The comedian Peter Kay said in one of his routines a few years ago that he liked to take his mam shopping, because in doing so, that allowed him to legitimately park in a parent and child parking space. The thought of a grown man in his mid to late forties taking his mum shopping,…
Dear friends, Channel four are currently screening their modern adaptation of the James Herriot story “All creatures great and small” I loved reading the books, more than once and whilst I loved the original BBC story screened from 1978-1990 starring Christopher Timothy, I love the new series. I often find that when we have had…
Back in 2016 The BBC screened the first series of the BAFTA award winning drama series “The A Word” which tells the story of the Hughes family who live in Cumbria and are coming to terms with the truth that their little boy, Joe has been diagnosed with autism. Joe’s parents go through the agony…
Dear friends, Karen and I enjoy going to Church when we are away on holiday, mainly because we seldom have the opportunity to sit together in worship, and I believe that it is good for me to be able to receive and be fed instead of always being the one who is attempting to preach.…
How often have we said in recent weeks that we are experiencing once in a lifetime events, or being a part of the process of writing history? Just as we have witnessed the whole experience of the Queens platinum jubilee, something never seen in history before and the proclamation of a new king, this week…
At the ripe old age of sixty-three and fifty-nine, with arthritis and diabetes, my wife and I have decided to take up camping, just at the point when folk of our age are promoting themselves onto motorhomes. To quickly kill the image you have in your mind of two of us crawling into a two-man…
Dear friends, A lot has happened since I wrote my letter last week. One of my pet hates as a minister is training, when I am told that I have to participate in compulsory training, I become irritated and never take part with joy, rather with utter reluctance. In May of this year several of…
While on holiday recently we had a day out in Northumberland. I adore this part of the country and love to travel down the coastline from Bamburgh in the north to Tynemouth. Time and tide permitting we will also take in a visit to Holy Island, another of my favourite haunts. We were staying in…
Dear Friends, The words “living in unprecedented times” have been quoted over and over again during the last two years and following one of the most challenging weeks that I can remember, I believe that the last fortnight definitely qualifies. I will normally write my letter to you first thing on a Wednesday morning, when…
Dear Friends, One of my mantra’s that I have found to be true over the years is something I learned a long time ago, surround yourself with good people and you will experience the very best that life has to offer. I believe that was true of the wonderful welcome service we offered to God…