HotPott June 2025 by Pott Shrigley Parish Magazine

Queen

Lynn's letter

Dear friends,

On Sunday 8th June we will be celebrating a very special birthday. It is a day we call Pentecost, and it marks the beginning of the Christian Church. It occurs every year, 50 days after Easter Day. Why is Pentecost so important? Primarily because it marks the day when the Holy Spirit was poured out on all believers. This was to fulfill Jesus’ promise that, after He left the disciples, He would send them another advocate or comforter to help them and be with them forever (John 14:16).

This exciting promise was fulfilled on a day when the disciples were already gathered to celebrate the end of the wheat harvest, a festival known as the Feast of Weeks which occurs exactly 50 days after Passover. In the year Jesus died, the disciples were celebrating the Feast of Weeks when they felt a ‘mighty rushing wind’ (Acts

2:2) enter the room, and ‘saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.’ (Acts 2:3-4)

Through the power of the Holy Spirit the crowd that had gathered around the disciples each heard their own language being spoken; they were amazed that everyone there, whatever their native tongue, could understand what these Galilean men were saying.

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter addressed the crowd saying: ‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ (Acts 2:38)

As a result of receiving this message 3,000 were baptised that day.

So who exactly is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is not an ‘it’ but a person. In fact, the Holy Spirit is the very presence of God who dwells among us and in us (1 Corinthians 3:16). It’s through the work of the Spirit that we come to faith in Jesus Christ and are then equipped and empowered to serve. From then on, He is the comforter, advocate and continued →

guide who draws us closer to God in all circumstances. Sometimes this happens through a word of conviction or a word of strength and renewal.

We all experience the Holy Spirit in different ways if we take the time to notice. The Holy Spirit can be that tug on your heart calling you to serve or that still small voice that seeks to guide you. The Holy Spirit also prays for us when we are not sure what to pray or how to pray because of what we may be facing.

Romans 8:26-27 shares this about the Holy Spirit: ‘Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.’

The gifting of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost was a significant moment that continues to bless the lives of all believers, and empowers Christians to live out their faith and proclaim the Gospel. It’s this same Spirit that transforms hearts and lives today,

My prayer is that we will all be blessed through the power of the Holy Spirt and will experience His strength and encouragement in all parts of our lives as we seek to serve Jesus.

With love, Lynn.

Cover story: A Village Wedding

We were delighted when Jess Henshaw and Bobby Mason chose to follow in Jess’ parents’ and grandparents’ footsteps and marry at St Christopher’s. This special event happened on a beautiful day, May 10th, and was especially poignant as the wedding was postponed from last summer after Jess’ parents sustained serious injuries in an accident at home. Thankfully they are now recovered.

Jess has lived in Pott for most of her life,

attended the village school and learned to ring the bells; Bobby played cricket on our wonderful cricket ground. Nana Dorothy Sharpley has worshipped at St Christopher’s throughout her life and joined us to ring the bells for Jess and Bobby’s wedding.

Many congratulations to Jess and Bobby. We wish them many blessed and happy years together.

Pott Shrigley Church School Celebrates VE Day

This month, on the 8th May, we celebrated VE Day in school.

To remember all the men, women, children and animals that came to harm in any of the conflicts throughout history, as well as all those still fighting today, we celebrated the day that Europe declared victory in WW2.

Everyone wore red, white and blue clothes and we decorated the school with bunting and flags. We had a special lunch, listened to WW2 songs and even learnt a special dance. We had loads of fun but we were still respectful and stayed very quiet when it was the 1 min silence in the playground.

Please see the inside back cover for a further photograph.

Ena, Josh and Charlie from Class 3

The vicar asked a member of his congregation, a banker, why he seemed a bit down. The banker replied: My hairline is in recession, my stomach is a victim of inflation, and both of these together are putting me into a deep depression.”

Your Vote Your Council

Appointment of Officers

Cllr Dave Basford was nominated and accepted the position as chair of the parish council.

Alison Greenwood

Cllr Peter Boulton was nominated and accepted the position as vice-chair of the parish council.

The clerk was nominated and accepted the position as responsible financial officer.

Highways

New/Updated/Completed

• Norman’s Hall bend: a sharp, protruding stone was reported. The response was: this ‘does not present a risk to highway users at this time’.

• Poynton Relief Road: the clerk submitted a report on the extra traffic (almost double the anticipated number of vehicles) travelling through the village caused by the relief road. Mitigation measures should have been in place in a timely manner, with completion initially proposed to be before December 2024. The suggested measures are all focused on Brookledge Lane; none relate to reducing traffic on Bakestonedale Road. No response has yet been received following the submission of this report.

• Demolished wall at junction of Spuley Lane & Shrigley Road: this is now rebuilt and the traffic lights removed. It has been rebuilt very well.

• Hedging planted on the access path to the village green: has now been removed.

Pending

Dates when issues were first raised with

Cheshire East Council (CEC) Highways appear in brackets.

• Broken fence at West Park Gate car park on list for repair. (April 23)

• Remedial resurfacing of Shrigley Road from Green Close to the aqueduct. (2014)

• Modifications to the chevron bend by Shrigley Hall. (2017)

• Repair of collapsed wall on Bakestonedale Road. (July 22)

• Improvements to bend at Brookbank: will be included in the Minor Improvement Scheme. (Nov 2024)

• Culvert/wall on the west side of Shrigley Road. (Nov 2024)

• Blocked drain in the field that abuts Nab Cottage: it has been agreed that there is a blockage under the road. Currently a soakaway option is being investigated to alleviate the problem. (March 2025)

Lychgate

The grant application for the repairs to the lychgate is progressing and documentation has now been received. Once the paperwork has been completed it will be returned and if accepted the result of the

The re-built wall at Spuley Lane junction

grant application can then be published.

Mersey Forest Tree Planting Scheme

There has been no further contact from the Wildlife Trust following the meeting held on the village green with them and Cllr Basford; we are awaiting their proposed scheme for the planting trees on the village green.

Planning

No new applications have been received and there are none pending.

Next meeting

The next council meeting will take place at 8pm on Monday 2nd June 2025.

Organ Fund? What organ fund?

‘I didn’t know we had an Organ Fund!’ Well, we do, hence this article. Recent faults on the organ, and the inordinate amount of time it has taken to get them repaired as far as it is possible to do so, have caused the PCC to recognise that the current organ is likely to be nearing the end of its time as a reliable instrument and is at increasing risk of irreparable failure.

David Garton

The current organ – a Makin ‘Village’ model – was installed in 1994 to replace the old pipe organ which had become unplayable and could not be economically repaired. Hence it is 31 years old this year, and relies on bundles of small wires, multiple printed circuit boards with their myriad components, and thousands of soldered joints to function. Sadly, the passage of time causes insulation to become brittle (and be less insulating) and soldered joints to oxidise (and be less conductive). For several years, the organ has sometimes made a buzzing/humming sound; the number of these occasions and their loudness has increased significantly in the last nine months. The sound has a musical frequency of 50Hz, suggesting

that the organ’s insulation/separation from interference from its mains electrical supply is gradually breaking down. Some improvement has been achieved – at least for now – by powering the organ from a different plug socket in the building. (Separate investigations by the church’s electrician have not identified any faults on the electrics in church.)

Preliminary investigations have confirmed that it is not possible to have the current organ internally rebuilt, and a comparable new instrument is likely to cost in the order of £20,000 or more, fully

Mary playing the organ

installed.

The PCC have discussed the situation at their recent meetings and reached some initial conclusions:

• As a church, we should strive to continue to have an organ to play at the regular 10.45am Sunday services and special services such as Carols by Candlelight, weddings and funerals

• We should start now to assess the options for manufacturers and suppliers of a new instrument to allow a decision on the preferred option to be made in due course. This will include dialogue with Chester Diocese to ensure they are supportive of the decision

• We should launch a specific appeal to raise money towards the cost of the new

organ. This fund will have a high-profile launch once the specific make/model of organ has been decided and hence the exact costs are known. To get started, the PCC have agreed that a generous bequest of just over £2,000 from the late Trevor Hill (in his time an influential figure in the village) will be added to the fund

• We should make the final decision about whether and when to proceed with the purchase and installation of a new organ depending on progress with the organ fund and the condition of the current organ.

A small team of Simon Caudwell, Mary Currell and David Garton are evaluating the options for a new instrument on behalf of the PCC. If you are interested to know more, please ask one of them.

Praying Whilst We Wombled

Gathering at the lychgate before heading out on our prayer walk, we thought about God’s desire to bless us. God could bestow no greater blessing than that of knowing Him through His only Son, Jesus, and so before setting out we desired this blessing for ourselves and for our community.

Yvonne Foster

As we walked along, we praised God for the beautiful vibrant colours, and for the wonderful birdsong that rose over and above even the noise of the traffic on Shrigley Road. At the entrance to Shrigley Hall we stopped to appreciate the bluebells in Nab Wood and to pray for the guests and for all others connected in any way to the hall. Special prayers were said for those choosing Shrigley Hall for their wedding venue.

Stopping to pray and rest

Inspired by last month’s parish litter pick, we resolved to collect discarded rubbish as we walked along. We prayed for litterlouts, feeling genuinely sad for fellow citizens who were blind to the beauty of the countryside and lived lives that showed such disrespect for our shared environment. A lined rucksack provided us with an adequate bin for the walk. (Thanks to Yvonne for having the foresight to bring one along! Editor.)

There were carpets of bluebells along Long Lane; we could smell their delicate perfume as we walked along. The views from there prompted prayers for all people, known and unknown, who were living and working in the area.

Our prayer walks provide a time for chatting and sharing fellowship, and we shared news as we walked along. Ignoring the ‘Bull in field’ sign we took the footpath across the field, stopping midway to give thanks for the beauty and tranquillity of the quiet spot, but we also remembered, by name, those we knew who are suffering from anxiety or who are trapped indoors through sickness or infirmity. As we entered the field with the bull and cows in, we were grateful to find them very placid. Anne was even brave enough to stop and take a photo of a cow and some

calves, and we gave thanks for the new life they represented.

A prayer stop halfway up to Nab Head provided us with time to sit and admire the view and also to pray for those finding life tough and hard going. We prayed for the persecuted church and for God’s grace for all those who are seeking to follow Jesus.

The fine day meant that the 360° view from the trig point on Nab Head was spectacular. Looking down on the village, we prayed for the Pott cricketers who were preparing for a match and for those local farms and farmers who work the land. The descent and then walk back to church provided more time to chat and share news. We found a bin to deposit all the litter we’d collected – the rucksack was crammed – then back home to the lychgate.

Thank you to Anne, Kath and Sally for your company, love and prayers. I felt truly blessed.

For more information about our prayer walks, which normally happen at 10.30am on the first Saturday of the month, please contact Yvonne on 07842 428496.

Placid cow and calves

Bluebells

Christ’s Passion on the Streets of Wilmslow

It all started about four weeks before Easter when I saw a flyer advertising that the Saltmine Theatre Company would be performing their annual Eastertide Passion Play in Wilmslow on Holy Saturday (this year, that fell on 19th April) and anyone interested in finding out more was invited to meet at St Bartholomew’s Church, Wilmslow.

Sally Winstanley

In previous years, I’d seen snippets of such plays on the news – there was one in Manchester a year or two (or three or four) ago, but as I hadn’t had prior knowledge of it, I didn’t get the chance to be there. This year was my chance!

I turned up at St Bartholomew’s at the appointed time and to my delight spotted half a dozen people there whom I already knew from other churches! About 35 – 40 people had assembled; we were offered the customary cup of tea and a biscuit then Simon, the producer from Saltmine Theatre, introduced himself and Freddie, who was going to be playing Jesus.

Without further ado, we were all invited to form a circle, ask the person to our left what their favourite food was (…mine was ‘lots of’), then clockwise in turn we all introduced our new friend. Next, we were given some fun vocal and physical exercises, then parts of the script were handed out with an explanation that the performance was going to be adapted to modern day language, dress and culture… and then we were told to return for rehearsals on Thursday!

‘Ah, but I’m going away on Wednesday, I can’t make the next rehearsal.’

‘No problem, just get to the ones you can!’ ‘Well, I can’t make it to the dress rehearsal on Good Friday, our church has a busy day that day.’

‘That’s ok, you’ll be able to pick it up from the others.’

… that was it, we had all passed the audition to be the crowd cast!

Saturday 19th April was a cold but dry day, the sun occasionally made an appearance, but the clouds had a bigger part to play. It was busy in Wilmslow – market stalls, people, push chairs, wheelchairs, dogs, market stalls and… loud, live music being played by a band on a temporary bandstand – I had found the start of the Passion Play!

As one o’clock approached, the crowds gathered, some in anticipation, others curious, not aware of what it was all about. Those of us in the ‘crowd cast’ nodded acknowledgment to each other through the throng of people as we joined in singing the chorus with the lively band.

The first scene depicted the disciples, Peter and John, commandeering a bicycle from two teenage girls (members of the crowd cast) for Jesus’ triumphal entry into Wilmslow! We were chanting responses to calls from a loudspeaker:

‘OUR TIME IS HERE!’

‘OUR TIME IS NOW!’

‘OUR LIBERATOR IS HERE!’ ‘FREEDOM!’

‘JESUS! JESUS!’

‘GOD ON THE STREETS! GOD ON THE STREETS!’ continued →

The huge sea of people moved slowly across the road and down the pedestrian shopping street to the next ‘stage’ where the Last Supper and Jesus’ betrayal were performed, with poignancy as well as humour, by the very talented Saltmine Theatre actors.

As the play moved on it was up to us, the crowd cast, to shout accusations and abuse: ‘LOCK HIM UP!’ ‘THROW AWAY THE KEY!’ ‘BEAT HIM UP!’ then over the loudspeaker came the devastating vocal blow: ‘CRUCIFY HIM!’. A momentary deathly hush, then we joined in, singing in football chant style: ‘HE’S GONNA DIE, HE’S GONNA DIE, JESUS IS GONNA DIE – CRUCIFY CRUCIFY CRUCIFY, CRUCIFY CRUCIFY CRUCIFY’ all the way to the trial.

More brilliant acting from Jesus, Caiphas and Pilate as the crowd cast took their cue to start shouting: ‘FREE BARABBAS!’. Jesus was beaten, given His cross to carry, and escorted by six ‘militants’ (members of the crowd cast) to the Garden of Gethsemane i.e. Wilmslow Memorial Gardens. The rest of the crowd cast were singing ‘O Lord Hear My Prayer’ Taizé style.

The crucifixion scene was shocking and incredibly moving. The crowd cast were singing again, ‘Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?’ as we made our way to St Bartholomew’s for the Resurrection scene – again, very moving to begin with, then bursting with joy when the disciples eventually grasped that Jesus was alive! Alleluia!

From the Registers

Wedding

Congratulations to: 10th May Robert Mason & Jessica Jade Henshaw

Funeral

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of: 26th April Christopher David Gabbott, aged 76 years Burial of Ashes

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of: 4th May Izzie (Isobel) Kate Hughes, aged 23 years

Ode to the Tip

How sad this place of former Sabbath gathering, Thy gates are locked, the wasteland silent, dead; murdered by decisions of a handful though thousands wrote to save your life instead.

Gone the massive monsters squashing cardboard boxes of all sizes bought online; contents soon will follow as advertisements change fashion, flowing down the amazon of time.

No more emptying boots of unknown neighbours, ‘I’ll have that retro lamp! Just what I need!’

Recycling of old bicycles which kids at last grow out of, and the aged go electric for more speed.

Ye few, remember siren noise when bombs were falling? Rations, ‘waste not want not’ was the rule; a metal bin was where we burnt our rubbish out the back, and leftovers did not exist at all.

Make do and mend, darn socks and sew, ‘sides to middle’ sheets would see you through; clothes and shoes and coats passed down and I don’t remember council tips, do you?

Audrey Bomford

Burning rubbish

Darning a sock

Poynton tip

Peter makes Pott Parish Councillors Proud!

Pott Shrigley Parish Councillors are proud to share that one of their own, Peter Boulton, completed the London Marathon last month.

Jo Hadfield

Peter’s journey began in May 2010 when his partner, Margaret, died of secondary breast cancer. This devastating event was soon followed by his daughter, Tansy, being diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2011. Thankfully, she is now in remission and has been cancer free for 14 years.

Peter and Tansy were deeply grateful for the amazing treatment The Christie provided; they knew it was time to reciprocate, so fundraising commenced. Peter’s experience is that once treatment is underway, living with cancer is easier to manage if goals are set and daily life is lived to the fullest possible. Fundraising for The Christie has been a constant throughout the many challenges endured: Peter ran multiple half-marathons and 10k events before completing the Manchester Marathon three years ago at the age of 74.

Peter reports that it seems only yesterday he and Tansy visited The Christie stand after completing the A J Bell Greater Manchester Run (the biggest and best running event in the North West!), but in fact it was in May 2024. Whilst there, Tansy enthusiastically enquired about charity places for the April 2025 London Marathon and the pair were invited to apply. Although initially unsuccessful, at the end of January Peter quite unexpectedly received a phone call from The Christie offering him one of their coveted marathon places. Not one to say no, he stepped up the training in record time!

Peter says: ‘The marathon is a means of recognising the exceptional treatment provided for my family over the years. I was pleased to raise vital funds for cancer research at The Christie by running in the iconic London Marathon. The Equilibrium Foundation will be matching money raised up to £3,000, meaning donations will have even more impact!’

Peter ran the London Marathon in 6 hours 4 minutes 39 seconds, a fabulous achievement at 77, raising approaching £7,000 to date, including gift aid and matched funding. If anyone would like to add to this total they can give at https://www.justgiving.com/ campaign/peter-london-marathon

The London Marathon 2025. I’m glad I did it…

… in hindsight anyway. I was far from enthusiastic when my daughter encouraged me to apply for a place last May: the prospect of weeks of endless training failed to inspire me. I enjoyed the respite which followed our application being rejected.

Peter Boulton

At a New Year dinner celebration with my old skiing friends, we each announced something we’d look forward to in 2025. As I’d booked a skiing holiday for early March, I hoped not to receive a late marathon entry: the prospect of a ski injury whilst preparing for a marathon was unnerving, so when The Christie called in late January offering me a charity place, plus reminding me I needed to raise at least £2,000, I was tempted to decline! But that was before my daughter reminded me that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

With a recommended training period of 16 weeks, I had only 12, and one of those was on skis not trainers! Weekly mileage increased to achieve a long run of approximately 20 miles, a target generally reached around four weeks prior to the big day. Overall, I ran over 300 miles, spent 25 hours strength training (using weights and resistance bands), and consumed copious amounts of Science in Sport Rapid Recovery drink.

Trying to avoid fulfilling the maxim ‘by failing to prepare you are preparing to fail’, hotel accommodation, dinner reservations and train tickets were booked for myself and the support team – daughter Tansy and grandson Harrison – and, not wishing to risk train issues on Friday morning, we convened at Tansy’s house in Royton for an

overnight stay. However, best laid plans… a few minutes away from Piccadilly we realised our train had been cancelled. All was not lost: a quick situation appraisal resulted in us being ushered on to an earlier train; downside - no reserved seating.

No snags as we checked into the Premier Inn (Woolwich Arsenal), chosen for its proximity to the race’s start in Greenwich and the ExCel, where I registered for the marathon, collected my bib number and complimentary running vest and explored the vast variety of running apparel. By late afternoon, tasks completed, we returned to our hotel eager to enjoy an evening meal and a moderately early night. So far, so good… until 5.30am when the hotel fire alarm pierced my consciousness. Irritating to discover the alarm had been triggered by an early morning smoker in one of the bedrooms. Sleep deprivation is not good at the best of times!

With a little over 24 hours to go, on Saturday we familiarised

Checking in - a tad nervous?

Do I really want to do it?

ourselves with the journey to the start and where to meet at the finish. From Greenwich Park to The Mall, via the excellent Transport for London network, the accumulation of steps gathered pace; by the end of the day, we had walked 20,000 (8 to 10 miles). Is it good practice to ‘turn the legs over’ before a marathon? Or not?

Bad luck is said to happen in threes. So far, two down and one to go. Our evening meal looked to be in jeopardy when the restaurant we’d booked couldn’t find our reservation. After lengthy dialogue between the hotel and the Beefeater, dinner was served. As I prepared for bed Tansy sent me Paula Ratcliffe’s motivational good luck message to all London Marathon 2025 participants.

Sunday 27th April and the big day had arrived. My usual pre-event breakfast of porridge pot, banana and a strong cup of coffee consumed, we walked the mile from Greenwich Station to the park for 10.02am, allowing time for loading

baggage on to one of the numerous lorries. As my support team departed the sun was already beating down and runners were being herded into starting pens according to their wave number; mine was 15 with a starting time of 11.10 – 11.14am. Aided by a fellow runner, I engaged the GPS tracking App facility and set my Garmin Fenix 6 Pro sport watch and Run Keeper. We were off, slow and steady, as the temperature was expected to rise to 22°C, making it the fourth warmest London Marathon in history, almost as bad as the hottest, 24.2°C in 2018. At approximately seven miles in, I looked for my team at the first main vantage point at Cutty Sark. Running past the cameras, my name was shouted from the crowd. Glancing over my shoulder, I was convinced it was a friend of mine who had threatened to attend. Sadly, it wasn’t even a team member, but nevertheless it inspired me to strive on. The next possibility, at mile 13, was Tower Bridge, but alas still no team. However, I managed to avoid the pro-Palestine protest

The Royal Arsenal - or the starting gun

and red powder paint attempt to disrupt the elite runners.

I once watched Mo Farah and noted his overriding focus on fuelling during his marathon. My fuel comprised two 450mm water bladders of Tailwind Endurance, containing the perfect mix of electrolytes and carbohydrates, plus a cube of Clif Bloks Energy chew (33 calorie) every five miles. The hot conditions prompted me to grab a bottle of water and to take a cold shower at the designated points on route. I knew the first half had to be comfortable and the second half slightly harder. My secret weapon for the second half was the Caffeine Bullet mint energy chew, founded by marathon and ultra-running champion David Hallard; two Bullets between miles 16 and 18 and a further two between miles 20 and 22 did the trick.

The Christie briefed me about their ‘cheer point’ at mile 22 and later confirmed I was spotted by Louise. Perhaps my dashing blue tutu caught her eye?

Meanwhile, the intermittent GPS signal caused my support team difficulty in monitoring my progress. Miraculously, with less than a mile to go, they spotted me as they departed Westminster Station. As I ran towards the finish line, I felt I could have added another couple of miles: just as well, after successfully regrouping at our prearranged meeting point, we headed towards Charing Cross station, only to find the huge numbers of travellers had necessitated its closure. More walking ensued and we doubled back to Westminster for our return journey to Woolwich for dinner and a welcome pint of Guinness.

Coincidentally, Guinness World Records confirmed that the 2025 TCS London Marathon has broken the world record for the largest number of finishers (56,640) in a marathon. It also claimed the record for the largest annual one-day fundraising event on the planet, having already raised more than £75 million for charities, adding to the £1.3 billion

The power of the blue tutu

Phew - tutu still flying

A well deserved pint

Guinness world record raised since the first London Marathon in 1981. 840,318 runners applied for this 45th anniversary run, making it the world’s most competitive entry-system marathon. Despite my initial misgivings, I felt fortunate to have had one of the 20 charity places granted by The Christie. I came 50,014th overall, 29,643rd by gender, 46th in category 75-79 years, running non-stop in 6 hours 4 minutes 39 seconds, having burnt 2,972 calories. Behold, the power of the famous blue tutu and the tremendous encouragement and training support I

received from Tansy and our friend Eileen throughout the year.

Overall, The Christie had 30 runners who together raised over £100,000.

Time was of the essence, and although invited it was not possible for us to attend the prestigious RAF Club in Piccadilly to enjoy a beer and sports massage after the marathon.

What a magnificent achievement! Well done to Peter and his team. Editor.

St Christopher’s Pastoral Ministry

For pastoral support, a listening ear, a home visit, Holy Communion at home, prayer support or if you have a baptism enquiry

please contact the pastoral ministry care team via Anne Murphy. pastoralteam@pottshrigleychurch.org.uk telephone: 07891 953919

Adrian John Bedson: 1933 – 2025

Adrian, who was a resident of Green Close for over 70 years, died peacefully on 25th January at the Woodlands Care Centre in Macclesfield.

Nancy Hargreaves

Adrian had been a parish councillor in Pott Shrigley. Adrian was a man who knew the true meaning of love and he was blessed with a profound appreciation of the Creation.

A brilliant mind A loving heart A gentle soul At rest

Across

8 Laban complained he had not been allowed to kiss them when Jacob fled with his family (Genesis 31:28) (13)

9 In favour of (3)

10 ‘The child’s father and mother — at what was said about him’ (Luke 2:33) (9)

11 Swagger (Psalm 12:8) (5)

13 ‘Terrors — him on every side and dog his every step’ (Job 18:11) (7)

16 Bay bits (anag.) (7)

19 Preach, address an audience, speak in public (5)

22 Holy Communion (9)

24 ‘On their way to — out the land, Joshua instructed them, “Go and make a survey of the land”’ (Joshua 18:8) (3)

Coffee Break

25 Joseph advised Pharaoh to appoint these to administer his grain storage plan (Genesis 41:34) (13)

Down

1 ‘Assyria’s pride will be brought down and — sceptre will pass away’ (Zechariah 10:11) (6)

2 ‘And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in — with God and men’ (Luke 2:52) (6)

3 The descendants of Esau (Genesis 36:9) (8)

4 The components of the crown that Jesus was made to wear before his crucifixion (John 19:2) (6)

5 Colour of cloth which was to cover holy objects in the tabernacle when moving camp (Numbers 4:6–12) (4)

6 One of the gold articles plundered from the Midianites offered to the Lord by the Israelite

army ‘to make atonement’ (Numbers 31:50) (6)

7 ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set — — ’ (Jeremiah 31:29) (2,4)

12 Ate (anag.) (3)

14 ‘We ourselves... groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our — as sons’ (Romans 8:23) (8)

15 Abram’s nephew (Genesis 14:12) (3)

16 Rupture (Job 30:14) (6)

17 ‘Yet to all who received him... he gave the right to — children of God’ (John 1:12) (6)

18 ‘I... asked him the true meaning of all — . — he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things’ (Daniel 7:16) (4,2)

20 Military units (Exodus 14:20) (6)

21 ‘Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to — her to public disgrace’ (Matthew 1:19) (6)

23 Diva (anag.) (4)

Celebrating VE Day, bellringer style

At 6.30pm on Thursday 8th May 2025 Pott Shrigley bells joined hundreds of others across the UK in ringing to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, just as they had on the actual Victory in Europe Day. The primary purpose of ringing bells is to worship God, to remind the community

Kath Matheson

that He is present amongst them and to call people to worship. However, we are also privileged to ring our bells to mark celebratory occasions like weddings or, in this case, national events such as the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

The ringing of bells was banned during most of the Second World War as their use was reserved for warning the population that the Germans had invaded. Speaking in the House of Lords on 31st March 1943, Lord Geddes explained how the idea came about: ‘My Lords, you may be interested to hear the origin of the order about the ringing of the bells. It was at Tunbridge Wells. Lord Ironside … Chief of the Imperial General Staff, was in my room, and there were also present General Thorne and … Lord Knollys. We had just got the first detachments of the Local Defence Volunteers formed, and the only part of the Local Defence Volunteers who had arms at that time were the Kentish and some of the Sussex Companies. The whole thing was very nebulous, and it was thought that at any moment we might see parachutists dropping down from heaven. I think it was the Chief of the Imperial General Staff who said: "How are you going to get these Local Defence Volunteers together if parachutists suddenly appear?"

and somebody in the room … said, "Why, we will ring the church bells, until we can think of something better." That was early in May, 1940, and the War Office have been thinking of something better ever since. That signal at that time was supposed to be used only in the Counties of Kent and Sussex and in the rural areas, but somehow or other the order became more or less sacrosanct, and spread all over the country. It was trimmed and pruned, and sprouted new legs and arms, and it became one of the essential pillars of the defence of the country. It is a complete mystery to me why that should be so, but I am assured by War Office representatives that it is.’ So, on these somewhat uncertain grounds, the ringing of church or clock bells was completely banned from 13th June 1940, when the threat of invasion was very real. Thankfully there was no invasion, so no one tried to raise the alarm (outside of Dad’s Army). If they had, it’s doubtful how effective it would have been, and quite likely that non-ringers attempting to ring some bells would have injured themselves. Victory in the Second Battle of El Alamein on 11th November 1942 was one of the great turning points of the war. Speaking that day in the House of Commons, Winston Churchill said: ‘Taken by itself, the Battle of Egypt must be regarded as an historical victory. In order to celebrate it, directions are being given to ring the bells throughout the land next Sunday morning,

and I should think many who will listen to their peals will have thankful hearts.’

Ringers did indeed have thankful hearts, as did many others. Church bells had been missed, and the bellringers had missed ringing them. During the ban, some naughty ringers took the clappers out of their bells and carried on ringing – this, of course, rendered the bells useless for warning of an invasion! Many ringers thought that using bells as a warning of invasion was impractical, as well as ruining their fun, so they were itching for the ban to be lifted, as were many clergy. Although the bells were rung on 15th November 1942 to celebrate the El Alamein victory, and again on Christmas Day 1942, the ban otherwise remained.

The chorus of voices for the ban to be lifted grew louder, being discussed in the House of Commons several times and raised in the Lords by the Archbishop of York. The Army Council resisted until Churchill intervened. Lord Geddes again: ‘… it is known that bells would be useless as warnings. It is quite certain that this has been known for a long time, almost from the beginning for the military authorities have left them out of their calculations, have not included them in their tests, and have taken no adequate steps to find out whether they would be available or effective. The soldiers ignored the bells. The people at the war office sat tight, and no one was found able and willing to take the responsibility of reviewing the matter. But when the thing was brought into the light of day by the debate in the House of Lords, the Prime Minister took the matter into his own hands and did what some authority ought to have done long ago. He called the chiefs of staff together and asked them plainly whether they relied on church bells as an essential part of their defence plans. When they told him they

did not, there was an end to the matter. The use of bells as a warning disappeared and nothing was put in its place. It was a small matter compared with the great issues of war. But it shows the value of having a strong and able man in supreme control.’

It also shows that not much has changed in the way officialdom works!

Starting with Easter Day, 25th April 1943, church bells could be rung to summon worshippers to church on Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas Day; all restrictions went on 27th May 1943 and ringing gradually got back to normal. The war, and the ban, had depleted the supply of ringers but in 1943 and thereafter, a determined recruitment drive and teaching more women to ring (not universally popular with some old-timers!) replenished numbers. My parents were among these new recruits. Unfortunately, COVID also depleted ringer numbers, so if you fancy having a go please chat to Duncan Matheson (07854 884 145).

See photo on the inside back cover.

Missionary Matters

Johnny and Ann McClean continue to work hard in Bangkok. Johnny was confined to bed with a nasty virus just before he was due to help at a Langham Training of Trainers event attended by more than 20 participants. Praise the Lord that Johnny had recovered sufficiently to be able to attend the last two days of the meeting. Meanwhile, Langham members Abi, Let and Phil flew in as planned from the Philippines and Taiwan to lead the training whilst Ann coordinated the practical details of meals, accommodation and transport for the speakers, whose first achievement was making it to the training centre before the rain and school runs started at 7.00am! Thank God for the Thailand Langham leaders who took up the slack of setting up the conference room and helping the speakers with the practical details during the course. Praise God that the facilitator training went so well. This led on to training on Preaching Hebrews with 60 participants, which included the preaching of a model sermon; about half of the participants on the course were new to expository preaching. Johnny is involved with a new venture, Preaching Club 18. Please pray that this will be a blessing

to all involved and that the participants would learn to start preparing from early in the week and that Johnny’s teaching would be helpful and feedback from the students useful. Johnny and Ann feel privileged to play a small part in Langham Asia, Johnny as Langham Preaching East Asia Coordinator and Ann as chief cook and bottle-washer. A particular blessing is serving under and alongside Asian brothers and sisters. Humility, Gospel fellowship and joyful unity in the things that matter are hallmarks of this movement. Johnny and Ann feel that every group of Langham guests in their home brings a richness and joy that is a blessing to their hearts.

A small group of children from the Mahathai (slum) community have been attending Sunday School at New City Fellowship this year. Two of their fathers were arrested recently for selling drugs when the local police rounded up a few men who were dealing or buying drugs behind the home of one of the children. It was heartbreaking for the McCleans to hear this, but even more heartbreaking to see how normal this was for the children. Please pray for Ling and Emmanuel who are heading up the children’s

Abi, Let & Phil, arrived from the Philippines and Taiwan

Preaching Hebrews

work in the community. They run a Bible club each Saturday in the open air and then visit families. Pray for the children who come to Sunday School to see the beauty of the gospel and experience the love and salvation that only God can offer. Meanwhile, Ann continues to do her ‘day job’ of teaching in the American International Community School (ICS) in Bangkok, and one of the joys of this for Ann is catering for the Middle School Friday night events each month, especially as food is an important part of Thai and ICS culture. Please pray that food and fellowship, scripture, speakers and music will all help students to see the depth of God’s love for them and their own need of forgiveness.

In Malawi, Megumi and Helen Fazakerley continue to think of their future, and with downsizing in mind Helen has been sorting through boxes of photographs and toys, which is proving to be an emotional task, especially when photos of Helen’s (recentlydeceased) father with his grandchildren emerged. Blue teddy brought a smile however: bought by an uncle for Joshua’s first Christmas, he rarely left Joshua’s side through all the moves between England, Malawi and Japan. He’s now back living with Joshua in London!

Helen had a somewhat frustrating Sunday with the missionary guest house she manages. After receiving an unexpected text one Sunday asking if a family of eight could stay that night on their way through Blantyre to northern Mozambique, she and Megumi spent a frantic day of preparation only to learn much later that the family weren’t coming after all. However, the irritation of this was somewhat tempered by one of the ladies from the church Helen and Megumi attend admiring the jumpers

Blue teddy

Food, an important part of Thai & ICS culture

Children from the Mahathai community

they were wearing, then asking Helen to teach her to knit. Helen hopes this will be an opportunity for further fellowship and friendship. Megumi has continued to study Revelation and has particularly noticed how intensely visual the book is – lots of seeing and showing. Helen and Megumi’s home group is studying Revelation and he will be writing a study guide to it too. Life in Malawi indicates that all is not completely well. Despite Malawi being a sugar-producing country, there was a shortage of it in the supermarkets recently, possibly because most of it is exported to earn much-needed foreign currency. Fuel is short in some areas too. Please pray for Malawi, for good governance and for their economic problems to ease.

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Church Cleaning Rota

6th June Shirley & Christine

13th June Sally & Yvonne

20th June Caroline & Jean

27th June Ros & Madeline

4th July Victoria & Jill

PCC Ponderings

These ponderings relate to the January meeting of the PCC. The editor’s holidays rather got in the way of them being published in a timely manner. Apologies to Simon & everyone else.

Children

– a vital part of our church

life:

We are so thankful at St Christopher’s to have children of many different ages attending our services. Some go across the road to the village hall for Junior Church during our main 10.45am service, while several of the older teenagers enjoy our Youth Church meetings, either during the 10.45am service or, occasionally, at other times. All these children and young people are valued members of the church family and we long to support each of them in their Christian faith journeys.

Within our church families, some of the children are at the stage of simply learning and exploring, while others are already clearly expressing a desire to follow Christ for themselves. Where families

Simon Caudwell

so wish, it can be a very natural thing for this second group of children to want to take Communion alongside their parents, even before they are confirmed. Therefore, the PCC discussed the possibility of whether children, after suitable preparation, could participate in Communion. Rev. Lynn’s extremely helpful paper, which set out guidelines and safeguards, dealt with some common questions and concerns, and after full discussion the PCC agreed to approach Bishop Sam to seek permission, in principle, to admit children to Communion before Confirmation. We have now received affirmation from him that we have met the criteria set by the diocese and that he is happy for us to proceed. Rev. Lynn will soon be meeting with the first group of families and children wishing to take this exciting step.

Being admitted to Communion as a child, under a family’s care and supervision, would not take away the need for Confirmation later, once the child reaches an age where they can make life-decisions for themselves. And to add a further word of reassurance, not every family and not every child needs to make the same decision on this. Some will feel more comfortable continuing to receive a blessing instead of taking the bread and wine. We care for all children connected to St Christopher’s and are delighted to count them as part of our church family.

Appreciating our Givers – and Treasuring the Treasurer

It is very encouraging to see that we have had increases in regular giving, legacies and one-off and sundry donations over the past year; this starts to give us more financial confidence as we look ahead. Several one-off donations were received after our gift day, and a few have increased their standing order amounts since the

start of 2025. We are very grateful for these, as we depend on your support – and we want to take this chance to appreciate our generous givers, recognising that many people at St Christopher’s, and in our wider community, give gifts of time and energy too. Thank you to all of you!

Several PCC members attended a diocesan Treasure the Treasurer roadshow event in Cheadle Deanery at the end of 2024. Various accounting and record-keeping tools were presented, which could help make our treasurer’s load a bit easier. We all agreed that we need to treasure our treasurer …and our gift aid secretary –thank you to both Peter Kennedy and Sally Winstanley!

If you feel part of the Pott Shrigley community and would like to contribute to sustaining our ministry at St Christopher’s, you can find more information about ways of giving here in this HotPott magazine –please see page 31.

The organ and its woes were discussed too – please see David Garton’s article on page page 7.

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13thJune

11thJuly

Recipe of the Month

Mrs Darlington’s Marmalade & Fruit Loaf

Kate is a special friend and has helped me out in so many ways over the years; this time it was with a recipe for HotPott.

Kate Poole

Kate found it on one of those free cards sometimes available in food stores but has modified it a little; she has made it for the Dorothy Clive Garden volunteers, and it goes down very well. Mrs Darlington and her daughters are based in Crewe and produce a wide range of marmalades, jams, chutneys and other delicious things.

Ingredients:

250ml water

225g (8oz) sultanas

50g (2oz) butter

2 dessertspoons Mrs Darlington’s orange marmalade

200g (7oz) light soft brown sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

300g (10oz) self-raising flour

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of spices (ginger, nutmeg & cinnamon) [Kate’s addition!]

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4. Grease & line a 2lb loaf tin.

Put the water, sultanas, butter & marmalade in a pan, bring to boil for a few minutes and allow to go cold.

Add the sugar and beaten egg, stir until well combined.

Mix in the flour, spices and salt. Pour the mixture into the lined tin and ensure the mixture is level.

Cook for approximately 45 to 60 minutes, until a skewer plunged into the centre comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin before slicing. The first stage of the cake can be made the day before. This allows the marmalade & fruit mixture to cool properly, and for the sultanas to become plump.

Mrs Darlington’s marmalade and fruit loaf freezes well.

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Services

1st June.

8.30am

8th.

8.30am

15th.

8.30am

22nd.

8.30am

29th.

Communion

Worship‡**

Worship

6th July

8.30am

• All services underlined in blue will be streamed live on our Facebook Page & YouTube channel.

• A recording of each live-streamed service will be available from the services page of the church website: ‡ Junior Church **Youth Church (at 10.45am) OWLS - Occasional Worship Leaders

HotPott June 2025

Queen

Lynn's letter

Cover story: A Village Wedding

Pott Shrigley Church School Celebrates VE Day

Ena, Josh and Charlie from Class 3

Your Vote Your Council

Appointment of Officers

Alison Greenwood

New/Updated/Completed

Pending

Lychgate

Planning

Next meeting

Organ Fund? What organ fund?

Praying Whilst We Wombled

Yvonne Foster

Christ’s Passion on the Streets of Wilmslow

Sally Winstanley

From the Registers

Ode to the Tip

Peter makes Pott Parish Councillors Proud!

Jo Hadfield

The London Marathon 2025. I’m glad I did it…

Peter Boulton

St Christopher’s Pastoral Ministry

Adrian John Bedson: 1933 – 2025

Nancy Hargreaves

A brilliant mind A loving heart A gentle soul At rest

Across

Coffee Break

Down

Celebrating VE Day, bellringer style

Kath Matheson

Missionary Matters

Church Cleaning Rota

PCC Ponderings

Children

life:

Appreciating our Givers – and Treasuring the Treasurer

The Coffee Tavern

INTERIOR SERVICES

EXCEPTIONAL FROM START TO FINISH

EXTERIOR SERVICES

PROMPT AND EFFICIENT

Pott Shrigley

Village Hall Bar

Recipe of the Month

Mrs Darlington’s Marmalade & Fruit Loaf

Kate Poole

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Services

1st June.

6th July

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