September 2025 Magazine

You may have noticed that sometimes the magazine is delayed,  this is either due to lateness in getting things for inclusion or the life of the editors getting in the way !!

Pauline & Bob - co-editors..   

Updated  1st September 2025

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Repairs to church roof / Gulley and other bits.

The faculty for repairing the Gulley between the church roofs, removal of the boiler house chimney and repointing of the East end coping stones has been granted.  A meeting with the architect and contractor will take place soon and then hopefully the work can then take place in the near future.  This will mean scaffolding being erected at the east end of the church and as the work will be done from that end, access to the church building will not be affected.

I am sure the congregation has noticed that the sound system in church has become erratic when the vicar is using a throat microphone.  One of the units has failed completely and the other is very directional in picking her voice up, so when she moves her head when speaking at the altar it fails to pick up properly.   Contact is being made with the specialist firm to a) get a new replacement unit and b) see if a more modern reliable microphone system is available.

The church bell,  A fortnight ago the church bell rope snapped, this is the second time this has happened in recent years and is due to the tube through the bellcote stonework deteriorating and snagging the cable.  The bell company will be contacted  to see what can be done to have the bell ringing again.  I won't mention that both times the cable snapped a certain family was involved!!

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Dear Friends,

It was in a busy town centre that I was stopped by a young lady. She was from a group of young Christians evangelising there.  On discovering that I am a Christian and indeed regularly attend my local parish church, she found a new direction to develop our conversation. She introduced her own church as a Bible believing church, and inviting me to visit them. I presume that for this young enthusiastic Christian ‘Bible believing’ in this context meant they believe only things written in the Bible that she held in her hands, from which she was able to find guidance, inspiration and the divine teachings, and that it was the Bible alone which sustained her faith and nourished her spiritual growth.  This is too simple a way of seeing the Bible and Christian faith.  This young Christian possibly believes that the Bible gives us the precise words of God, so that every word should be believed literally, and the Christian church should be exactly like the church in the Book of Acts, despite the fact that the Christian Church has walked through two millennia into a time with a fully developed theology and have produced tens of thousands of saints who have been rewarded with heavenly crowns.

The Church of England believes in the primacy of the Scriptures. That means the Bible is the norm of faith and it is the norm by which other norms, such as creeds, traditions, and confessions of faith are to be judged. For our Church recognises that Christian experience is recorded in the New Testament, and that it is the task of the Church to understand this experience as fully as we can. This task of understanding gives us Christian doctrine, and the doctrine is summarised in the Creeds and Confessions. In short, the Church went on learning after we received the scriptures, and goes on learning now.

This is nothing new. This, indeed, is the great work of the Apostles, including St. Paul. They recognised that Jesus´ Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven implied that His place on earth was now filled by the Holy Spirit. They received the teaching of the Spirit, and they developed it. That is how we have the Epistles, the texts that make up so much of the New Testament. We have, too, the Book of Acts, which tells us what the Apostles did under the guidance of the Spirit. Before Jesus’ Ascension, He gave the Last Commandment to the Apostles, that is, to make disciples of all the nations. The twelve Apostles divided the regions of the world amongst them.  The book of Acts does not record where all the twelve went. It tells us that James was martyred in Jerusalem.  We know St Peter became connected with the churches in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.  Paul undertook three missionary journeys, reaching as far as Spain.  Eusebius, the 4^th century church historian, wrote that ‘the holy Apostles and disciples of our Saviour, being spread abroad over the world, Thomas took Parthia, and Andrew took Scythia’.

Justin, from Rome, wrote in 150 AD wrote that ‘from Jerusalem there did go out men, twelve in number, into the world, and these unlearned and with no ability in speech, and in the power of God they proclaimed (Christ) to every race of men.  The Twelve Apostles depended on the power of God, as the twelve bells hung on the High-priest’s robe, and through their voice it is that all earth has been filled with the glory and the grace of God and his Christ’.  This work took time. It was only a later generation, by the second century when the all apostles had given their lives for the Gospel and had gone to their rest that their labour began to bear fruit.   The Apostles had their successors.  The following generations of Christians took up the work they had begun and carried the Jesus’ mission further.  Origen describes these men, called to and content with an insecure, often a hard, frugal life in order to give themselves to Christian scholarship and to both popular and scholarly presentation of Christian truth.  Amongst them only a few are known, such as Quadratus, Aristides (flourished c 125 AD), and Athenagoras (flourished c 177 AD.   It was also in those early centuries that Christians were severely persecuted, and yet this was a time the Church grew rapidly, and the books that we know as the Bible were collected and put together.

Therefore, I do not think that Christianity and the Christian Church can exclude the development that is recorded in Acts, in church history and in tradition.  Without this, there would not be the Bible as we have it today, nor would we have the Church and all that comes from it for our culture.  Our debt to the Apostles, and to countless Christian forebears whose names history does not give us, and to the saints is incalculable.

Today, as the Christian message may seem to fade from the public views, and the Church seems to some to be just another institution, we Christians need to look to our past so that we can revive our courage for the future. The work of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles and their successors gives us the courage of the saints to continue the Great Commandment. 

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General Synod calls for a funding of palliative care

instead of ‘unworkable and unsafe’ assisted suicide law

General Synod has called on the Government to improve funding for “desperately needed” palliative care, rather than putting vulnerable people at risk through “unworkable and unsafe” legislation to introduce assisted suicide.

Members of the Synod recently backed a call by the Bishop of London for the Government to increase funding for palliative care and palliative care research to enable people to live their lives in full until they die.

The debate heard speeches opposing a change in the law and backing increased funding for palliative care from a range of different Synod members including clergy who work in hospice care, NHS consultant surgeons, GPs and a psychiatrist. Bishop Sarah Mullally, who is a former Chief Nursing Officer for England, said she was “deeply concerned” by the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which would legalise assisted suicide, being brought by Kim Leadbeater Bill MP. And she called on General Synod members to pray and to “engage” with peers in the House of Lords as the Bill goes to the House of Lords. She told the Synod the Bill was “unsafe and unworkable” and would put vulnerable groups at risk, including terminally ill people who cannot access the end-of-life care they need. “Successive governments have failed to reduce inequalities in health,” she said. “These inequalities mean that some people will have up to 20 fewer good years in health than others and certain groups face persistently worse health outcomes than others.

“These inequalities are also pronounced at the end of life, with only one in four people who need end-of-life care being able to access it, and there continues to widespread misunderstanding and distrust of palliative care.

“It is into this context that the Terminally Ill Adults Bill is being proposed. So, with only a third of all hospice care being funded by the NHS, the proposals are accompanied by a government commitment to fund in full an assisted suicide service should the bill be passed.

“Rather than funding assisted dying, the Government should be funding palliative care and palliative care research to enable people to live their lives to the full until they die.”

Bishop Sarah said the Government’s own equality impact assessment recognised that some vulnerable people may choose an “assisted” death either because they cannot access the care that they need, or because they may feel pressure to end their lives due to the cost of the care.

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Not leaving your dog on its own – even for church

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.  

John 14:2-3

There are some couples I see in church, but only rarely do they attend together. You may know them. The explanation is quite simple, and it is not that they do not like being seen together. Instead, they have a dog – or dogs – which do not like to be left alone. So, when there are two services available, one stays at home with the pet and the other goes to church. Then they swop round for the later service.

I have suggested they come together with the dog, but they say they are worried that he or she will be noisy and badly behaved. (The dog that is, not the partner, although you never know.) I suppose that in years gone by, churches were not only places for polite and well-behaved worshippers, but for anyone. I like my Orthodox brothers and sisters, who have very long services, but the congregation come and go as they feel. Another answer is to have more outdoor services, where the dogs could always come along, and the local birds would join in the singing, if they felt the standard was high enough.

It all reminds me that our pets hold a vital place in our lives, and in the homes which we share.

Animals also have important roles in the Bible. Try to list some! 

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 September Diary Page

All services at the usual times 

BIBLE STUDY (via ZOOM) EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 7PM DURING TERM TIME.

PRAYER MEETING FIRST MONDAY IN THE MONTH 7pm IN CHURCH

SUNDAYS

9am                Holy Communion  BCP

10am               Parish Communion

6.30pm           Evening Prayer

TUESDAYS

10am              Holy Communion

SATURDAY 6^th   

9.30am            Churchyard tidy / Church cleaning

WEDNESDAY 10^th

Coffee Morning  10am -11.30am

PCC Meeting  7.00pm

SATURDAY 13^th   HARVEST LUNCH at Treebridge Hotel

Please see the Vicar if you wish to attend

SUNDAY 14^th     HARVEST 

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GEOFF HILL  6.9.36 – 18.7.25

On 14^th August we said goodbye to Geoff, who was our Organist and Choirmaster from 1980 – 1996, when he decided to retire, and then came out of retirement in 2003 until ill health forced him to retire fully.

He died on July 18^th after spending 7 years in The Ascot Nursing Home after serious health problems and hospitalization forced him to give up his home.

Geoff was responsible for bringing young choristers into an adult choir, and boosted the numbers significantly up to 38/40 at one time, allowing a greater repertoire.

He was very proud of his choir, which sang a Eucharist every Sunday morning, and Evensong every Sunday evening.  Choral Evensongs were also sung once a month.  St Mary’s Choir was one of only three in the area to sing Evensongs.

Christmas Carol Services were heavily attended, and Geoff also introduced Advent and Epiphany Carol Services too, which were also well attended.

He also directed performances of Stainer’s Crucifixion, Olivet to Calvary, Mozart’s Gloria, to name just a few. 

He was Secretary of Cleveland Organists and Choirmasters’ Association, and organized many organ recitals, and concerts in various churches around the area.

Geoff helped and encouraged youngsters and adults alike through music, and accompanied many for music exams. 

As an avid reader, his room in the Ascot Home, was filled with books, and of course, his music, which he was passionate about, especially J S Bach.

At his funeral, we played a recording of himself playing Bach on the organ as he came into church, and again on his exit.   We think he would have approved of that!

He will be greatly missed.

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MABEL  McGURK

In August 2024 we celebrated Mabel’s 100^th birthday.

In August 2025 we celebrated once again, her 101^st birthday!

What a remarkable lady she is!    HAPPY BIRTHDAY MABEL…. Again!!!

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HARVEST FESTIVAL

Harvest Festival will take place on Sunday 14^th September at 10am.

Gifts of tinned or packet goods, can be brought to the 9am, 10am, or 6.30pm services. NO FRESH PRODUCE, and please make sure your donations are in date.

The donations will be given to Middlesbrough Foodbank.

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STUDY COURSE

The Vicar is hoping to start Study courses in September, and would like any Religious - Theological subject suggestions from the congregation. 

Please speak to the Vicar if you have any suggestions.

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CHURCH COFFEE MORNING

After taking a break during August, the Coffee Mornings start up again on the second Wednesday of each month.

The next one will take place on Wednesday 10^th September from 10am until 11.30am in church.

The cost will be £2.00 which includes unlimited tea/coffee and biscuits.

RAFFLE     CAKE STALL     BOOKSTALL    HANDMADE CARDS

The Cake Stall is always very popular, and donations of cakes / savouries would be very welcome!!! 

All profits will go to church funds.

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HEADWAY DARLINGTON & DISTRICT

This is a local charity supporting people who have suffered brain injury. The charity offers a range of activities to both survivors and their families.

We are hoping to increase the support we offer by recruiting more volunteers to assist us in our support programme. Is this something you might be interested in doing?

If you would like to know more, please speak to David Dorman-Smith who is one of the Trustees.

Email:   daviddormansmaith@gmail.com         Mobile:  07590477057

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Ancient Anglo-Saxon text sparks 5,200 per cent Instagram follower surge

“Hlyst nu!”

That’s Old English for “Listen up!”

And that’s exactly what’s happening, as a video with an unexpected subject has captured the attention of hundreds of thousands of viewers around the world.

A video of Everyday Faith Editor Alexandra Zhirnova reading the Nicene Creed in Old English has exploded across the Church of England’s digital channels, and beyond, racking up nearly half a million impressions and sparking a global wave of engagement.

The video opens with a short introduction: “What you’re about to hear is the oldest English translation of the Nicene Creed, written in the year 992 by a monk called Ælfric. Ælfric lived a thousand years ago, but his world was not so different from ours. He believed that understanding the word of God would give people hope and guide them in their lives.”

Ælfric translated the Creed, along with parts of the Bible, from Latin into his native tongue; what we now call Old English. While much of the language is unfamiliar to modern ears, some words remain recognisable, and viewers are encouraged to listen closely and share any they spot.

The response to the video has been nothing short of extraordinary. Since its release, it has generated over 400,000 impressions across the Church of England’s social media channels, with over 37,000 engagements including likes, comments and shares.

On Instagram, the video has become the most saved piece of content the Church has ever posted, achieving the highest reach and the second-highest number of impressions of any video on the platform to date. Meanwhile, on TikTok, it has quickly climbed the ranks to become the second most viewed video, with the highest number of comments and shares ever recorded on the Church’s account.

Before joining the Church of England as Everyday Faith Editor, Alexandra completed a PhD in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at the University of Cambridge. Her academic work focused on Anglo-Saxon Christianity, with a particular interest in the role of women in the early Church – making her uniquely placed to bring this ancient text to life for a modern audience.

The video’s success has also translated into a dramatic surge in followers. In just seven days, the Church saw a 583 per cent increase in new followers compared to the previous week. Instagram alone has seen a staggering 5,200 per cent jump, while TikTok followers have grown by 1,600 per cent. Overall video views across all platforms have risen by 90 per cent in the same period.

And reception has been overwhelmingly positive with the video reaching an international audience, and German, Dutch, and Scandinavian language speakers responding to appreciate how similar Old English sounds to their native languages.

This viral moment comes as the Church marks the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, a cornerstone of Christian belief since AD 325. So, if you haven’t already, why not have a listen and tell us how many words you recognise?

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  Synod backs national spending plans for next three years

In July, General Synod debated the 2026-2028 triennium funding package that was announced in June.

The proposals will see £1.6 billion distributed to fund the mission and ministry of the Church during 2026-2028 and will support a major package of measures for clergy well-being and a focus on supporting parishes in the lowest income communities in the country, as well as other key priorities including safeguarding and redress. This represents an increase of 36% on the current triennium, amounting to the biggest distribution in the Church’s history.

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David Pickup has thoughts on the words in the Bible.

Tomato, Tomato

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. John 5:39

I like the King James’ version of the bible. I enjoy the old-fashioned expressions and the richness of the language. That version of the Bible has been so important to our history. So many phrases are part of our everyday speech. I began to question this when, after a service, someone said could they ask me a question. It is always worrying when people are polite.  It usually means there is a problem. “Why do you use the King James version? I like to understand what I am reading.” That sort of knocked me a bit. What would you do? Loving beautiful language is one thing, but if people do not understand what the book says there is a problem.

I decided to try some other versions including the New King James and New International. What I will also continue to do is explain what the Bible says and give contexts to passages.

Understanding the Bible is not only grappling with old fashioned words, language used in a different way or even funny, jaw cracking words no-one can pronounce. The New Testament place name ‘Derbe’ is a good example – do you say it like darby or derbee? (American or English!?) I never worry about how to pronounce difficult words, as I am unlikely to bump into anyone who come from there.

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September Crossword

CLUES

 Across

1  ‘ “You — are one of them”’ (Luke 22) (4)

3  Giving (1 Peter 2) (8) 

9  They came to Jerusalem seeking an infant king (Matthew 2) (3,4) 

10 ‘An athlete... does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes ’ (2 Timothy 2) (5) 

11 Leading 20th- century Methodist, Donald — (5) 

12 ‘Come quickly to — — , O Lord my Saviour’ (Psalm 38) (4,2) 

14 ‘The God of Abraham, — — — , the God of our fathers (Acts 3) (5,3,5) 

17 Sear by intense heat (Revelation 16) (6)

19 ‘It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust — — ’ (Psalm 118) (2,3)

22 Goods (Nehemiah 13) (5) 

23 i.e. train (anag.) (7) 

24 Surrounding area (Luke 24) (8) 

25 ‘Righteousness will be his — ’ (Isaiah 11) (4)

Down

1  Elegant and creative (Exodus 31) (8) 

2  ‘We will not all — , but we will all be changed’ (1 Corinthians 15) (5) 

4  ‘How orderly you are and how firm your — — — is’ (Colossians 2) (5,2,6) 

5  Enlist (2 Samuel 24) (5) 

6  Of the Muslim faith (7) 

7  Sharp intake of breath (Job 11) (4) 

8  Woven cloth (Ezekiel 16) (6) 

13 Plentiful (Romans 5) (8) 

15 CIA char (anag.) (7) 

16 Paul and Silas stopped him committing suicide (Acts 16) (6) 

18 One of the ingredients in the making of incense (Exodus 30) (5) 

20 Episcopal headwear (5) 

21 Inhabitant of, say, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia or Bulgaria (4)

Answers to August Crossword

ACROSS: 1, Amazed. 4, Others. 8, Peter. 9, Zebedee. 10, Accuser. 11, Endue. 12, Scripture. 17, Shrub. 19, Abashed. 21, Foolish. 22, Upset. 23, Loathe. 24, Lesser.

DOWN: 1, Appeal. 2, Attacks. 3, Earns. 5, Tableau. 6, Ended. 7, Shekel. 9, Zarephath. 13, Rubbish. 14, Ephesus. 15, Useful. 16, Editor. 18, Rhoda. 20, Abuse.

Winner   P Warren

Crosswords reproduced by kind permission of BRF and John Capon, originally published in Three Down, Nine Across, by John Capon (£6.99 BRF)

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 September Anagrams

Compiled by Peter Warren

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August Anagram Answers    

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September Soduko Puzzle

August Sodoku Solution

Winners   

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The Revd Dr Jo White

 Reflecting Faith: First Impressions.

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Canon Paul Hardingham continues his series on the books of the Bible, which will run until the end of 2025.

What’s the Big Idea? – An Introduction to the

books of the New Testament: 2 Corinthians.

‘For anyone operating under the naïve presumption that joining a Christian church is a good way to meet all the best people and cultivate smooth social relations, a reading of Paul’s Corinthian correspondence is the prescribed cure’ (Eugene Peterson).

Paul sent four letters to the Corinthian church: one mentioned in 1 Cor.5:9; 1 Corinthians; a ‘severe’ letter mentioned in 2 Cor. 2:3–4; and 2 Corinthians sent around AD 55 around a year after 1 Corinthians.

Paul had a number of reasons for writing this letter:

To express the joy he felt at their response to his painful letter (1:3-4; 7:8-9,12-13).

To share his troubles in Asia (1:8-11) and why he changed his travel plans (1:12-2:4).

To ask them to forgive those who had offended him (2:5-11).

To warn them not to be “yoked together with unbelievers” (6:14-7:1).

To explain the true nature of Christian ministry (2:14-7:4).

To encourage them in giving and completing the collection for the Jerusalem Christians (chs. 8-9).

To deal with the opposition (chs. 10-13) and prepare for his coming visit (12:14; 13:1-3,10).

In this very personal letter Paul defends his leadership against accusations of inconsistencies in motives and credentials. A major theme concerns the relationship between suffering and the power of the Spirit. His opponents argued that Paul suffered too much to be a Spirit-filled apostle.

Paul responds by saying that his sufferings embody Christ’s death and his endurance reveals God’s glory: ‘He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.’ (2 Cor 12:9).

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Schools to teach children that being worried is not a mental health condition

More children and young people are in danger of confusing the normal anxieties of life with a genuine mental health condition.

So says the government, and it has issued new guidance to schools to try and correct the trend.

The guidance states that pupils should be taught “that worrying and feeling down are normal, can affect everyone at different times and are not in themselves a sign of a mental-health condition”.

Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, believes that too many children are relying on social media to learn about managing their moods and emotions. Instead, she says that they need more balanced guidance from their parents, teachers and trained professionals.

The new government guidance comes in the face of a soaring amount of young people being signed off as too ill to do anything. The number of 16 to 24-year-olds who are not in employment, education or training (Neet) has surged to a near-decade high of a million.

And so it is that schools have now been instructed to make sure that lessons help pupils understand and differentiate between genuine mental health conditions and ordinary feelings. 

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It can be hard to pray sometimes, and most of us need all the help we can get!  This new series, which will run all year, is by the Revd Dr Herbert McGonigle, formerly of the Nazarene Theological College, Manchester

Praying with the Prayers Of The Bible - Learning to Pray by Example

Luke 11:1: ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’

Luke tells us that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray after He had just prayed.  This is very important.  In His preaching Jesus had spoken about prayer; (e.g. Matt. 6:5-8) He had also included prayer in His teaching; e.g. Luke 18:1.

But it was neither His preaching or teaching on prayer that inspired this request from His disciples; it was His example in prayer.  Also, Jesus had sent His disciples out to preach, yet their request was not, ‘Lord, teach us to preach.’ They had witnessed the mighty miracles that He performed and saw the astonishment of the crowds (Luke 9:43), but they did not ask Him, ‘Lord, teach us to perform miracles.’ No, they asked instead, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’

The disciples were beginning to learn that there was a direct link between the prayer life of Jesus and His Spirit-anointed ministry.  We need go no further than what we find here in Luke’s Gospel to see the consistent prayer life of Jesus. As news of His mighty ministry spread far and wide, ‘great multitudes gathered to hear and be healed’ (Lk. 5:15).  This was ‘high noon’ in the ministry of our Lord and as the crowds gathered to hear Him, ‘He withdrew to the wilderness and prayed’ (v.16).

The next chapter tells us that Jesus made a habit of having whole nights of prayer. ‘In those days He went out into the hills to pray, and He continued all night’ (6:12). A little later the evangelist records that immediately following the feeding of the five thousand, the disciples were with Jesus – and He was praying (9:18).  When Luke recounts the Transfiguration of Jesus, he says the Lord took Peter, John and James up the mountain ‘to pray’ (9:28).

Luke wants his readers to know about the prayer life of Jesus.  At every step of His ministry we see Jesus praying.  He prayed early in the morning before the day began; He prayed late in the evening after hours of demanding ministry; He prayed in secret; He prayed with His disciples, and He often prayed all night. He prayed in homes; He prayed by the roadside; He prayed on mountains; He prayed in boats; He prayed in the wilderness; He prayed in the synagogue; He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane; He prayed on the Cross.

No wonder that Jesus’ example in praying prompted His disciples to ask, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’  As we read and study the life and ministry of our Lord, we will be likewise moved to ask Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’

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Celebrating 200 years of the public railroads

Two hundred years ago, on 27^th September 1825, the world’s first public railway opened. It was the Stockton and Darlington Railway in north-east England.

Inspired and supported by a prominent Quaker, Edward Pease, and backed financially by many Quakers nationally, it has been described as “the great theatre of railway operations”, sparking the explosion of railways across the world and boosting the industrial revolution. About 20 miles of the original 25 mile stretch still exist, now as part of the Northern Rail line.

The technical expertise behind it all came from George Stephenson, an extraordinary self-taught engineer whose expertise, which originated in the mines, stretched beyond railways. His Locomotion No 1, built for the Stockton and Darlington line, was the first steam locomotive to carry passengers on a public rail line. He worked with his 18-year-old son Robert, who is known for creating the more famous Rocket four years later.

The first Stockton and Darlington train – which in fact ran from Old Etherley Colliery, some distance north of Darlington – was led by a man on horseback with a flag. The motto of the organising committee was “At private risk for public service”.

With brakemen stationed between the wagons, the train reached 12 to 15mph and was greeted by an estimated 10,000 people at the Darlington junction, where some passengers left and more boarded. The average speed was calculated at about 8mph. Six wagons of coal were given to the poor by way of celebration.

A nine-month festival in County Durham and the Tees Valley – with artwork, spectacles and community events – is marking the bicentenary of the opening of the railway.

As a tribute to his life and achievements, a bronze statue of George Stephenson was unveiled at Chesterfield railway station in 2005. An earlier statue stands in Neville Street, Newcastle.

More info at:  https://railway200.co.uk, https://www.railwaymuseum.org.uk

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17th September – Hildegard, Abbess of Bingen

If you want to make the most of every minute of your life, and to use your various talents to the utmost, then Hildegard is the saint for you.

Born as the tenth child into a nobleman’s family in the Nahe valley of the Rhineland during the High Middle Ages, Hildegard stood out from others by the time she was eight. That was when she began to receive supernatural visions from God.

Understandably, her family felt that this sort of thing was beyond them, and so they entrusted her to a woman called Jutta, a female recluse with close ties to the benedictine monastery at Diessenberg.  Seven years later, Hildegarde became a nun of the community around Jutta, and when Jutta died in 1136, Hildegard became the abbess.

But Hildegard was never going to be one of your quiet nuns tucked away somewhere. Instead, she was always ‘out there’, and bursting with vitality and energy. She wrote on a wide variety of subjects from theology to medicine, to nature. She composed hymns, chants and songs. And she corresponded with many people, including royalty.

Hildegard was a strong, outspoken woman who saw herself as standing in the biblical prophetic tradition, and as such she was fearless in castigating and reprimanding people whom she saw as needing to repent.

Her supernatural visions of God continued from 1141 to 1151, and with the approval of the Archbishop of Mainz, she recorded many of them. This collection was called Scivias, and it dealt with the nature of man of the Last Judgement. When the Pope also approved her visions and writings, Hildegard’s fame spread.

In time, Hildegard’s community grew so large that it moved to Rupertsberg near Bingen, from where she travelled throughout the Rhineland, speaking and teaching.  Above all, Hildegard had a firm focus to her life: Jesus Christ and His redemptive death on the Cross.  She was devoted to Him.

by Canon Paul Hardingham 

New Beginnings

September is the time of year when we get back to our routines after the summer break. As whole-life disciples (lit: learners) we are all called to learn from Jesus and live like Him. God wants us to make a difference in our workplaces and schools, and with family and friends.  As Paul writes:

‘And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.’ (Colossians 3:17).

‘WHATEVER you do’: God is at work in every aspect of our lives. He can use whatever we do to make a difference to those around. Do we believe this? Our lives shouldn’t be like an orange, segmented into the sacred and secular, but more like an apple, in which all of our lives are available to Him.

‘Whatever YOU do’:  God wants to use us to share God’s love as we serve others around us, wherever we spend time. We can trust Him for the resources we need hour by hour, day by day, year by year. What do we need from Him?

‘Whatever you DO’: We work for God alone, in responding to God’s love for us. How does this perspective make a difference when what we do is hard, unrewarding, or even unappreciated by others?

A man standing on a train platform was asked one day: ‘Who are you?’ He replied, ‘I am a Christian thinly disguised as an accountant.’ If we were asked the same question ourselves, how would we respond? As disciples of Jesus Christ, our identity is rooted in God and His call upon our lives. For each of us, September means learning from Jesus about how we might live for Him in the different places we find ourselves.

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by Richard Bewes. 

The most productive nightmare of all time? 

1600 years ago, Europe’s top scholar was an Italian called Jerome; he loved the works of Cicero.  One night he dreamt that he had died, and reached the gates of heaven. The gate-keeper spoke to him: ‘Who are you?’

“Christianus sum.” replied Jerome. “I’m a Christian.”

“No.” said the gatekeeper. “You’re not a Christian. You’re a Ciceronian!” He went on to explain: “You see, here in heaven we judge people by what they were most, when they lived on earth. And you dedicated everything to the classics and the works of Cicero. So, we judge you not to be a Christian, but a Ciceronian. You cannot enter.”

Jerome woke with a start, and made his resolve. Not only did he begin truly to follow Christ, but he bent his academic ability into translating the Bible into the common language of Europe, Latin. It took him years. His translation became known as the Vulgate version.

That Bible served Europe for a thousand years. With the Bible’s message becoming the foundation of European civilisation, its culture became united.  Once we take Christianity and the Bible out of Europe – and all that we would be left with is a collection of squabbling, heathen tribes. It’s time for Europe – like Jerome – to be woken up again.

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Which milk is best?

Plant-based milk drinks, including soya milk, oat milk and almond milk, have soared in popularity in recent years. But how do these compare with cow’s milk?

A recent report from the nutritional experts who advise the government says that vegan milk is not ‘nutritionally equivalent’ to cow’s milk.

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment has also warned that the vegan alternatives to cow’s milk often have a higher amount of sugar.

The report suggests that nutritional concerns might be “lessened” if people instead go for the unsweetened soya, oat and almond milk drinks, and if those drinks were to be fortified with vitamin A, riboflavin, vitamin B12, calcium and iodine at similar levels to those found in cow’s milk, and also with vitamin D. 

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Premier Christian Radio – the first Christian broadcaster to Britain

Christian broadcasting was not always allowed in this country. As late as the mid-1980s, Christians were petitioning Parliament and the broadcast regulator to allow Christian broadcasting to begin in the UK.

Finally, it happened, and in 1990 the law was changed. Five years later, in the summer of 1995, Premier Christian Radio was launched. The Christian community rallied around the station, with thousands committing to provide regular monthly support, and to make it the success that it is today.

Highlights of the past 30 years include:

1999 – launch of Premier Online, streaming Premier to the world

2006 – launch of Premier.tv, providing Christian Internet TV on demand

2009 – broadcasting nationwide begins on DAB Digital radio

2010 – Premier Gospel begins

2016 – Premier Praise begins

Nowadays, with more than 1,100,000 listeners every week, Premier is the largest Christian Media organisation in the UK, reaching people via its print, digital and radio platforms.

Premier Christian Radio is available online and nationally on DAB and on smart speakers. The Premier Christian App is available to both iPhone and Android users, via their respective app stores.

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Was the children’s summer holiday too long for you?

As our children go back to school this month, what do parents really think about the past six weeks?

More than half of all parents found the summer break too long, and a ‘challenge’ to cope with.

So says the national charity, Parentkind. Its recent poll found that more than half of parents feel that the ideal length for the summer break would be four weeks. The remaining two weeks could then be redistributed across the rest of the year.

Parentkind then asked the teachers what they would most like. A majority would support a reduction of the summer holiday, but to five weeks, not four.

A full report will be published this month (September) under the charity’s National Parent Survey.  

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Danny Kruger’s extraordinary speech in the House of Commons

What does the MP for Devizes in Wiltshire have in common with the Anglo-Saxon king Athelstan?

It became clear this summer, during an extraordinary speech Danny Kruger MP gave to an all but empty House of Commons on the eve of the summer recess.

First, some background: this month (4^th Sept) marks the 1100^th anniversary of the coronation of Anglo-Saxon King Athelstan, in 925AD. As grandson of King Alfred the Great, Athelstan became the first King of all England.

And his coronation revealed his decision that England should be a Christian kingdom, living under a version of the Law of Moses. So, like Alfred before him, Athelstan took oaths reminiscent of the ‘blessings and curses’ of Exodus 21 and 22, and promised to bring his young kingdom into the blessing of the Christian God, by means of obedience to His commands.

Danny Kruger reminded Parliament of this sacred oath made by the first king of all England this summer. The MP’s call for the restoration of our national Christian heritage has since been viewed more than three million times, and has been called a ‘roadmap’ for a Christian counter-revolution.

For Kruger called for the country to remember Athelstan’s ancient Covenant.

He said: “Uniquely among the nations of the world, this nation – England, from which the United Kingdom grew – was founded and created consciously on the basis of the Bible and the story of the Hebrew people. In that sense, England is the oldest Christian country and the prototype of nations across the West.”

He went on to say that the impact of “one thousand years” of the Christian common law tradition – is the demand “that power should arrange itself for the benefit of all the people under it, and specifically for the poorest and weakest.

“In the absence of the Christian God”, he said, “we do not have pluralism and tolerance, with everyone being nice to each other in a godless world”. Instead, we have “catastrophes of social breakdown, social injustice, loneliness and emptiness on a chronic scale.”

Kruger stresses that “in abandoning one religion we simply create a space for others to move into.” He identifies Britain today as being “a combination of ancient paganism, Christian heresies and the cult of modernism”.

Kruger has written on the idea of spiritual warfare as reflected in the dynamics of law-making in Westminster in his book, Covenant: The New Politics of Home, Neighbourhood and Nation. He writes, “The culture war…is a religious conflict about the right gods to worship. As such, it is more than a series of skirmishes for the tokens of identity, for flags and statues and the history curriculum. It is a battle for the strongholds of society itself.”

In his speech in the House of Commons that day, he developed this theme of ‘strongholds’.

He attacked the votes of MPs to decriminalise abortion and legalise assisted suicide.  He said they had authorised “the killing of unborn children, of nine-month-old babies” and to “allow the killing of the elderly and disabled,” describing these votes as “a great sin.”

He went on: “The fact is that the strong gods are back, and we have to choose which god to worship. I suggest we worship the God who came in the weakest form, Jesus Christ. This God is a jealous god—it is Him or nothing—and we have to own our Christian story, or repudiate it.”

Kruger believes strongly that secularist religion “must be banished from public life – from schools and universities, and from businesses and public services.”

Instead, he has called for a “restoration” and “a revival of the faith.” He warned: “a wind is blowing, a storm is coming and when it hits, we are going to learn if our house is built on rock or on sand.”

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Is Gen Z coming to church?

Could it be true that a Quiet Revival (as the report is called) is taking place?  Another reasonably large survey commissioned by the Bible Society’s research team suggests it could be.

In March 2025 Bible Society repeated a survey they had carried out in 2018, asking 13,000 people if they went to church (It was 19,000 in the 2018 study).

Perhaps to their surprise, but, as suspected by others, and to the incredulity of still many others, they reported that attendance at church once a month in England and Wales had increased from 8% in 2018 to 12% in 2025, and the increase was mostly seen among those aged 18 to 34, defined generally as those born between 1997 and 2012; that is, those now aged 12 to 27 in 2024.

A more detailed breakdown showed that in every age-group, men are attending more than women, except for those aged 65 plus, where the percentages are equal. For men aged 18 to 24, this meant an increase from 4% in 2018 to 21% in 2024 and for women from 3% to 12%, respectively.

Whatever the reason some Gen Z people are coming to church, the report’s findings agreed with other studies – that churchgoers are often happier than those not going to church.

As for denominations, the Roman Catholic growth has been substantial and widespread. The Daily Telegraph‘Features’ supplement in April had the headline: ‘The extraordinary resurgence of Catholicism in Britain’, and explained, “Gen Z want to belong – modern life can be lonely …. They have digital friends but never meet them. They are crying out for community.” The Catholics have 1.8 million people attending Mass on a Sunday.

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Still danger in our rivers and coastline

Walking by rivers or the sea has long been a favourite pastime of those of us out for a relaxing stroll. But in the UK just now, beware. Too many of our rivers and too much of our coastline has been infected with raw sewage.  

Some statistics:  there are about 14,500 storm overflow drains in England, which are used to pump raw sewage into rivers and the sea when there is heavy rain. In 2024, there was a record 3.6 million hours of sewage spills into waterways. These spills suffocated wildlife by the millions and made bathing very unsafe for us.

The government is promising drastic action in the coming years, but meanwhile the widespread pumping of raw sewage is still going on. So – be careful out there!

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Dog walkers warned of deadly risk

It has not been a good summer to let your dog go swimming.

The hot and dry weather this spring sparked a rise in toxic blue-green algal blooms which have affected lakes and rivers across the UK. Blue-green algal blooms are triggered when colonies of bacteria use warmth and sunlight to reproduce rapidly. The colourful scum they produce can make people very ill and can kill dogs.

The Dogs Trust says: “We’re urging all dog owners to avoid letting their dogs swim in or drink from lakes or rivers that look green, scummy, have surface foam or have warning signs nearby. Blue-green algae is not always easy to spot, so if in doubt, don’t let your dogs swim in or drink from the water.”

Blue-green algal blooms often persist for several months and do not disperse until cold weather arrives. The blooms have been found from Norfolk and Essex to Birmingham and the Lake District.

Symptoms of blue-green algae poisoning in dogs can begin within minutes and include vomiting, diarrhoea, drooling, muscle tremors, seizures, breathing difficulties, and collapse.

Affected dogs should be taken to a vet immediately. The condition can be fatal as the toxins attack the liver and neurological system, and there is no antidote. Smaller dogs only need to consume a small quantity to be at high risk of death.

The pet charity Blue Cross warns: “Even small quantities of water or licking contaminated water off the coat can be dangerous.”

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  Pray for Armed Forces amid ‘uncertain’ times, General Synod hears

A senior Army officer has urged the Church to pray for and support members of the Armed Forces “who put themselves in harm’s way to protect our nation”.

In a recent address to the General Synod, Brigadier Jaish Mahan, Deputy Commander of the 1st UK Division – who has served in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan – spoke of how the world is in a “complex place”’ currently with conflict in Europe and in the Middle East, and several other “unstable” regions around the world.

He said the Army is “hugely privileged” to be supported by “truly exceptional” chaplains who, he said, are “part of the fabric of our family”.

“Their role is complex, from pastoral and spiritual, through to moral, often helping our leaders make the right decisions on a difficult day,” he said.

“My own personal experience of chaplains across my career and deployments has been that they have been truly exceptional people,” he added.

Brigadier Mahan, a practising Christian, asked members to pray for and support members of the Armed Forces who face dangers to protect the nation.

He drew a connection between the place of the Armed Forces and the Church which he said had “always stood fast in times of crisis”.

He said: “First, please continue to pray for and support those men and women, and their families, who put themselves in harm’s way to protect our nation.

“Secondly, please consider how you as the church leadership might support our nation, now in this time of uncertainty and should, heaven forbid, we find ourselves in a largescale conflict.

“The military, like the Church, is part of the fabric of our nation, fundamental pillars that hold together our house, our society.” 

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Nicknacks and Bric a Brac

Something for a bric a brac stall? Oh yes, we can manage that. So off you go to the house you are helping to clear. Now then, anything that’s new and in its box, that’s easy then. But there’s a reason it hasn’t been used. The tablemats with the traditional hunting scene (too old fashioned and non PC) and the ones with psychedelic patterns (too LOUD) will these sell?

Where do you start with ornaments? Put them all out on one big surface and take stock. Definitely one man’s quirky clown is another man’s nightmare. And is this a genuine artefact from ancient Samaria, or was it Kevin’s clay pot he made in year 7? It’s hard to tell. All those touching gifts made by kids long ago and of no interest to anyone now. Shall we have a box labelled “out”? They’ve done their job now.

What about this dainty china dish decorated with roses, very Royal Doulton, who could object to that...except you can’t find the lid. But you have found seven other lids. Put it aside in the “might turn up later” category. Anything which does have a lid, cover, zip or pocket means you have to check inside. Gradually you get a growing pile of hairgrips, single earrings, odd foreign coins and those little plastic packets with extra buttons which come with new garments. Nice handbag this, with a new purse with the obligatory five pence piece sweetly enclosed by the gift giver. And a packet of tissues A moment for the lump in the throat. There’s always a packet of tissues.

But you must move on, here are sets of nice glasses. There’s always only five. Whoever dictated sets should always have six​? Same with cutlery, five knives and six matching forks, only four soup spoons, but teaspoons must breed in the cutlery drawer, why so many? Well, they were bought at a bric a brac stall of course. Do these things go on a merry go round passed on from one home to the next stall, like the sets of fish cutlery sadly consigned to the sideboard till you have that special family fish supper which never comes.

Books of course are always attractive but try moving twenty at a time and you realise you need a weightlifter on hand. Banana boxes are brilliant, strong and big (bananas are heavy) anything flimsier and you find your careful protective wrapping is in vain as the box bottom flips downward and out drop two pot ladies and a brass vase.

Brass and copper, they tell me, are not popular today as people don’t like cleaning them. I rather like them but there’s another hazard, you’re choosing things to sell to other people at a stall, think what they would like, not what you can’t bear to chuck out. Don’t take them all home!

What should you do with that intricately carved souvenir of the far east​? Well just remember that little Freya will ask nanna what’s the game the ladies and gentlemen are playing. Lastly you spend ages with a pot lid in hand because you have just found the one which matches that pot you packed up two hours ago ...but you can’t find it now. It always happens, something unfinished, but just close the door behind you, be satisfied you have found a good use for things which will again be appreciated.

Edna Reddy

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 The Rev Paul Hardingham

The Nicene Creed part 4: The Ascended and Returning Jesus?

On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.

This month we are looking at what the Nicene Creed says about the present and future ministry of Jesus.

 ‘On the third day He rose again in accordance with the scriptures’: Jesus’ resurrection is central to the Christian Faith, for as Paul says, without it ‘our preaching is useless and so is your faith.’ (1 Cor 15.14). The Resurrection demonstrates the triumph of Jesus over sin and death, as well as recognising the breaking in of the new creation and Jesus as Lord over creation. The Creed affirms that it also fulfils the promises of Scripture, as Jesus explains on the Road to Emmaus: ‘And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, Jesus explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.’ (Luke 24:27).

‘He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the father’: In the Creed, the Ascension is given equal weight to the Cross and Resurrection, as Jesus is restored to the place of honour alongside His Father. With Christ seated on the throne, there is now a man on the throne who is also God the Son. In His absence on earth, Jesus sends His Spirit to live in believers, ‘Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.’ (Acts 2:33). He remembers His people, ‘because He always lives to intercede for them’ (Hebrews 7.25).

‘He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end’: Jesus will return in judgement as ‘the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.’ (Acts 10:42). God will put all things right, punishing all evil and establishing His full reign over everything. In contrast to human judgment, which is always partial and subject to error, this final judgment will be utterly true and right, because God knows our hearts completely.

How much does the idea of judgment help make sense of the fate of evil in the world?

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The parish Pump team.

The Rev Dr Gary Bowness was vicar of Henbury near Macclesfield until his retirement three years ago. In his former diocese, Blackburn, he served as Director of Post-Ordination Training. In recent years he has kept very busy taking services in vacant parishes throughout East Cheshire. He is now living on the edge of the Lake District, but has discovered that over the last couple of decades, the fells have got a lot higher & the slopes much steeper. Gary is also the author of our incredibly popular St James the Least of All series.

The Rectory

St James the Least of All

My dear Nephew Darren

So, your church does not bother with hymnbooks but uses one of those hideous screens which are invariably strategically placed to obscure the altar. I suppose I am not bothered, as wherever you placed it in your converted cinema, it could never spoil its architectural aesthetics.

In my ­ fortunately limited ­ experience of such devices, they provide the projectionist with endless opportunities for showing the wrong hymn, or the right hymn but wrong verse, or the right hymn and right verse, but all upside down. In any case, the turnover from one verse to the next always takes place some milliseconds after that verse has started.  This means that the congregation, having been silenced for lack of words, is then faced with the challenge of singing two lines at double time.

When we decided to move from Hymns More Ancient to Hymns Slightly Less Ancient some years ago, our Sunday attempts to ‘make a joyful noise unto the Lord’ threatened to get lost in the noise of battle.

Colonel Wainwright was happy so long as we continued fighting good fights and urging Christian soldiers onwards. Very keen on smiting is the Colonel; under his command, the Midianites wouldn’t have stood a chance. The men wanted the hymns they remembered from school, the ladies wanted those they had sung at their weddings, and no one would consider anything that dropped ‘thine’s or ‘wouldst’s. Then a vicious rumour started that the new hymnbook might even offer hymns written in the last 50 years. At this, timetables were consulted for bus services to the next village (and church).

Eventually we reached the perfect solution: we did nothing. Instead, Miss Simpson was charged with buying yards of sticky backed plastic and repairing the current books. But there was still a crisis to come: her young (and radical) niece decided to add a note in the front of every copy. It suggested that if the page for the hymn you wanted was missing, then you could share with the person sitting next to you. Of course, no one has done that yet; it would be an experience almost as traumatic as being invited to pass the peace.

And so, we struggle on with our Hymns More Ancient, whenever we can find the words. Harmony reigns once again.

Your loving uncle, Eustace

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Did you spot many butterflies this past summer?

The wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation is deeply worried about our butterflies. Or rather, the lack of them. It seems that more than 80 per cent of our species have declined sharply in number since 1970s.

Each summer sees the Big Butterfly Count, when the public is encouraged to send in the number of butterflies they have seen over a short period of time. Last year saw the lowest number of butterflies spotted in the count’s 14-year history. Even the familiar species like the small white, common blue and small tortoiseshell had their worst summer ever. And a record number of people saw no butterflies at all.

Butterflies have been hit by climate change, the use of pesticides, and damage to their habitats. The drought this summer will have been bad news for their caterpillar offspring, which need growing plants to feed on.

So, this autumn, why not plan a happier year for butterflies in 2026? As you prepare your garden for winter, go to https://www.rhs.org.uk/wildlife/butterflies-in-your-garden for some ideas of how to make your garden butterfly-friendly.

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Learner drivers must wait months for driving test

If someone in your family wants their driving licence this autumn, they may have to wait months before even getting a driving test.

For the average waiting time across all test centres has recently increased to 22 weeks, up from 14 weeks back in February 2024, according to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

The AA Driving School says that: “With the vast majority of driving test centres now showing waits at the maximum the system will allow, the situation cannot get much worse.

“While we would expect [the DVSA’s] changes to take a few months to show a positive impact, it is still disappointing to see that learners are continuing to face an uphill battle when it comes to booking their driving test.”

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BOOK REVIEW

Faith Habits and How to Form Them – 21 seasonal practices

By Emma Timms, SPCK, £11.99

Here is a no-nonsense guide to building adaptable rhythms and practices to bring you closer to God. The pace of the modern world with its constant demands and digital connection can make it tough to form a rich spirituality, and though many of us long for a nourishing connection with God, we often struggle to form habits that cultivate and sustain it.

Here, retreat guide and spiritual director Emma Timms shares 21 spiritual practices that will both feed your soul and fit with the life you are actually living. Drawing from the Bible, the saints and mystics of old, as well as contemporary psychology, this book will help you uncover God’s already-active presence inside you and help you form rhythms and practices to connect more deeply.

The book will help you understand the importance of habits in forming a life-giving spirituality; how to apply spiritual practices that have been used throughout the ages; how to make a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and seasonal plan for your spiritual life; and how to adjust your spiritual practices to the season of life you’re in.

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 All in the month of September.

It was:

1,100 years ago, on 4^th Sept 925 that England gained her first ever king. He was Aethelstan, King of the Anglo-Saxons (924-927) and then King of England (927-939). Aethelstan was grandson of Alfred the Great, and 30th great-grand uncle to Queen Elizabeth II.

300 years ago, on 29^th Sept 1725 that Robert Clive, 1^st Baron Clive (Clive of India) was born.  This British general helped to found the British Empire in India.

200 years ago, on 27^th Sept 1825 that the world’s first public railway opened. It was the Stockton and Darlington Railway in north-east England.

175 years ago, on 9^th Sept 1850 that California was admitted as the 31^st state of the USA.

150 years ago, on 3^rd Sept 1875 that Ferdinand Porsche, Austrian-born German automotive engineer was born. He designed the Volkswagen Beetle and Tiger tank and founded the Porsche sports car company.

100 years ago, on 7^th Sept 1925 that Laura Ashley was born. The Welsh designer and businesswoman was known for her traditional printed fabrics, soft furnishing and women’s clothing. Co-founder (along with her husband) of the Laura Ashley textile company and chain of shops. (Died in 1985 when she fell downstairs, aged 60.)

Also 100 years ago, on 8^th Sept that Peter Sellers, actor and comedian was born. Best known for the Goon Show, and as Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther film series. (Died 1980.)

90 years ago, on 3^rd Sept 1935 that British driver Malcolm Campbell set a new world land speed record of 301.13 mph in Bluebird at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. First person to break the 300mph barrier.

80 years ago, on 2^nd Sept 1945 that V-J Day (victory over Japan Day) took place. Representatives from Japan signed the formal instrument of surrender on board the US battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

70 years ago, on 4^th Sept 1955 that Kenneth Kendall became the first newsreader to appear on screen in the UK, reading the BBC Television News.

Also 70 years ago, on 21^st Sep 1955 that Britain annexed Rockall, an uninhabited granite islet in the North Atlantic, to prevent the Soviet Union from placing surveillance equipment there to spy on Britian’s secret nuclear missile tests.

Also 70 years ago, on 22^nd Sept 1955 that Britain’s first independent TV channel was launched. ITV ended the BBC’s monopoly.

Also 70 years ago, 26^th Sept 1955 that Bird’s Eye frozen fish fingers went on sale in the UK.

60 years ago, on 4^th Sept 1965 that Albert Schweitzer, German-born French theologian, philosopher, organist, physician and missionary doctor to Africa, died. Winner of the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize.

15 years ago, on 19^th Sept 2010 that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was finally sealed after gushing oil for almost five months. It was the biggest marine oil spill in history. In 2016 BP agreed to pay fines of $20.8 billion – the largest corporate settlement in US history. BP also paid more than $65 billion in clean-up costs.

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Smile Lines