour with a group photo beneath the very impressive illuminated sun sculpture by British artist, Luke Jerram.
Additional photographs can be found here.
Diana Brooks
