Guest Blog by People Of Southport
“We’re all just a bunch of normal people trying to do life.”
Debs Attwater sits quietly in the welcoming space of her Southport Methodist Church – a place that, to her, represents far more than just Sunday worship. It’s a community, a calling, and a reminder of what Southport can be when people come together.
“My faith is really, really important to me.”
Debs didn’t grow up in the Methodist tradition. In fact, before moving to Southport, she’d never been to a Methodist church at all. But it quickly became home.
“When I moved to Southport, I’d never been to a Methodist church before. But my husband grew up here… so when we moved here, this was his home church. So of course, I came with him.”
At first, she knew no one. But everything changed the moment she walked through the church doors.
“I remember being really struck with the welcoming. Everyone was just so friendly, and they just accepted me as I was. I didn’t feel I had to change to fit in.”
Debs talks passionately about the unity she found among the churches in Southport – something she had not seen elsewhere.
“In Southport, the church was very much all the people of Southport. It wasn’t just, ‘I’m a Methodist and don’t go anywhere else’ or ‘I’m a Baptist’ or ‘I’m an Anglican.’ It was like everyone was kind of all speaking to each other, all joined up, really. A whole community of Christians who are simply followers of Jesus. And that really impressed me.”
For Debs, faith isn’t just something you hold privately – it’s a community, and one where people are accepted for who they are.
“It’s also not just about helping other people, because we’re part of this community… we’re all in this together. It’s more than just what we believe. We have to live what we believe.”
Throughout her life, Debs has done just that. As a recently retired NHS School Nurse, Debs has spent a lifetime caring for and helping others, and that hasn’t changed now she’s retired. Debs is now part of a passionate group setting up a Parish Nursing Service aimed at supporting families and children living with neurodiversity – a cause close to her heart, both professionally and personally.
“One of the things that’s kind of, you know, concerned me really, is the rise in families who are struggling with neurodiversity…and as a Christian, I pray about it [and] I talk to other people about it. We decided to explore setting up a Parish Nursing Service…that will reach out into the community to provide support for children, families, young people, parents and carers who are living with neurodiversity.”
She continues, “Families find that they feel…they feel abandoned. And so, it’s like, well, what can we do to bridge that and to help them with that, to help them realise what a fantastic job they’re doing and that they’re not alone.”
Alongside her husband and a small diverse team of dedicated locals, Debs is working hard to make sure the Parish Nursing Service is built to last.
“We’re part of ‘Parish Nursing Ministries UK’ so that when it is set up, it will last – so it’s not just dependent on volunteers.
That spirit of practical compassion runs deep in her household.
Debs also helps at a local youth band alongside her husband and another member of a local church. This is a space for young people of any background or need.
“Music is a wonderful outlet, isn’t it, for people.”
“I feel really honoured to be [a member of the Methodist church] because it’s not just about individuals…you’re part of something so much bigger, and it’s showing and demonstrating the love of Christ.”
Like many others in Southport, Debs was deeply affected by the tragic events of the summer. Yet even in grief, the community pulled together. The churches opened their doors. People offered each other space to feel, to talk, to begin healing.
Now, Debs says, it’s about staying vigilant and aware – not just for herself, but for everyone.
“It’s definitely made me a lot more aware of safety, being more vigilant about the surroundings that I’m in. And as a black woman living in a predominantly white area, I’m always aware of that anyway…and that’s the same for anyone that’s in a minority really… you’re clocking, where are the access points? Is there an exit point?”
She adds, “Sometimes we can be very – we’re so nice, and that’s good to be nice – but we’ve also got to be aware that it’s okay to challenge.”
And if someone said to her that they weren’t sure about visiting or living in Southport?
“Actually, we’re all just a bunch of normal people trying to do life and I’ve found there is a lot of support, actually, from where I sit.
I’ve been privileged through being part of the Southport African Caribbean Heritage Association (SACHA), another wonderful growing community of people in Southport who look out for and support each other and reach out in practical and social ways, to be invited to sessions arranged by the Police and the council…who have been working together to find out, well, what does your community need? How can we help you?…We’re all learning aren’t we?”
For Debs, the answer is simple and powerful: community, compassion, and care.
As part of People of Southport, Debs tries to be part of a Southport that shines a little brighter. She is a reminder that some of the strongest foundations here are built not with bricks, but with kindness, faith, and the quiet, unwavering commitment to helping others feel seen.
Because in Southport – thanks to people like Debs – the door is always open.
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