0:00:02 > 0:00:04Today on Songs Of Praise we go behind the scenes
0:00:04 > 0:00:06of a busy NHS hospital.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08I'm joining the chaplain here in Southport as he caters
0:00:08 > 0:00:12to the spiritual needs of staff and patients alike.
0:00:12 > 0:00:13I'm privileged enough to meet a
0:00:13 > 0:00:16couple who are getting married in the ward....
0:00:16 > 0:00:17- Hello.- How are you?
0:00:17 > 0:00:18Shaken but not stirred.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22Their wedding has captured the imagination of the staff.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26It's something that is going to stay with me forever, I think.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28We will also hear how one woman's faith has helped sustain her
0:00:28 > 0:00:31during a five-month stay in hospital.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34..Three, up you go, Mrs.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Our music today comes from across the United Kingdom.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48And we begin with a hymn that's
0:00:48 > 0:00:49often sung during this season of Lent.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51From the heart of the Cotswolds.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust
0:03:29 > 0:03:33serves over a quarter of a million people in the North West.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36The trust employs the Rev Martin Abrams as chaplain.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40He works across two hospitals, ministering to staff and patients alike.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43I've been invited to shadow Martin on his rounds and to experience
0:03:43 > 0:03:47a snapshot of hospital life through his eyes.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Martin has been in the role for nearly five years
0:03:50 > 0:03:53and is on call to help people in all situations.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56I bet no two days are the same here?
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Never. Often you'll get an urgent call,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01somebody's at the end of life, there's been an accident,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04A&E want you to go down and support them or support someone.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Sometimes a phone call can change the whole course of your day.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10Do you ever wish you had a quiet parish life?
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Sometimes after a really busy day and you've been out once or twice in the night,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16maybe, but it's just a very different life.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18In churches you build up relationships with people
0:04:18 > 0:04:20over a lifetime. But here,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24you walk into people's lives for maybe an hour or two hours,
0:04:24 > 0:04:29or a week or two, and then you walk straight out of them again.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32One couple Martin has got to know well over the past few weeks
0:04:32 > 0:04:34is Kate Hart and Frank Heath.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37They've asked him to conduct their wedding on the ward,
0:04:37 > 0:04:38a first for Martin.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Hi, Kate, hi, Frank.
0:04:41 > 0:04:42Hi.
0:04:42 > 0:04:43# Life is just a bowl of cherries... #
0:04:43 > 0:04:45MARTIN LAUGHS
0:04:45 > 0:04:47It's a chance to run through the ceremony.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52I'll say to you, "Frank, are you willing to give yourself in marriage to Kate?" and you say, "I am."
0:04:52 > 0:04:55"Kate, are you willing to give yourself in marriage to Frank?"
0:04:55 > 0:04:56"I am, yeah."
0:04:56 > 0:04:58- It's come up on us very quick. - I know.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01But some of the most lovely weddings I've ever taken
0:05:01 > 0:05:05have been ones like this that were planned at really short notice.
0:05:05 > 0:05:10Frank has wanted to marry Kate since they first met, five years ago.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15He's now been given devastating news after receiving his test results.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19It was said that I had cancer on the liver.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22And it was so far extended
0:05:23 > 0:05:26that there was nothing they could do about it.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31Now Kate has given Frank the answer he's been waiting for.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34I couldn't let him go without saying yes.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37It's his dying wish.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39And he wants to die happy.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41I would rather he lived happy.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43I love her.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Love her to bits.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49He was crying the other day
0:05:49 > 0:05:51because he didn't want to leave me.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54So I said, "Love never dies.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56"God is love.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58"We love because God loves us."
0:05:59 > 0:06:02You're now to share this way of life which God has created...
0:06:02 > 0:06:07Frank and Kate are determined to make their ceremony a religious one.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10I think they're going through the whole cocktail of emotions
0:06:10 > 0:06:12as it stands in humanity.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15On the one hand, they're planning the most special day they could possibly have.
0:06:15 > 0:06:20But alongside the fact that Frank's got a very stark diagnosis.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24You've got, we don't know how long, but you've got time to live happy
0:06:24 > 0:06:26together, and that's what we want.
0:06:26 > 0:06:27We want to make it...
0:06:27 > 0:06:30- We had our future first.- (Yeah.)
0:06:30 > 0:06:33I think faith is so important to who they are,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and their faith has brought them so far through life,
0:06:36 > 0:06:40and that's going to be a big part of what they're celebrating and focusing on.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Preparations for the wedding are under way
0:06:43 > 0:06:46and we'll be joining Kate and Frank on their special day
0:06:46 > 0:06:47later in the programme.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Next, a hymn that Kate has chosen.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Every month, Chaplain Martin comes together with other chaplains
0:09:42 > 0:09:46and volunteers from Christian denominations
0:09:46 > 0:09:48to pray for the many visitors who leave messages of prayer
0:09:48 > 0:09:50in the hospital chapels.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53- ALL:- Hear our prayer.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57I think part of the Christian tradition and part of what it is to be a community
0:09:57 > 0:09:59is to uphold before one another
0:09:59 > 0:10:02and before God the needs and the issues of people,
0:10:02 > 0:10:04whether we know them or not.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07We invite people to go in and to leave prayers and intentions
0:10:07 > 0:10:09on the prayer tree.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Some of the prayers we read are really heartfelt prayers.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17"God help me" is perhaps one of the most heartfelt prayers we ever hear.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20Most of the patients that Martin encounters
0:10:20 > 0:10:22tend to be in hospital for a short stay,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25but some on the spinal unit, like Janet Bundy,
0:10:25 > 0:10:27become regulars on his rounds.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Martin has known Janet for the past five months.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33An accident at home changed her life.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36I was in the middle of house moving.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39I was on the second landing.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42I took a nosedive down the stairs
0:10:42 > 0:10:45and ended up in the hall.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48And I couldn't breathe.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51My daughter came scrambling down,
0:10:51 > 0:10:53then she automatically phoned for an ambulance.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Janet's fall left her with lasting injuries
0:10:56 > 0:10:57that she's still recovering from.
0:10:57 > 0:11:04I'm in the gym to try and improve on my transfers and my standing.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08My legs are against the bench stop. Is that allowed?
0:11:08 > 0:11:09- Not particularly.- No?
0:11:09 > 0:11:11THEY LAUGH
0:11:11 > 0:11:13- I'm cheating.- I have to help a bit.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15JANET LAUGHS
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Martin and the chaplaincy don't just provide spiritual rehabilitation.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23They also organise fun activities such as Messy Church.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Often when people first come in here,
0:11:26 > 0:11:28They just see the weeks and months stretching out before them
0:11:28 > 0:11:31and just wonder how on earth they are going to cope.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34And to see her now so positive and so engaged is just wonderful.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Amazing, she really is an amazing woman.
0:11:37 > 0:11:42Well, I'm hoping to be able to take a step or two,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45to be able to feed myself,
0:11:45 > 0:11:50and to be less dependent on other people.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52One, two...
0:11:52 > 0:11:55three, up you go, Mrs!
0:11:55 > 0:11:56Bottom.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58Janet's an incredibly spirited lady.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Wherever you go she's laughing, joking,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04she raises the spirits of the patients and staff alike.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06And she's just a joy to be around.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10One of Janet's daughters, Val, has come in for a visit.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12And they're taking a trip down memory lane.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14- And that's us.- Us.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Oh, that's nice.
0:12:16 > 0:12:17My mum is pretty special.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21She's obviously had real struggles in her life
0:12:21 > 0:12:24but she just chooses to be positive.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Normally when people have an accident or something awful happens,
0:12:28 > 0:12:29their faith wavers.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32For some reason my mum's faith seems to really galvanised with this,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34and it's just really helped her.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37My faith has always been part of me.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41It's been challenged at times.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45But has never been so challenged as since my accident.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48My communion means a lot to me.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53I've got all the faith support that I need.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Later in the programme we'll be joining Kate
0:15:10 > 0:15:12and Frank as they make their wedding vows,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15but next a beautiful choral performance of a much-loved hymn.
0:15:15 > 0:15:23# Lord of all hopefulness Lord of all joy
0:15:23 > 0:15:30# Whose trust, ever childlike No cares could destroy
0:15:30 > 0:15:39# Be there at our waking And give us, we pray
0:15:39 > 0:15:47# Your bliss in our hearts, Lord At the break of the day
0:15:52 > 0:15:58# Lord of all eagerness Lord of all faith
0:15:59 > 0:16:06# Whose strong hands were skilled at The plane and the lathe
0:16:06 > 0:16:14# Be there at our labours And give us, we pray
0:16:14 > 0:16:22# Your strength in our hearts, Lord At the noon of the day
0:16:26 > 0:16:33# Lord of all kindliness Lord of all grace
0:16:33 > 0:16:40# Your hands swift to welcome Your arms to embrace
0:16:40 > 0:16:48# Be there at our homing And give us, we pray
0:16:48 > 0:16:56# Your love in our hearts, Lord At the eve of the day
0:16:57 > 0:17:04# Lord of all gentleness Lord of all calm
0:17:04 > 0:17:12# Whose voice is contentment Whose presence is balm
0:17:12 > 0:17:23# Be there at our sleeping And give us, we pray
0:17:23 > 0:17:38# Your peace in our hearts, Lord At the end of the day. #
0:17:44 > 0:17:48Mary Macnab is a specialist nurse in the urology departments,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51and alongside her day job she has teamed up with Chaplain Martin
0:17:51 > 0:17:55to offer a vital service to the midwives working in the hospital.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59If people are stronger than they think in those early days,
0:17:59 > 0:18:01you don't feel it all the time,
0:18:01 > 0:18:05but, you know, there's a lot of resources within ourselves.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10We, like you, just want to make things better.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Martin and Mary are training midwives to help parents
0:18:13 > 0:18:17who experience miscarriages or stillbirth.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20It's been really important we come along and help train the midwives
0:18:20 > 0:18:23and just help strengthen communication
0:18:23 > 0:18:26and make sure that everybody's journey
0:18:26 > 0:18:31in this very sad circumstance is as best as it can be.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Mary has personal experience of bereavement.
0:18:34 > 0:18:39She lost her daughter Sophie nearly nine years ago.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Tell me a bit about your daughter Sophie.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45Sophie was born on the 8th of August, 2008.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49Very sadly for us, she was a stillborn baby at 37 weeks.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53I was due to have her a week later at 38 weeks.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57Mary has some treasured mementos of the time she had with her daughter.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00This was Sophie's hat that she had on at the time.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04We have her hospital bands.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06These are the plaster casts
0:19:06 > 0:19:07- from her feet.- Right.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11- And your memories are vital. - Of course they are.
0:19:14 > 0:19:20Mary has two other daughters and Sophie is part of all their lives.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22My other daughter's only nine months behind her,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25so we can't not remember her,
0:19:25 > 0:19:29- because every milestone she goes through Sophie would have gone through.- Of course.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31But we do make a fuss of birthdays.
0:19:31 > 0:19:36We always get together as a close family. We do remember her.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38She is in my heart and she'll always be close to me.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45Martin the chaplain was instrumental in setting up the garden
0:19:45 > 0:19:50as a place of remembrance for those babies who are stillborn or miscarried.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53In the old days it was something you thought you got over
0:19:53 > 0:19:56and they'd never do anything to help remember them.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Do you find that the parent use this garden?
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Do they come here to maybe feel closer to their loved ones?
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Sometimes I come down here and we'll find a mum and a dad
0:20:03 > 0:20:07or a family just sat in the garden being quiet and reflective
0:20:07 > 0:20:08and remembering.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12All the flowers you can see around you have been planted by parents,
0:20:12 > 0:20:16and so each of these is a very significant marking place
0:20:16 > 0:20:18for parents or mums and for dads.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21And one of the things we try to focus on
0:20:21 > 0:20:23is that, yes, it is a life-changing experience
0:20:23 > 0:20:25and those we love do walk with us.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28But we do learn to live life in a new context,
0:20:28 > 0:20:32we do find hope and we do journey forward, but we never forget.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22Earlier in the programmer we met Frank and Kate.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25They've called on the services of hospital chaplain Martin Abrams
0:23:25 > 0:23:27to conduct their wedding.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31Frank has a terminal diagnosis,
0:23:31 > 0:23:35and the couple know that their time together could be short.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38The staff have taken them into their hearts.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42I don't think it's usually this busy on Ward 15, but it's a special day, of course.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47Wedding preparations are in full swing and Frank has been preparing himself, too.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50- I'd love to see her face...- Aw!
0:23:50 > 0:23:53- ..when she comes round the corner. - Aw!
0:23:53 > 0:23:54You'll have us all crying.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56You'll have me crying.
0:23:56 > 0:23:57THEY LAUGH
0:23:57 > 0:23:59She'll look lovely, won't she?
0:24:01 > 0:24:02She looks lovely anyway.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06Aw! She does, you know, you're right.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08Like all brides, Kate's feeling a bit nervous.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11- Kate.- Hello.- How are you?
0:24:11 > 0:24:14- Er...shaken but not stirred.- Yeah.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17Do you find yourself praying for Frank?
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Every day. All day, every day.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Yeah. I'm so glad that I'm able to make him happy.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Close family and friends and all the ward staff
0:24:28 > 0:24:32have come together to witness this occasion.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42Today we're about making moments, we're about making memories,
0:24:42 > 0:24:46and that's what we're doing, we're doing something really special.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Hey, leave that till after.
0:24:53 > 0:24:54You're beautiful.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01Whatever we're going through, the joys and the sorrows,
0:25:01 > 0:25:05there is always hope, and there is always faith.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10And in your marriage we're making a massive affirmation of that.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12I, Frank Heath...
0:25:12 > 0:25:13I, Frank Heath...
0:25:13 > 0:25:15- ..take you... - ..take you...
0:25:15 > 0:25:18..Kathleen Margaret Maureen Hart...
0:25:18 > 0:25:22..Kathleen Margaret Maureen Hart...
0:25:22 > 0:25:24..to be my wedded wife.
0:25:24 > 0:25:25..to be my wedded wife.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30I, Kathleen Margaret Maureen Hart...
0:25:30 > 0:25:33I, Kathleen Margaret Maureen Hart...
0:25:33 > 0:25:36- ..take you... - ..take you...
0:25:36 > 0:25:38- ..Frank Heath... - ..Frank Heath...
0:25:38 > 0:25:41- ..to be my wedded husband. - ..to be my wedded husband.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43With these rings...
0:25:43 > 0:25:44BOTH: With these rings...
0:25:44 > 0:25:47We pledge ourselves to each other.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51I therefore proclaim that you are now husband and wife.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03I love you.
0:26:03 > 0:26:04I love you.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23I've got to ask you both, what does it mean to you
0:26:23 > 0:26:25to be married to this lady now?
0:26:25 > 0:26:27It's mind-blowing.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30I love him and I'm so glad he's happy now.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33I'm so thankful to both of you for sharing...
0:26:33 > 0:26:36it's not a big day, it's a massive day...
0:26:36 > 0:26:38the biggest day with us.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41This is the first time I've ever seen a wedding on a ward,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44and it's something that's going to stay with me forever, I think.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47I'm really, really proud of everyone that works on the ward.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49It will certainly go down in history, today.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53I don't think I've ever had a greater privilege than sharing in a service like that.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56You go home exhausted and fulfilled.
0:26:56 > 0:26:57What more could you ask?
0:29:58 > 0:30:02So, Kate and Frank's wedding day went off brilliantly well
0:30:02 > 0:30:03with the help of Chaplain Martin,
0:30:03 > 0:30:05and what an honour for us to be sharing
0:30:05 > 0:30:07their big day with them.
0:30:07 > 0:30:08Next week, it's Mothering Sunday.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11We'll be meeting two remarkable women. I hope you can join us.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14In the meantime, we'll leave you with our final hymn. Bye-bye.