HotPott November 2025 by Pott Shrigley Parish Magazine

Dear friends,

Lynn's letter

In recent weeks, whatever your politics happen to be, there has been a critique of those seeming to act as if they have the power of an unassailable king.

The readings for Christ the King Sunday on 23rd November reveal Christ displaying unusual behaviours for one who is King of the universe. In Luke 23:33-43 we are taken to the crucifixion scene: on the cross, Jesus, the innocent one, is placed between those deemed guilty, whilst those around the foot of the cross mock Him and emphasise His rejection and humiliation. Jesus suffers in silence whilst His vulnerability is on show as people watch on. How this contrasts with our desire for privacy when we have deep struggles.

suffering. We see from this act that no-one is beyond God’s mercy and that the cross is not a barrier to connection. Relationship is at the core of the kingdom of Christ.

Rev. Lynn Caudwell

We are surrounded by evidence of fractures in relationships at international, national and local levels, even at times in our own personal relationships. What Christ displays is a radical model of placing relationships as central in our current context. When He is most humiliated, He acts with love and forgiveness. He uses His power to give mercy to others. This underlines just how deeply grace is within the reign of Christ.

Whilst His weakness (in the form of rejection and physical pain) is on display, Jesus does something remarkable. He prays for others. He reaches out to those who are

We are those who both need to experience God’s mercy and then to show that same mercy to others. During this shift from autumn to winter, we can use this time to take time to reflect and ask ourselves:

• How do we respond to the King who reigns not from behind bulletproof

screens but from the vulnerability of the cross?

• Are we ready to receive Christ’s offer of grace and then extend that grace to those around us, even when it is difficult?

• Are we willing to embrace the radical love that Jesus exemplifies?

Honesty with these questions will sometimes mean seeing ourselves in an unflattering mirror. Our resistance to these questions could signify our limitations and our need for Jesus’ forgiveness. We begin to see that it is only God’s action that can move us to acts of true selflessness. However, when we are enabled to do this we will be participating in the reign of Christ and no longer subject to what the world lifts up. We are freed from the hierarchies and pressures of this world, transforming our understanding of their power and authority. Participation in the Reign of Christ means freedom to speak on behalf of the marginalized, to call out injustice, and to advocate for those left behind by those in power.

It is the end of the liturgical year. What else might God’s kingdom bring to an end to make room for something new?

In the love of Christ,

Lynn

Congratulations to… …Simon and Lynn, who celebrated their Ruby Wedding Anniversary on 21st September. Those present at the service that day were treated (by Lynn and Simon) to Buck’s Fizz, pink lemonade and lots of cake – thank you!

We wish them many blessings and joy as they continue life together. * * *

Somebody just threw a handful of Omega 3 tablets at me! It’s okay, I only suffered super fish oil injuries.

Enjoying The King of Kings

Our movie night, when the film The King of Kings was shown, was a huge success. There was laughter, popcorn and great company, which filled the room as we came together for an evening of connection and community. From the first scene to the final credits everyone was smiling and soaking up the cosy atmosphere: it was more than just a film, it was a night of friendship and good vibes.

Victoria Price

Elsa said she loved the movie so much. She particularly enjoyed the cat, and she noticed how the man telling the story (Charles Dickens) didn't like the cat to start with, but after a while he started to cuddle the cat. She loved this best because it shows that you shouldn't judge, and Jesus loves everyone, including cats.

Emma said: ‘The movie was great. I liked the story, and the popcorn was amazing. I like to spend time with great people, and it made my day.’

Ieva said: ‘The movie was magical, definitely told the story of Jesus. There was cakes, juice and laughter; me and Elsa ate too much cake! I loved the time and company. It was a great evening.’

I want to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who came along and made it such a memorable evening and to all who baked for me. If you missed it this time don't worry, keep your eyes peeled for the next movie night.

And thanks to Victoria for organising it.

Remembering John Ryley

John was a cherished member of the St Christopher’s Church family for over 30 years, as was his wife Margaret who died last year. The congregation here will never forget John expounding the gospel or belting out his favourite (usually Victorian) hymns, often accompanied by enthusiastic arm waving. As noted at his thanksgiving service, John was a warrior for Christ. The following tribute is taken, in part, from the eulogy given at his funeral:

Kath Matheson

John was born at home in Bolton on 23rd June 1928 to Wilfred, who had a plumbing and glazing business, and Ethel, who was involved in education; Wilfred was gentle, Ethel forceful. John was a mixture of both, possibly with the emphasis on forceful! John had a younger brother, David.

John was particularly proud to have attended Bolton School. As it was wartime, meat rationing was in place: John helped with the pig club, where piglets were nurtured until large enough to be slaughtered, though the main benefit for John was it got him out of games lessons! John also had fond memories of cycling and trekking in Scotland, an experience he didn’t repeat with his own children.

John went up to Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1945, at the early age of 17. He studied Natural Sciences, concentrating latterly on biochemistry. After graduating he could choose between going into the army or continuing with research, so not unreasonably he chose the latter! His PhD was in parasitology and biochemistry, particularly studying the chemistry of a type of single-celled organism

(trypanosomes), certain of which cause sleeping sickness.

Before John had written up his thesis, he accepted a job with the pharmaceutical division of ICI in Wilmslow, later moving to Alderley Park. Initially hired to investigate alternative drugs for treating malaria, for the next 25 years John worked with most parasitic protozoa until transforming into a mycologist 12 years before he retired and looking for antifungal drugs instead. John was a good scientist; his work was always thorough, meticulous, well read and researched. Although he showed some eccentricities at work, such as bouncing a rubber ball along the corridors at Alderley Park, and at one stage cultivating lice who drank his blood whilst stashed in little vials shoved down his socks, he was wellrespected by his colleagues. He remained a research scientist, always refusing offers of promotion into management.

He published many scientific papers, including two with his son Nick, and became a Doctor of Science, the highest degree awarded by Cambridge for distinguished research in science. John’s lab assistant at ICI, Margaret, turned out to be the love of his life. John showed his romantic side (a box of Black Magic chocolates every week), and their relationship survived John teaching Margaret to drive, but the fact that John can’t remember proposing to her is not so romantic! They did, however, get married at St George’s Poynton in June 1956; by all accounts, Margaret arranged everything and John just turned up. They honeymooned by motoring across Europe for a week in John’s Morris Minor, getting as far as the Italian Lakes before turning round and coming home to their new but unfinished house in Adlington, where they managed during the first six weeks by camping out in a bedroom and using cold water, a camping gas cooker, and the neighbour’s toilet. John was very proud of this house, which he and Margaret

designed and, together with family and friends, helped the builder to build. Over the years he put a tremendous amount of effort into his beautiful garden, sometimes overdoing it as he tackled heavy jobs involving removing tree stumps! For these reasons (and the music being too loud at Nick’s church) John resisted moving to be nearer family in later years and nearly achieved his aim of only being taken from the house in a box!

John and Margaret had three children, Paul, Nick and Anne, whom they encouraged to achieve well in their education, all three following John to Emmanuel College, Cambridge. They were supportive parents in other ways, particularly with music activities, and John liked to have the children working alongside him in the garden and with projects at his workbench. As time progressed, daughters- and sons-in-law, grandchildren and great grandchildren were welcomed; John (and Margaret) loved spending time with them and were always continued →

up to speed with their doings, speaking proudly of their achievements. They were very appreciative of the support their family gave them, which varied between sharing lovely holidays to organising grocery deliveries for them during COVID.

At St Christopher’s we remember John for his passion for Christ, and for telling others about Him. John became a Christian through Crusaders (an organisation founded to teach the Bible to young people) on October 19th 1940; this event shaped his future life. He continued with Crusaders at Cambridge and in 1962 started a class in Poynton along with David Bayley. His approach to recruitment could be somewhat oblique: one of John’s boys, Roy Worsley, thought he was just going along to play football. The Crusaders did play football, with John shivering in his sheepskin on the touchline each Saturday morning, with his flask of soup or tea to keep him warm. Never one to allow obstacles to remain in the way of keeping his flock together, John once managed

to squeeze the whole football team into his Morris Oxford for an away match, though the record was 13 (including John) for a trip to Altrincham Ice Rink. But the focus of John’s time with Crusaders was to bring youngsters to Christ and to encourage them in their faith; if someone was missing for a week or two John visited their house asking: ‘Why?’. He not only led worship and Bible study with his customary enthusiasm each week, he took the group on Crusader holidays to Nefyn camp and for weekend breaks at Barmoor in North Yorks and Cae Canol in Wales. Much fun, sport and wild games ensued, but also serious Bible meetings and talks, when many came to faith. And John didn’t leave it there… he always followed up, making sure new Christians had the resources they needed to develop and grow their faith. In the early 1980s John handed over the work in Poynton to others and went to help at Tytherington Crusaders. The involvement of people nurtured through these Crusader groups has been critical to the growth of a thriving Christian presence in both Poynton and Tytherington.

John was a deacon at Poynton Baptist Church; his Bible notes and weekly home Bible studies were greatly valued. In 1993, John and Margaret joined us at St Christopher’s, and their contributions here were immense. John was a lay reader, and always keen to be actively involved in

leading the service in some way. If John was down to preach, we knew we were in for a long session; often starting off with a history and/or theology lesson to put his subject into the correct context, John expounded the gospel, or the teachings of Paul, or something from the Old Testament, eyes fiercely fixed on the congregation and fist banging down on the pulpit to emphasise a point. Sometimes the points he made caused Margaret (and others of us) to hide under the pews, and he made no attempt to be politically correct, but he taught us so much, not only from the pulpit but also in the accompanying pamphlets he produced, about following Jesus and living a life of faith. John enjoyed being challenged, and relished a good theological argument, though his vast knowledge of the Bible often made it difficult for the challenger, and sometimes he found it hard to see another’s point of view. However, he didn’t hold grudges, even when my editor’s pen severely restricted his pronouncements in his Suffering Church articles; whatever travesties I committed, John still sent the articles faithfully each month, never requiring a prompt and always on time, even when caring for Margaret and his own ill health was taking a huge toll on his wellbeing. The same applied to Missionary Matters, as encouraging our interest in our

missionary partners, as well as supporting them personally in prayer and financially, was another of John’s great skills and passions. He and Margaret often hosted missionaries in their home and John kept in close touch with them when they were abroad.

Many members of the St Christopher’s family remember John as a warm, kind man with a twinkle in his eye and a wicked sense of humour; he could take a joke against himself too, except perhaps when Oxford won the Varsity Match or the Boat Race! Always one of the first to seek out newcomers to church, John’s genuine interest in them and their lives was a great example to the rest of us; he remembered their names too! John was solicitous in asking about family members or about any troubles he was aware of; he was direct and straightforward, you always knew where he stood and where he expected you to stand too!

As his beloved Margaret’s health deteriorated John took on the household tasks with his customary ‘get on with it’ attitude and humour; his care for her was exemplary and came at the expense of his own health as he became increasingly exhausted. I suspect he had to drop some of his hobbies, like the jewellery and silverware making he so

enjoyed (and which we at St Christopher’s benefitted from), but his dedication to, and persistence in, the task of making Jesus known remained undimmed. His turn at the lectern to read the lesson was usually accompanied by a brief sermon, often preceded by a mischievous smile: pay back for those times he’d been denied a platform (he could get very cross about that)!

In his last months John became increasingly frail and immobile, but his spirit was not crushed: his Christian witness continued, shining out from his memoir, Me By Me, and his so-sure hope in his Saviour sparklingly clear to visitors and, no doubt, to the staff who cared for him. Lying there in his hospital bed, John was a joy to be around. He was totally undaunted by death, even though he expressed a desire to make his 100th birthday!

Many tributes have been paid to John, including this one: ‘John was a force of

nature, never afraid to challenge, but full of care, compassion, and love. His resonant voice allowed him to preach in a very special way. He made us sing one Sunday morning at the 8.30 because it would be good for us and to challenge our reluctance and shyness. He never held back when seeking support for the poor, less well off, and the persecuted. A really good man.’

Typically, John wanted his thanksgiving service to be an evangelistic event; he even wanted to record the sermon, the bare bones of which will be seen in a future HotPott. St Christopher’s was packed for his thanksgiving; a fitting tribute and he would definitely have approved of the singing!

To paraphrase 2 Timothy 4:7: ‘John fought the good fight, he finished the race, he kept the faith.’ May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

Many thanks to the Riley family and to Ray Worsley for the use of their tributes.

Thanks, and please could we have some more (with apologies to Charles Dickens).

So many thanks to everyone who brought food and toiletries to church over the Harvest period: the SILKLIFE foodbank staff were very pleased to receive 23 carrier bags, all filled to the brim. And thank you to Mike Akerman for transporting them down there.

Jean and Reg Ferguson

But… it's that exciting time of year again: the SILKLIFE Reverse Advent Calendar is here. And we need those who can to donate again: it’s your chance to pop a food item into a carrier bag instead of popping a chocolate into your mouth.

Copies of the calendar are available at the back of church, near the font; please pick one up, have a look at it and decide if you can help. We did brilliantly last Christmas, completely filling our campervan with

donations of food to help struggling families in our area. This year it’s a little different: SILKLIFE are requesting staple (rather than Christmas) goods to replenish their stocks, which have been severely depleted by the huge local need for help to feed families. With our help, SILKLIFE will be able to continue helping hungry people in 2026.

Please pick up a calendar and read it; you can choose to buy the item suggested for each day, or just some of them – it’s totally up to you, but all contributions are useful and will be welcomed. Anyone preferring to donate money can scan the QR code on the calendar or speak to us about the simplest way.

Thank you from every family you help.

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

Cover story: Lynn is now our vicar!

Well, we always thought she was anyway, but on 15th October it became official: Lynn is now our vicar. Since 2002 St Christopher’s has had priests in charge, which gave the diocesan bishops more flexibility to move our clergy around or to amalgamate us with another parish. However, as the Bishop of Stockport, Rt. Rev. Sam Corley, explained, giving the St Christopher’s parish their vicar back confirms and celebrates all the Christian work that is being done here. It also makes us more secure as an independent parish.

Kath Matheson

Bishop Sam led the service with humour. Rev. Simon Gowler aided him, wearing several hats including those of the rural dean, neighbouring vicar, archdeacon and representative of the patrons (CPAS); a busy man!

The lesson Lynn chose for the service was 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, and Bishop Sam’s talk explored this. In the passage, Paul explains to the Corinthian Christians, who were a diverse group of people with a marked tendency to fall out, that every person has a unique contribution to make to the community, that all are equally important so we all need each other, and others need us. Bishop Sam gave us four words to help us to heed Christ’s call to move closer to Him, and therefore to each other: attention, mystery, delight and enjoy.

We need to pay attention to each other in a compassionate way; we cannot know the joys and burdens every one of us carries in our daily lives, but we can recognise that everyone is made and loved by God – even those who are very different to us.

At the end of the service: : left to right: Rev. Lynn, Rev Simon, Bishop Sam

Similarly, we will never completely fathom the mystery of others, never completely understand them. Even those we have lived with for decades, or have given birth to, have the capacity to surprise us. Similarly, those people we wouldn’t have chosen to associate with, but whom God has chosen to come alongside us in church will surprise us. The mystery of people is something God uses to help us pay attention to others, and to delight in too: delight in their uniqueness, their different perspectives, their gifts, their distinctive approach. When we approach people who are not like us in an open, non-judgemental way, we can be stretched, surprised and delighted and our expectations can be surpassed. This leads us to the last word: enjoy. We need to enjoy our fellow children of God rather than seeing them only as fellow workers.

In our discipleship, both as individuals and as a church, we need to pay attention to God too, to stop being so busy doing His work sometimes to allow ourselves to relax in His presence, to explore and delight in the depths of mystery of who He is, delight in a relationship with Him and to enjoy Him and his plans and purposes forever. And we can be certain that God pays attention to us, that He knows us intimately and completely – our joys, our struggles, what we’re involved with. God calls us to realise our unique potential as we take our part in the body of Christ; He delights in all that He has made, He enjoys each one of us. He has filled us with the Holy Spirit to enable us to draw closer to Christ, and to each other.

May we at St Christopher’s pay attention to each other, to appreciate the mystery that we each are, to delight in and enjoy each other so that in doing so we can draw closer to Christ.

of flowers to Gill Mosley for many years of service to the St Christopher's

If you were unable to attend the service, you missed a treat, to say nothing of the delicious refreshments afterwards. You can catch up with the service at least on our YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/@ stchristopherspottshrigley

Not Just Sunday go out to lunch

On Wednesday 1st October a group of 15 from Not Just Sunday (the mid-week service) enjoyed a meat and potato pie and apple pie harvest lunch at the home of Irene and Mike North.

Lynne Bowden

We thank them sincerely for their generous hospitality and hard work for us all.

Everyone is very welcome to join us at our relaxed Wednesday morning Celtic worship sessions. Refreshments begin at 11am, worship with discussion of the Bible reading at 11.15.

Presentation

Not just Sunday go out to lunch

From better to well

Some readers will know that earlier in the year, Jane was diagnosed with bowel cancer; subsequently she’s had surgery and chemotherapy. Jane has shared some of this difficult journey with us, through the Chester Diocese e-bulletin (https://www.chesterdiocese. org/content/e-bulletin and search for Jane Proudfoot). This is her latest reflection; thank you to Jean Ferguson for suggesting we put it into HotPott and to the diocese for allowing us to use it.

Ven. Jane Proudfoot Archdeacon of Macclesfield

From better to well

I’ve been so surprised to find that the time after the good news that the cancer is gone isn’t a constant float on cloud nine! It seems I had very high expectations of what post-cancer would feel like. I don’t think I’ve ever before considered what this is like for other people, but it’s clear to me now that being told that you’re better isn’t the same as being well.

Chemotherapy is exhausting, so physically there’s a lot to get over. It’s psychologically overwhelming to move from ‘dealing with’ through ‘living with’ to ‘recovering from’. I realised that my body, mind and spirit had been through quite a trauma and that no matter how well I had dealt with it at the time, it had taken its toll.

Hearing the Princess of Wales speaking to other cancer patients about the strain of recovery was amazingly reassuring. In July she said: 'You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment, treatment's done - then it's like “I can crack on, get back to normal.” But actually the phase

afterwards is really difficult, you're not necessarily under the clinical team any longer, but you're not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to. But it's life-changing for anyone, through first diagnosis or post treatment and things like that, it is a life-changing experience both for the patient but also for the families as well. And actually it sometimes goes unrecognised, you don't necessarily, particularly when it's the first time, appreciate how much impact it is going to have. You have to find your new normal and that takes time... and it's a rollercoaster it's not one smooth plane, which you expect it to be. But the reality is it's not, you go through hard times.’

Finding a new normal

I thought I was just being sappy but pulling myself up by my bootstraps was not a strategy that was working for me. Admitting to myself that I was struggling,

that I was very tired and lacking stamina and resilience was difficult but necessary to allow the space for further healing. I also realised that in the past I’d had unrealistic expectations of how well friends and colleagues would be after a major illness. I’d made assumptions about how quickly they might want to socialise, expecting a return to ‘normal’ without an appreciation of how their normal had changed.

I’ve found it helpful to reflect on the healings of Jesus, especially those of people who had been in need of healing for a long time. I tried to imagine what life must have been like for the man who had laid by the Pool of Bethesda for 38 years to be up on his feet again. To rebuild his life, rejoicing at the saving power of Jesus, full of gratitude for his salvation, but facing the reality of his new normal. What resources did he have to call on? Who was there to help and guide him? How did he manage the conflicting emotions that his healing must have engendered? It helps me to make sense of Jesus’ question to him: ‘Do you want to be healed?’

How was it for the man born blind to have his sight restored at the Pool of Siloam and be immediately plunged into conflict, finding himself at the centre of a religious row, having his own life story challenged? He hardly had time to celebrate before the harsh realities of life bore down on him again. How did that leave him feeling? How hard he must have had to fight to hold on to his elation; how brave he was to stand up to those in authority who were trying to rewrite his story.

Being better is not the same as being well

Being well takes more time and we neglect this period of healing at our peril. Jesus knew that wellness did not consist in healing the body, although it may have started there, but began with healing

the soul. Our inner healing, our true reconciliation with God our Father, comes from our response to His offer of grace. Jesus’ words of forgiveness: ‘Your sins have been forgiven’ came first, preceding physical healing, because they were of utmost importance.

Being well is a balance of body, mind and soul and giving time to pay attention to each of these. Being well is about returning to and drinking from the well of salvation, sitting with Jesus as He tells us everything about ourselves, holding a mirror up to our souls, surprising us with His grace. Finding again that stream of living water welling up inside us, refreshing and restoring, reconciling and renewing is our hope and our joy.

My illness has made me look again at my own wellness and reassess. It shouldn’t have taken something so drastic to make this happen. As a good friend of mine reminded me, looking after yourself is not selfish, it’s essential. How many of us extol the virtue of balance in our lives to other people but fail to live it ourselves? Through the beautiful dance of the Holy Trinity God demonstrates balance and harmony, we need to seek the same balance and harmony in our lives with Him.

I’m working on it and I’d like to encourage you to do the same. Don’t wait until illness forces you to stop and re-evaluate. Listen instead to the still, small voice telling you to listen, to lie down beside still waters, to allow your soul to be refreshed. Take time to drink deeply from the well of salvation –go from better to well.

Archdeacon Jane underwent further surgery on 1st October to reverse her stoma and is now recovering prior to a phased return to work. In an earlier piece, she encouraged everyone to participate in NHS screening for breast, bowel & cervical cancer; it could be a life saver.

A God of Surprises… October’s Prayer Walk

With Storm Amy still making her presence felt, and with some of our faithful prayer walkers away, I wasn’t very hopeful that October’s prayer walk would go ahead. Cycling to church in the rain I felt sure nobody else would be foolish enough to turn up this month, but Sally was!

Yvonne Foster

We sheltered in the church porch, stared at the rain and at each other. Should we venture out? Should we stay put and pray in church? Perhaps we could just avoid the hills and prayer walk around the cricket pitch, or maybe take a walk up to Kickback and have a coffee?

‘How about coffee and cake at St John’s Adlington?’ Sally suggested. ‘Their courgette cake is amazing. We could prayer walk around Adlington.’

‘What a good idea – clearly the Lord’s plan for us - let’s go.’

The question on arrival was: ‘Do we take the unknown path across the fields, or do we play safe and prayer walk along the nearby Middlewood Way?’

Feeling like a day for all things unexpected and unplanned, we followed the way marker across the fields. (Can you ever be lost when you don’t have a route or a plan of where you’re going?)

The walk was full of wonderful surprises: new paths, views, and stories from Sally about autumn leaves falling and God’s blessings. We prayed for Adlington Primary School and St John’s Church, remembering their minister and our dear friend, Rev. Steve Murphy, who is recovering in hospital from a stroke. We prayed for the Adlington community. We prayed for farmers (including those known to us) caring for the land and for livestock.

'I think I deserve it!'

We came across a track that Sally thought she recognised. It led onto Wych Lane. Passing John and Margaret Ryley’s old house, we remembered them with thanks, and prayed for all the Ryley family, recently bereaved.

Striding out along the main road, with the promise of coffee and cake ahead of us, we soon arrived back at St John’s. We were met with a warm welcome, good coffee and a generous slice of cake.

We chatted in the warm tin tabernacle with fellow visitors to the coffee shop. We then said our goodbyes, taking with us a large bag of apples which had been hand-picked from the trees in the church’s garden and very kindly given to us.

The start of the day didn’t look very promising, but we drove back to Pott Shrigley full of thanks.

The St John’s Coffee Shop came into being after a member of the congregation prayed to the Lord, asking Him to show them what to do to grow the church. The answer came back clearly: serve good coffee! Volunteers were asked for to make the coffee and bake the cakes; currently there are about 50 people involved, and the profits are used to help maintain the building. Even better, the St John’s congregation has grown too. The St John’s Coffee Shop is popular locally and serves excellent cakes and coffee, as enjoyed by Sally and Yvonne.

A very deaf elderly man was finally fitted out with a hearing aid that really worked. A month later his doctor called him in for a check-up. “Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again.”

The gentleman replied, “Oh, I haven’t told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I’ve changed my will three times!”

St John's Church garden

A warm welcome

Your Vote Your Council

Adlington New Town

The parish council was recently informed of the government’s proposal to designate the former Adlington Hall Estate as the site for one of its planned new towns, comprising approximately 14,000 to 20,000 new dwellings. Although the proposed development site is not immediately adjacent to Pott Shrigley, its establishment will have a significant impact on our parish and surrounding communities. The council is totally opposed to this development, particularly as the land is good agricultural land, designated Green Belt and of significant historic importance.

Both Tim Roca MP and Cheshire East Council (CEC) have expressed their surprise at this announcement, with Mr Roca formally stating his opposition to the proposed development.

Jo Hadfield

The September parish council meeting was attended by approximately 50 to 60 members of the public, and the parish council provided an opportunity for residents and interested parties to express their views. The council will continue to liaise closely with neighbouring parish councils, Cheshire East Council and our member of parliament to ensure that the views and concerns of the community are fully represented as the situation develops.

Further information will be posted on the parish council’s website (https:// pottshrigley-pc.gov. uk) as it emerges.

Facebook action groups have been established to oppose this development. A meeting is being arranged for residents and representatives of neighbouring parish councils to meet with CEC to discuss their concerns.

Please see accompanying map of the affected area.

Adlington Map

Highways

New/Updated/Completed.

• Modifications to pavement/road outside village hall: David Garton and Cllr Saunders are to meet Jonathan Copnall (Highways, CEC) at the village hall to discuss the inadequacy of the recent mitigation measures intended to prevent further damage to the hall.

• Jackson Brow steps: A contractor has submitted an estimate for repair of the steps.

• Gully emptying: The lack of gully emptying on Spuley Lane and Bakestonedale Road in August (when Shrigley Road gullies were cleared) was reported. Highways responded that their assessment indicated the gullies do not meet the criteria for works currently. The council was concerned by this as the gullies are completely blocked.

• Contravention of 7.5T weight limit on Bakestonedale Road: The clerk reported this to the police. A PCSO has established that the relevant signs are clearly visible, so HGVs using this route are committing a traffic offence. The PCSO had not seen the clerk’s report but postulated it may have gone to the traffic department. The PCSO will speak with PC Howard, the police officer for the area, to discuss how the problem can be monitored safely and to find out if some advice can be obtained from a traffic officer. The clerk will be updated with the relevant information.

Pending

Dates when issues were first raised with Cheshire East Council (CEC) Highways appear in brackets.

• Poynton Relief Road: The clerk has contacted Paul Griffiths (CEC Infrastructure Delivery Manager) for an update on the required mitigation measures for much-increased traffic

through Pott Shrigley but has not received a response. (April 25) She will contact him for an explanation of the lack of response.

• 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)

Closure of B5470 (Macclesfield to Whaley Bridge Road)

Nearly one year since the road collapsed the repair has finally started. CEC estimate it will take approximately five months to complete and cost £1,600,600.

Lychgate

Work has been scheduled to repair the lychgate for February/March 2026.

Jumber Clough

A Peak National Park enforcement officer, Tommi Cluley, has confirmed that the hard core tipped by lorries on the track up to Jumber Clough appears to be for improvement of access to the fields, which is permitted under agricultural development rights. The intermediate bulk containers have been removed following his request. He is happy to be contacted if there are any further concerns.

Flagpole

The opinion of the village hall committee regarding buying a new flagpole is awaited.

Licensing and Installation of Rev. Lynn Caudwell

Cllr Basford will attend the service to install Rev. Lynn as vicar of St Christopher’s (she is currently priest in charge) and for the refreshments afterwards in the village hall.

Planning Applications

Approved

25/2215 Beckside, SK12 1TF

Retrospective planning application for the demolition of an existing rear/side conservatory and erection of replacement with a single storey rear/side extension

and new stone wall to the stream banking.

Pending

23/3874M Shrigley Hall Hotel, SK10 5SB Shrigley Hall Hotel tennis courts are still full of unused furniture/equipment. During a further site visit by CEC Enforcement Officer, Charlotte Stacey, the general manager was spoken with. Efforts are being made to clear the site and the deadline for this is 31st October 2025. If not remedied by this date, the council will have to consider whether it is expedient to take formal action.

Next meeting

The next council meeting will take place earlier than usual at 8pm on Monday 27th October 2025 in the village hall.

A Godly Coincidence

For over 50 years my Mum has been a member of her local Methodist church in Biddulph, Staffordshire, having joined it when my siblings and I were young children.

Simon Potts

Since becoming a Christian in her teens, her faith in Jesus has ‘carried’ her through several very traumatic events. As we grew up, and for many years afterwards, she was a Sunday School teacher and my late father was involved in many aspects of the church too, especially around Remembrance Day where his displays and histories of local soldiers would be on display each year. Mum has always written poetry and many of her Christian poems have been published in her own church magazine Nexus. We often drop a copy of HotPott off to her when we see her, and when

we last visited she pointed out a ‘Godly coincidence’ between the September issue of HotPott and the corresponding issue of Nexus. Yvonne had written an article in our magazine about the July prayer walk and recounted how the walkers stopped by a small lake and read Zechariah 3:17: ‘The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to

Arthur and Jeanette Potts

save, He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.’ Mum showed us a poem that she had written for the Nexus published the same month, based on exactly the same verse. The poem is as follows:

He will quiet you with His love He will quiet you with His love, Will settle your inner distress. See how He knows your deepest fears, For He is God no less.

He will quiet you with His love, Rest at His beautiful feet. Listen to Him in the silence

Where minds locked together can meet. He will quiet you with His love, Just gaze into His eyes

Full of wisdom and knowledge And spiritual love so wise. He will quiet you with His love, Will steady your nervous unrest, Will speak to your soul and your inner being Thoughts which are humbled and blessed.

Based on Zephaniah 3:17

Written by Alice Jeanette Potts

Very many thanks to Mrs Potts and to Simon for sharing this wonderful poem with us.

Hone your quizzing skills…

On Saturday 8th November there will be a quiz in the village hall at 7.30 pm.

£5 including cheese/biscuits, tea/coffee. The bar will be open. Prizes for the raffle are welcome.

Book your table, not more than six people with:

Sandy 07954 344874

Mary 07891 693229

Madeline 07485 560359

Ros 07970 895261

Victoria 07961 004755

All proceeds for the new church organ fund.

Coffee Break

Across

1 The sixth disciple (Matthew 10:3) (11)

9 ‘And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the — — ’ (Matthew 6:13) (4,3)

10 Love intensely (Song of Songs 1:4) (5)

11 From Mt Carmel to Jezreel, Elijah — all the way (1 Kings 18:46) (3)

13 One of the Midianite leaders who was captured and killed after Gideon’s victory in the valley near Moreh (Judges 7:25) (4)

16 Metallic element (4)

17 At line (anag.) (6)

18 ‘Cursed is everyone who is — on a tree’ (Galatians 3:13) (4)

20 Where Samson killed a thousand Philistines with a donkey’s jawbone (Judges 15:14) (4)

21 He succeeded Moses (Deuteronomy 34:9) (6)

22 ‘When he saw him, he took — on him’ (Luke 10:33) (4)

23 ‘For — is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction’ (Matthew 7:13) (4)

25 ‘The god of this — has blinded the minds of unbelievers’ (2 Corinthians 4:4) (3)

28 Fear or terror (Psalm 31:22) (5)

29 ‘We, who are many, are one body, for we all — of the one loaf’ (1 Corinthians 10:17) (7)

30 Assyrian ruler assassinated by his sons while worshipping his god Nisroch (2 Kings 19:37) (11)

Down

2 ‘For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made — ’ (1 Corinthians 15:22) (5)

3 ‘After supper he — the cup’ (1 Corinthians 11:25) (4)

4 The request of a man of Macedonia in Paul’s vision: ‘Come — to Macedonia and help us’ (Acts 16:9) (4)

5 He disobeyed his father Judah by refusing to impregnate his dead brother’s wife (Genesis 38:9) (4)

6 I veto me (anag.) (7)

7 Fourth king of Judah (1 Kings 15:24) (11)

8 Priest of God Most High, who blessed Abram (Genesis 14:18) (11)

12 ‘I have made you — — for the Gentiles’ (Acts 13:47) (1,5)

14 Implore (1 Samuel 15:25) (3)

15 ‘Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the — , something sweet’ (Judges 14:14) (6)

19 ‘I am the most ignorant of men; I do — — a man’s understanding’ (Proverbs 30:2) (3,4)

20 ‘Sin shall not be your master, because you are not under — , but under grace’ (Romans 6:14) (3)

24 Native of, say, Baghdad (5)

25 The last word in the Bible (Revelation 22:21) (4)

26 Heroic tale (4)

27 ‘Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you — ’ (John 8:32) (4)

The Big London Marathon Cheque

It feels like an age since I completed the London Marathon back in April. While the event itself was over in a day, the fundraising continued to flourish for several months afterwards. Thanks to the many generous contributions – and the matched funding from the Equilibrium Foundation – I was delighted to present a ‘big cheque’ to The Christie Charity on Friday, 3rd October for £7,182.25.

Peter Boulton

These funds have once again been directed to Breast Cancer Research and added to my late partner’s tribute fund: https:// margaret-hughes.muchloved.com

Initially, we raised £15,000, which qualified for an engraved bronze leaf on The Tree of Hope in The Christie Garden. Earlier this year, the tree was beautifully upgraded and it was a privilege to attend its reopening in early July. I’m proud to share that the fund now exceeds £34,000 - and continues to grow.

The cheque

Congratulations to Peter – what a magnificent amount of money to raise. For those who missed it, Peter’s account of his London Marathon experience can be found in the June 2025 edition of HotPott, which can be found online at https://issuu.com/hotpott

Church Cleaning Rota

7th Nov Sally & Yvonne

14th Nov Caroline & Jean

21st Nov Ros & Madeline

28th Nov Victora & Jill

5th Dec Ivan & Mary

I’m proud to announce that I have completed the first item on my bucket list. I have the bucket.

The Tree of Hope

PCC Ponderings

Giving our tithe – looking beyond Pott Shrigley

At the beginning of 2025 we recorded our gratitude, as a church, to all our faithful givers. The congregation at St Christopher’s and the Pott Shrigley community have continued to give generously, and the PCC takes its responsibility seriously to see that this money is well spent.

Acknowledging God as the ultimate provider, we have always seen it as our duty and joy to give to others too. Following ancient tradition, St Christopher’s allocates a tenth of its gift income to ministries outside its own four walls – usually outside the parish and in some cases outside the UK.

Transform: Challenging and seeking to transform unjust structures of society. Opposing violence of every kind and pursuing peace and reconciliation.

Treasure: Protecting the integrity of creation. Sustaining and renewing the life of the earth.

Simon Caudwell

But with so many worthy causes and pressing financial needs known to us, how do we decide who or what to give to? Rev. Lynn pointed us to a framework, already used by many churches across the globe, to help us consider the full range of priorities that we might try to cover through our external giving. This framework sets out five distinct emphases – the Five Marks of Mission – which can be summarised as follows:

Tell: Proclaiming the Kingdom of God. Preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Teach: Discipling and nurturing new (or long established!) Christians. Helping existing believers to grow in their Christian faith.

Tend: Caring for members of the church community. Responding to human need in loving service.

Gathering new information where possible, we looked carefully at those individuals and agencies we support already, including some who are well known to HotPott readers (for example through our Missionary Matters articles). We also researched the status and needs of other potential recipients and, taking care not to spread ourselves too thinly, added one or two new ones to our list. In our September meeting, the PCC discussed and approved the list of beneficiaries for the coming year, including some local agencies in East Cheshire and some aid and outreach ministries in Africa and Asia. We’ll give focus to each in turn in forthcoming editions of this magazine.

As well as spreading our giving across the Five Marks of Mission, we have focused on agencies and individuals with whom

Five loaves and two fish

we can maintain a regular, meaningful connection, developing both friendship and accountability through personal relationships. Our expectation is that the benefit will be very much two-way, as we provide support to essential ministry that we could never do ourselves, while gaining a much richer understanding of what God is doing around the world.

Remembering the miracle Jesus performed, multiplying a few loaves and fish to meet the needs of a huge crowd, we pray that our small tithe, offered willingly and gladly, can make a difference.

In the examination paper, the professor wanted us to sign a form stating that we had not received any outside assistance. Unsure of whether he should sign the form, a student admitted that he had prayed for the assistance of God.

The professor carefully studied the answer page and then replied, “You can sign it with a clear conscience. God did not assist you.

Vicki Shelley, a much loved friend

Vicki was a much loved, well respected and highly valued friend and member of our home group for more than 20 years.

Green Close Home Group

She had a deep understanding of the suffering of Jesus and loved to read the Bible aloud, with great expression. She used her immense knowledge and skill as a former English teacher to good effect, putting a different slant on our discussions, which made for lively debate during our gatherings! We will miss her fun, friendship, intellect and great insight, but most of all, her company.

I was very sad to hear that Vicki had died. She made a significant contribution to HotPott as a proofreader, a task she carried out with skill and diligence – though she and I agreed to disagree on the use of commas! Editor.

The Coffee Tavern

Fully License(\

Shrigley Road, Pott Shrigley, Macclesfield 01625 576'90

Setving Daily, Breakfust, Main Meals, Snacks etc

Available (or Functions etc.

OPEN 10qm to 6pm - Thursday to Sunday

Green Close House Group (Vicki is bottom right)

Missionary Matters

Helen and Megumi Fazakerley are normally based in Malawi but are currently on home leave. They were delighted to be met at the airport by their daughter Mary and her husband, and by their son Joshua who had travelled up from London; they are looking forward to meeting his girlfriend, Claire, in person soon. Meanwhile, Helen and Megumi are catching up with immunisations, other health checks and general life admin. They thank us for praying for Malawi’s presidential election, which went well with the results being accepted peacefully.

Please pray for Helen and Megumi as they enjoy seeing their family, or at least some of it (daughter Elizabeth is in Australia), and for Malawi as it continues its struggles with widespread poverty and shortages.

Kath Matheson

Johnny and Ann McClean in Thailand have been praying about a possible move to Udon Thani in northeast Thailand, which is close to the Laos border. After many conversations with those they serve alongside, this calling has now been confirmed by their home church elders and their missionary society (UFM) leaders. They are praying that the move will enable Johnny to help Langham develop preacher training in both northeast Thailand and Laos. Ann hopes to serve as a teacher at ICS Udon, a small sister school to the school in Bangkok she works at now; the timing of the move (June 2026 or 2027) depends on this job, and a decision should be made by the end of November. Please pray for them to trust the Lord and His timing as they

Megumi and Helen arriving at Manchester

President Peter Mutharika; BBC

Udon Thani

wait and start to plan for transition after 14 years in Bangkok and as Johnny starts to network with churches and mission leaders in their new area. Pray too for the school leaders who will make the decision about Ann’s job. Johnny is back home in Northern Ireland in November for a series of three seminars: Preach the Word, Grow the Church, and asks for prayer for this. Pray too for his continuing work with Langham as they look to consolidate their work in Indonesia and neighbouring countries. In early December, the ministry in country V is being rebooted, with new networks joining and some very competent and gifted people joining from both north and south. Please pray for the training team, for a strengthening of the Langham Preaching movement right across the country and for there to be core teams in the north, middle and south so that travel is reduced and more preachers and leaders can be trained. Thank God for the recent ICS Middle School camp,

Middle school camp

which Ann was involved with. Praise Him for the good discussions that took place with the students about what it means to have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, to know our sins are forgiven and to understand that we are both known and loved by God. Ann was particularly pleased that two of the girls who went are daughters of people who were students on camps in her and Johnny’s TCS student ministry days! It’s a joy to know their parents have continued to walk with the Lord and are now raising their own children in the faith.

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Thank you!

Pott Shrigley

Village Hall Bar

2nd Friday of every month, 6.30 'til 10.00pm

14thNovember 12thDecember

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Recipe of the Month: Sticky Gingerbread

Margaret is a bellringer at Caverswall, a small village at the edge of The Potteries.

Margaret Carnall

My Dad was a choir boy there in the 1930s, until sacked by the vicar for a misdemeanour Dad denies to this day! Dad took up bellringing instead, and in 2008 helped with the renovation of Caverswall bells, including donating a bell in memory of his father and mother, who worshipped there from 1926 until my nan died in the mid-1990s.

Margaret is well known in North Staffs ringing circles for producing excellent cakes for bellringers’ teas, and this sticky gingerbread is one of them.

Ingredients for the cake:

150g butter

100g golden syrup

60g soft brown sugar

50g black treacle

1 teaspoon finely grated ginger

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 cubes stem ginger

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda dissolved in I tablespoon warm water

150ml full fat milk

2 eggs, beaten

225g plain flour

For the icing:

3 tablespoons icing sugar mixed to a stiff paste with liquid from the stem ginger

Chopped stem ginger

Method

Preheat oven to 170°C/gas mark 3. Grease and line a tin or Pyrex dish of approximate dimensions 25x21x5cm.

Place the butter, sugar, treacle, grated ginger, ground ginger and cinnamon in a saucepan and melt over a slow heat. Allow to cool a little, then add the milk, eggs and dissolved bicarbonate of soda.

Put the flour into a large bowl together with the chopped stem ginger, then pour the liquid mixture and beat well until the mixture is well mixed and smooth. It will be fairly runny at this stage.

Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 45 – 50 minutes until it firms up and a skewer comes out clean. Leave in the tin until cool, then turn it out.

Spread the icing over the top, cut into squares and top with some chopped stem ginger.

Thinking about advertising in this magazine?

For commercial or private advertising, please contact us for free advice and very reasonable rates: magazine@pottshrigleychurch.org.uk

2nd November.

Services

8.30am 10.45am Holy Communion Holy Communion‡**

9th.

8.30am 10.45am Holy Communion Morning Worship

16th.

8.30am 10.45am Holy Communion All-Age Worship

23rd.

Isaiah 35.3-10 Luke 7.18-35

Lynn Caudwell

Job 19.23-27a Luke 20. 27-38

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Luke 21.5-19

Melissa Wearden

Anne Murphy

8.30am 10.45am Holy Communion Morning Worship Psalm 46 Luke 23. 33-43 Lynn Caudwell

30th.

8.30am 10.45am Holy Communion Morning Worship

7th December.

8.30am 10.45am Holy Communion Holy Communion‡

Isaiah 2:1-5 Matthew 24:36-44

Isaiah 11:1-10 Matthew 3:1-12

Lynne Bowden

Lynn Caudwell

• 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

2nd Nov Reg Ferguson & Jean Ferguson Sandy Milsom Jenny Miles & Annie Smith Reg & Jean Ferguson The Malyan family

9th Nov Mike Akerman & Victoria Price

Sheila Garton Nigel Heathcote Gillian Macneill & Judith Harris

16th Nov Victoria Price & Rebecca Roth-Biester Melissa Wearden Clare Chasty

23rd Nov Victoria Price & Matt Bird Audrey Bomford Annie Palace

30th Nov Tony Witkowski & Paul Bowden

7th Dec David Gem & Jean Ferguson

Anne Murphy Jenny Miles & Annie Smith

Pam Cooke Jim Curtis

Mike & Sue Akerman

Ian Malyan

Tony & Rachel Witkowski