In April 2008 a small group began
meeting at this Edinburgh
church, to look how the needs of the more senior members of the congregation
could be met. The main impact was the
organizing a quarterly Holy Communion service, on a Wednesday afternoon, in the
Church Centre.
The aim was to provide a traditional
service, in an easily accessible setting, which could be followed by
socializing and tea. As some of our
members have mobility problems, taxis are arranged, provided by the church, to
bring folk to, and fro, the event if needed.
In July that year we held our first
CAMEO (Come and Meet Each Other) day.
The theme was ‘the Festival’ & a couple of artistes, who perform in
street theatre, came and enabled us to make a large collage, to hang in church
during the Edinburgh Festival. They also
gave us a performance of juggling and acrobatics, after the Holy Communion
service in the afternoon.
The next CAMEO day was held in June 2009,
with the 70th Anniversary providing the theme of ‘The Second World
War’. This evoked many memories,
including what it was like to be child in Germany at that time.
As the quarterly service had grown
in popularity we made the decision to hold it monthly, from September, with the
planning group meeting every other month to decide the themes and organize each
event.
The Communion service has remained central.
This is followed by readings & reminiscences and then tea, provided by the
Mothers’ Union, which have been part of this
event from the start. The delicious home baking, the fresh flowers and
colourful serviettes are much appreciated.
In 2010 we hope to build on
what has evolved, and enable more people to be able to come. A guest book
reminds us who was there. The ratio of helpers to guests is usually one to one,
with often over twenty people enjoying the time together.
We have decided to call ourselves the Cameo
Group, as this how we are known! Sometimes
the themes are obvious, such as the ‘Carols at Christmas’ and ‘Remembrance
Day’.
In January we had chosen ‘Winter’, before
realizing how snowy it would be! This
evoked memories of other severe winters and, for a few, the Cameo event was the
only time they had been out in weeks. Gill Davidson
