ALTON’S first Anna Chaplain has been made an Honorary Doctor of Letters for services to the public by the University of Winchester.

Debbie Thomson (Thrower) received her award from broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh, who is chancellor of the university, at a graduation ceremony in Winchester Cathedral, which also saw dozens of students receive their degrees.

The former broadcaster for the BBC and ITV is team leader of The Gift of Years for The Bible Reading Fellowship, a programme to resource the spiritual journey of older people. Since 2010, she has pioneered Anna Chaplaincy to Older People in Alton, supporting people in care homes and others who are struggling to live independently.

Debbie was the first Anna Chaplain, and now there are more than 40 members of the growing Gift of Years network of chaplains and others working in similar ecumenical, community-based ways.

Recently, Debbie has been travelling extensively, inspiring and equipping churches and communities to meet the spiritual needs of people in later life, while remaining a part-time Anna Chaplain in Alton.

She is an Anglican licensed lay minister, a lay canon and a member of Winchester Cathedral’s Chapter, as well as a mum-of-two with a daughter and son in their twenties.

In Alton, Debbie has recently been joined by Reverend Rachel Sturt, a part-time Anna Chaplain in the town who succeeded Reverend Helen Jesty, who retired after three years as an Anna Chaplain.