RETIRED English teacher John Cox has released a personal collection of poems inspired by the memories he shares with his wife – as she lives with dementia.

Mr Cox has put together the moving verses while supporting his wife, Rosemary, as she lives with the condition and has released them – with all proceeds going to the Salisbury District Hospital Stars Appeal.

Memories for Rosemary is a deeply personal collection written to celebrate and renew memories from their lives together, he said, as the couple live with her condition, which means she continues to recognise people and communicates her understanding through smiles and facial expressions.

“Last December I wrote A Christmas Crown for Rosemary, a sequence of 15 sonnets about our lives together,” John explained.

“I read it to Rosemary and was deeply moved by her response. When I’d finished, I asked if it was all right. She smiled and actually said, ‘Yes’. The poetry somehow sparked in her something beyond what talking might do.

“I’ve gone on to write more poems in different forms, with travel often a recurring theme, and have also written about memories of my life before I met Rosemary.

“Having shared the poems with family and friends, I would like them to reach a wider readership and to benefit the Stars Appeal, which does such hugely important work for so many people.”

The project also reflects Rosemary’s lifelong dedication to healthcare.

A nurse throughout her career, she trained at St Thomas’ Hospital in London and worked as a coronary care nurse at St Bartholomew’s Hospital when she and John first met.

After moving to Salisbury and raising a family, Rosemary returned to nursing at Salisbury District Hospital, working at the Spinal Treatment Centre before transferring to Salisbury Hospice.

Her final role was as a Sister, liaising with medical staff across the hospital on palliative care.

“Having given so much to so many during her working life, Rosemary is now the recipient of nursing care. Excellent nurses may not always make good patients, but she has become one,” John went on.

In recognition of both Rosemary’s nursing career and the care she has received, all proceeds from sales of Memories for Rosemary will be donated to the Stars Appeal, the charity supporting Salisbury District Hospital.

Dave Cates, from the charity, said: “It is incredibly generous that the proceeds from Memories for Rosemary are coming to the Stars Appeal to support our work with patients and families at Salisbury Hospital. We are very grateful to John for choosing to support our charity in this way and wish him every success with the book.”

Copies of Memories for Rosemary cost £10 and are available from Salisbury Information Centre, in Fish Row. The book can also be ordered online for £12, including postage and packaging, via www.memoriesforrosemary.org.

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