A trustee at Bridgemead in Bath for 20 years, Tilly Wood was closely involved with the transfer of the home to Pilgrims’ Friend Society in October 2024 and has now joined our board of trustees. She reflects on the threads the Lord has woven together to bring her here

My career was in IT and business consultancy. This often meant long hours and lots of travel. I took early retirement so that I would be able to spend more time locally in the voluntary sector. A very good friend from church was on the board at Bridgemead and so I was invited to join the board and served as a trustee for 20 years. It was very satisfying to reinvest skills and knowledge gained from a secular career in the Lord’s work.

My mum became a Christian at the age of 75. This show’s it’s never too late with the Lord. I believe it’s so important to look after older people’s spiritual needs whether they are yet to be saved, babes in Christ or have known the Lord for a lifetime. Having care homes that are distinctly Christian can play a big part in that.

As a trustee for Bridgemead, I worked closely on the transfer to Pilgrims’ Friend Society. About five or six years ago, the board decided the home would be better off being part of a bigger organisation, with all the support that comes with that. We approached the then chairman Alan Copeman who was very supportive and helped get the process started. Throughout that time Stephen Hammersley also helped us with advice and expertise from his team.

It was very important for us to work with a Christian provider. The trustees felt that Pilgrims’ Friend Society was a good fit for Bridgemead, putting people’s spiritual needs at the heart of everything.

I’m now a trustee for Pilgrims’ Friend Society. In this role, I’ll be drawing on my experience of being on the Bridgemead board as well as my experience of seeing first-hand the needs of older Christian family and friends. I’m conscious of the financial implications of every decision.

I’m excited by the possibilities presented by the Growth and Renewal Programme. The more care homes we have then the more people there will be who receive Christian care. I’ve been to visit Middlefields House in Chippenham and it’s wonderful to see how this newly-built care home is supporting people through great care in a lovely environment. I can see how The Harvest Coffee Shop is a wonderful way people can get familiar with the home.

At Bridgemead, there is a Day Club to help support older people in the local area. It has a huge impact in terms of promoting well-being and tackling issues like loneliness and isolation. Should someone reach a point they need to go into the care home and they have been part of the Day Club that transition is so much easier.

As well as being involved at Bridgemead, I’m part of a team that goes into local primary schools. We lead assemblies, sharing stories from the Bible. I’ve recently stepped down as Sunday School teacher of over 20 years. I love being able to teach the Bible to children.

My other great passion is gardening. After I retired, I studied for a qualification at horticultural college. I take great pleasure in the flower borders and growing things in my raised beds and in the greenhouse. In summer, we’ll often have a Greek salad where pretty much all the ingredients come from our garden – tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, red onions (we buy the cheese).

My husband Tim and I also like going travelling in our camper van. I’m looking forward to going round the country and stopping off at the homes to say ‘hello’.