Friday, 11 November 2011
Talk at Holy Name last Sunday
I gave a talk to the student Mass on Sunday night at the Holy Name opposite the Student Union building. What a joy! Back where I studied for my degree (1988 to 1991) and what a long time ago that seems. I got a great reception from the sudents and we are looking to develop a bit of a partnership between ourselves and the student SVP (St Vincent de Paul) group. Since then I've also had a couple of calls from people interested in finding out about becoming an assistant in the community so watch this space!
November update.
As you can see we are planning an afternoon's 'Retreat in Daily Life'. The idea is that we take time out of our busy lives to stop, and think and pray. To give a bit of space to reflect on why we are so busy. What is it that keeps us busy? What things make us happy and what things make us sad. What things would we like to do more of and what would we like to do less.
Having a retreat space for people with and without learning disabilities is important to L'Arche because it is good to underline that praying isn't an intellectual exercise and doesn't rely on long complicated words. Using art and music and other activities we will see how we can create a space to reflect that everyone can appreciate.
Come along to St Cuthbert's church hall on at 2pm November 19th and see if there's something there for you!
Thursday, 13 October 2011
No Singalong!
I just wanted to confirm that we are not holding a Singalong in October (we did have it down for the 27th) but there are lots of other things going on!
If anyone is interested John Bell from the Iona Community is coming to Manchester on Saturday October 29th and the Inner mancheter Mission Network have organised a "Big Sing" with him in the afternoon. Come to this instead! Here's a link to the flyer:
http://www.anchormediacityuk.org/upload/8/event/doc//event-rad2C1C1.pdf
John Bell is a big fan of L'Arche and we are a big fan of his. I saw him speak at Greenbelt this year and he was, as always, very inspiring. He takes the Gospels stories I think I know well and makes them come alive in the most immediate and relevant way. As if they were a tweet written this morning! Go along and hear him speak and have a sing in the afternoon.
If anyone is interested John Bell from the Iona Community is coming to Manchester on Saturday October 29th and the Inner mancheter Mission Network have organised a "Big Sing" with him in the afternoon. Come to this instead! Here's a link to the flyer:
http://www.anchormediacityuk.org/upload/8/event/doc//event-rad2C1C1.pdf
John Bell is a big fan of L'Arche and we are a big fan of his. I saw him speak at Greenbelt this year and he was, as always, very inspiring. He takes the Gospels stories I think I know well and makes them come alive in the most immediate and relevant way. As if they were a tweet written this morning! Go along and hear him speak and have a sing in the afternoon.
Friday, 7 October 2011
September Update
Change of date!! The Christmas Boogie Night scheduled for Friday 9th December will now take place on Friday 16th December still at St.Cuthbert’s and still at 7.30pm. Be there or be square!
Quiz Night
What a great night! Everyone who came said how much fun they had and we raised over £900 which is a fabulous total. Thanks go to Caroline for organising this and to Mike and Gregg who ran the quiz itself. We need to follow this up with another fun night that also raises some money. Any suggestions anyone?
Prayer evenings
Continue to be held on the first Wednesday of the month and seem to be attracting new people to the group. This is running well and people seem to appreciate the regularity.
Boogie Night
The Boogie Night in September wasn’t very well attended and I worry that it is not on everyone’s radar. There were a few new people there from St Cuthbert’s parish (which is actually very good news given that Heathside – the new house – is in this parish!) Our next Boogie Night is the Christmas event on December 16th (change of date – see above!) and we need to really sell this one as widely as possible and make it a huge success.
House Update
We continue to move on. The house still not quite been bought (but we are very nearly there) and I am meeting with the architect and Arcon to finalise and then cost the plans for the renovations. There are many considerations here and people have been very helpful with their ideas and experiences of living in similar houses. I visited L’Arche in Edinburgh and Liverpool and discussed with assistants and core members what they liked and did not like about their houses. I also need to consider the financial viability of the house and the current shortage of ground floor accommodation. Finally Arcon have their own ‘exit strategy’ requirements. So questions we have been asked to consider include:
• Could we squeeze a second bedroom in downstairs? Or would this be too detrimental to the communal space available on the ground floor?
• More than one living-room helps people take space when they need it and stops one person’s bad mood affecting everyone else.
• An activity room would be useful – especially if we need to provide daytime activities.
• It is good to have a separate prayer room. Even if this is not big enough for everyone it is good to give people the choice to be by themselves in what is still a shared space.
• Sound proofing between rooms is essential to allow some people to be awake and making noise when others want to sleep. This also relates to open plan spaces.
• Arcon have asked that the design makes it possible to return the house to two separate dwellings - if needed.
I am also taking as much advice as I can get from the members of Manchester Learning Disability Partnership. These are the people who we will be working with once we are established so it makes sense to try and benefit from their expertise as early as possible in the design process.
Potential core members
I am in discussions with the Local Authority to identify people who might suit L’Arche. Not everyone who would like to live in L’Arche Manchester will end up doing so. Some people would be better suited to being friends of the community, to receive support from L’Arche but to continue to live where they are. Others may not end up being a good match for the other people in the house. We don’t necessarily want everyone in the house to be of similar age and have similar interests but we do want people who want to live together and who, as far as possible, choose to be together.
Potential assistants
We have pinned a lot of our hopes on finding the right calibre of assistants to come and live and work in our community and we now need to start finding them. I am addressing the Catholic university chaplaincy gathering at their Sunday Mass in a few weeks time and I hope this will be an opportunity to recruit. I have approached St Peter’s chaplaincy with a view to do a similar talk to their congregation.
Quiz Night
What a great night! Everyone who came said how much fun they had and we raised over £900 which is a fabulous total. Thanks go to Caroline for organising this and to Mike and Gregg who ran the quiz itself. We need to follow this up with another fun night that also raises some money. Any suggestions anyone?
Prayer evenings
Continue to be held on the first Wednesday of the month and seem to be attracting new people to the group. This is running well and people seem to appreciate the regularity.
Boogie Night
The Boogie Night in September wasn’t very well attended and I worry that it is not on everyone’s radar. There were a few new people there from St Cuthbert’s parish (which is actually very good news given that Heathside – the new house – is in this parish!) Our next Boogie Night is the Christmas event on December 16th (change of date – see above!) and we need to really sell this one as widely as possible and make it a huge success.
House Update
We continue to move on. The house still not quite been bought (but we are very nearly there) and I am meeting with the architect and Arcon to finalise and then cost the plans for the renovations. There are many considerations here and people have been very helpful with their ideas and experiences of living in similar houses. I visited L’Arche in Edinburgh and Liverpool and discussed with assistants and core members what they liked and did not like about their houses. I also need to consider the financial viability of the house and the current shortage of ground floor accommodation. Finally Arcon have their own ‘exit strategy’ requirements. So questions we have been asked to consider include:
• Could we squeeze a second bedroom in downstairs? Or would this be too detrimental to the communal space available on the ground floor?
• More than one living-room helps people take space when they need it and stops one person’s bad mood affecting everyone else.
• An activity room would be useful – especially if we need to provide daytime activities.
• It is good to have a separate prayer room. Even if this is not big enough for everyone it is good to give people the choice to be by themselves in what is still a shared space.
• Sound proofing between rooms is essential to allow some people to be awake and making noise when others want to sleep. This also relates to open plan spaces.
• Arcon have asked that the design makes it possible to return the house to two separate dwellings - if needed.
I am also taking as much advice as I can get from the members of Manchester Learning Disability Partnership. These are the people who we will be working with once we are established so it makes sense to try and benefit from their expertise as early as possible in the design process.
Potential core members
I am in discussions with the Local Authority to identify people who might suit L’Arche. Not everyone who would like to live in L’Arche Manchester will end up doing so. Some people would be better suited to being friends of the community, to receive support from L’Arche but to continue to live where they are. Others may not end up being a good match for the other people in the house. We don’t necessarily want everyone in the house to be of similar age and have similar interests but we do want people who want to live together and who, as far as possible, choose to be together.
Potential assistants
We have pinned a lot of our hopes on finding the right calibre of assistants to come and live and work in our community and we now need to start finding them. I am addressing the Catholic university chaplaincy gathering at their Sunday Mass in a few weeks time and I hope this will be an opportunity to recruit. I have approached St Peter’s chaplaincy with a view to do a similar talk to their congregation.
Monday, 19 September 2011
July update
House update
Things have moved along very rapidly since my last report. Arcon Housing Association have agreed to buy the house we identified in Withington. They have put an offer in to purchase and this has been accepted. I have prepared a project proposal that sets out how we would hope to finance the rent and running costs of a house for 5 people with learning disabilities and 3 live-in assistants. It is all very exciting but there are a few issues we still need to address.
Although they have been encouraging and supportive, the Local Authority cannot guarantee that they will fill all five places in the house. As I have said before there will always be a degree of tension between the people who want to live in a L’Arche community and those people the Local Authority will agree to fund. The decision the committee need to come to is whether we are prepared to take on a long-term lease with Arcon that would commit us to paying rent on the house whether we fill all the places or not. In practice the worst case scenario for L’Arche is that we have to meet a whole year’s costs with no one at all living in the house. This would probably amount to about £40k.
We also need to establish how much Housing Benefit we are likely to receive for each person who moves in.
We need to agree how much we can afford to pay live-out assistants and live-in's who will have their right to live in the house tied to their occupation in L’Arche so that the day their employment ceases they would lose the right to live in the house.
Feel free to send me you your points of view on these issues.
Other services
In addition to offering an accommodation service we also plan to provide outreach support which would mean supporting people who either live in their families or on their own. This support could be used to help people with very practical issues to do with managing their own homes (paying the bills etc) or it could be geared towards work and leisure activities. People might be supported to join in already established L’Arche community activities or it could mean developing new activities for people to get involved in. For example if we support a few people who want to join a choir then maybe we get some singing lessons, book a hall and start a choir. Equally if some people want to do outdoor gardening activities then maybe we will look to get an allotment and start a garden project.
We have also suggested that once we are established with our first home we will consider how we might support friends of the community to become Adult Placement carers as a new way of living as members of a L’Arche community.
Prayer evenings
Are going well at Chorlton Central Church. The most recent was held on July 6th and was led by Julie R and Kevin where we prepared our banner for the National Gathering. People seemed to enjoy this. We have now agreed to continue prayer evenings throughout the summer so they will continue to be held on the first Wednesday of the month. The next being August 3rd and then September 7th. Stewart has offered to lead August’s prayers but we need someone for September. Perhaps we could have a volunteer to help Stewart in August and so get some ideas for leading in September.
Boogie Nights
The next Boogie Night is on Friday 23rd September. Please make sure this date is in your diaries. We have had quite a few new faces at recent gatherings and it is always helpful to have regular faces to welcome new people and talk about our plans for L’Arche. Unfortunately, this is the same weekend as the quiz night but that shouldn’t be a problem!
Quiz Night
Caroline Slevin who volunteers in the office every Tuesday has organised a fund raising Quiz Night on Saturday September 24th to be held at St Catherine’s Community Centre on School Lane at 7.30pm. Tickets are £5 each and available from the office. Please let me or Julia know if you want tickets. There are only 150 places so we’re only going to hand over tickets on production of the cash so hurry, hurry, hurry!
National Gathering “Celebrating our Belonging”
A storming success! Manchester is on the map! Lots of people commented on the wonderful liturgies and the fabulous party on Saturday night. Elvis was a hit (as was Heather’s decoration of the room.)
There was particular praise for the organisation of the registration and the welcoming process which was largely down to our volunteer helpers here in Manchester. So thanks and well done to everyone who helped out.
Ning!
L’Arche UK has launched its own internal social network called Ning. As members of L’Arche Manchester we can all join the network to do so we each need to read and accept the terms of the related policy which deals with issues of confidentiality etc. I will send around a link to the site and a copy of the policy this week to everyone with an email address.
Things have moved along very rapidly since my last report. Arcon Housing Association have agreed to buy the house we identified in Withington. They have put an offer in to purchase and this has been accepted. I have prepared a project proposal that sets out how we would hope to finance the rent and running costs of a house for 5 people with learning disabilities and 3 live-in assistants. It is all very exciting but there are a few issues we still need to address.
Although they have been encouraging and supportive, the Local Authority cannot guarantee that they will fill all five places in the house. As I have said before there will always be a degree of tension between the people who want to live in a L’Arche community and those people the Local Authority will agree to fund. The decision the committee need to come to is whether we are prepared to take on a long-term lease with Arcon that would commit us to paying rent on the house whether we fill all the places or not. In practice the worst case scenario for L’Arche is that we have to meet a whole year’s costs with no one at all living in the house. This would probably amount to about £40k.
We also need to establish how much Housing Benefit we are likely to receive for each person who moves in.
We need to agree how much we can afford to pay live-out assistants and live-in's who will have their right to live in the house tied to their occupation in L’Arche so that the day their employment ceases they would lose the right to live in the house.
Feel free to send me you your points of view on these issues.
Other services
In addition to offering an accommodation service we also plan to provide outreach support which would mean supporting people who either live in their families or on their own. This support could be used to help people with very practical issues to do with managing their own homes (paying the bills etc) or it could be geared towards work and leisure activities. People might be supported to join in already established L’Arche community activities or it could mean developing new activities for people to get involved in. For example if we support a few people who want to join a choir then maybe we get some singing lessons, book a hall and start a choir. Equally if some people want to do outdoor gardening activities then maybe we will look to get an allotment and start a garden project.
We have also suggested that once we are established with our first home we will consider how we might support friends of the community to become Adult Placement carers as a new way of living as members of a L’Arche community.
Prayer evenings
Are going well at Chorlton Central Church. The most recent was held on July 6th and was led by Julie R and Kevin where we prepared our banner for the National Gathering. People seemed to enjoy this. We have now agreed to continue prayer evenings throughout the summer so they will continue to be held on the first Wednesday of the month. The next being August 3rd and then September 7th. Stewart has offered to lead August’s prayers but we need someone for September. Perhaps we could have a volunteer to help Stewart in August and so get some ideas for leading in September.
Boogie Nights
The next Boogie Night is on Friday 23rd September. Please make sure this date is in your diaries. We have had quite a few new faces at recent gatherings and it is always helpful to have regular faces to welcome new people and talk about our plans for L’Arche. Unfortunately, this is the same weekend as the quiz night but that shouldn’t be a problem!
Quiz Night
Caroline Slevin who volunteers in the office every Tuesday has organised a fund raising Quiz Night on Saturday September 24th to be held at St Catherine’s Community Centre on School Lane at 7.30pm. Tickets are £5 each and available from the office. Please let me or Julia know if you want tickets. There are only 150 places so we’re only going to hand over tickets on production of the cash so hurry, hurry, hurry!
National Gathering “Celebrating our Belonging”
A storming success! Manchester is on the map! Lots of people commented on the wonderful liturgies and the fabulous party on Saturday night. Elvis was a hit (as was Heather’s decoration of the room.)
There was particular praise for the organisation of the registration and the welcoming process which was largely down to our volunteer helpers here in Manchester. So thanks and well done to everyone who helped out.
Ning!
L’Arche UK has launched its own internal social network called Ning. As members of L’Arche Manchester we can all join the network to do so we each need to read and accept the terms of the related policy which deals with issues of confidentiality etc. I will send around a link to the site and a copy of the policy this week to everyone with an email address.
June update
House update
Great Places Housing Association have told us they are not going to bid for any of the national funding that would enable them to finance a new build project for L’Arche Manchester. This means that although they would be happy to look at this again in the future, they are not in a position to help us open a house at this time. They suggested we talk to other housing associations who might have other property coming available from other projects that are closing down which could be adapted for our purposes.
I have opened discussions with Arcon Housing. Unlike Great Places, Arcon are not dependent on the national funding and are used to borrowing from commercial lenders against their current housing stock, to fund new property. We have identified a former care home in Withington which, with some redesigning and adaptation could accommodate 5 people with learning disabilities and 3 live-in assistants. The cost of purchasing and converting the property is likely to be in excess of £500K but Arcon are suggesting they have the ability to fund this. Arcon know of L’Arche and are keen to work with us.
Our suggested design includes one ground floor fully adapted bedroom with en suite bathroom with tracking and hoisting. We would therefore be offering support to people with varying levels of ability. The whole of the ground floor would be wheelchair accessible including the garden, conservatory, outbuildings and greenhouse. There would be a separate disabled toilet on the ground floor for visitors and the ground floor layout lends itself to being used as a community space for 20 or people or more.
It is easy to get carried away but I am beginning to feel confident that this could come off. Arcon are in negotiations with the vendor over the price. (Although it is not our money that will pay for the house it is still important to us that they negotiate a good price as the lower the capital costs the lower our rent payments will be.)
I am meeting with the Local Authority commissioners to discuss what level of funding we can expect from them and who would be placed with us. There might be a certain amount of tension here when we come to discuss those people commissioners want to place and those we feel would best suit a L’Arche community. There may be people who would like to live in our first house who the commissioners refuse to fund and equally there may be people the commissioners want to place who we do not think would fit in. But I am sure we will be able to work through this.
Income raising schemes
Together with the Committee I am considering what schemes we might develop alongside the house which could generate income and complement the community life of a house. Currently we are exploring Adult Placement, Advocacy, Community Outreach Support and ‘Activity co-ordination’ – this last being the way I describe how day services are going to develop in the future. We have yet to decide where to focus our efforts some will suit our ethos well and others will be more likely to raise income so we will need to give this careful consideration.
Prayer evenings
Are going well. The most recent was held on June 1st. This was not particularly well attended but was a good cementing of the relationship with the Chorlton Central Church as many of the parish attended. The next is on July 6th. I suggest we do not hold a prayer evening in August but continue with the pattern of the first Wednesday of the month starting again on September 7th. Need to consider how we reach out to others to attend this group.
Boogie Nights
Boogie Night was held Friday May 20th. This was a good evening and quite well attended with a few new faces mainly young people with learning disabilities and their carers. (The DJ was also new and he was well received by everyone.)
Didsbury Festival
We had a stall at the Didsbury Festival on June 11th. We sold merchandise from Liverpool and distributed information on our own group and our forthcoming events.
National Gathering
A lot of time in the coming weeks will be devoted to the planning of the National Gathering on July 8th, 9th 10th July. We hope that it will provide a platform for Manchester to advertise our presence and get people involved.
We need to gather names of everyone who wants to come so we can enable as many people as possible to take part. Some people will come only for the mini-pilgrimage and others will come only for the party in the evening. There is no lunch on Saturday so people wanting to stay throughout the day will need to make their own arrangements for lunch. Anyone wanting to stay for the evening meal needs to buy a day ticket for £15. We will need to set aside some time at the next Community Support Group meeting on Tuesday 21st to consider this.
New Brochure
I have created a new brochure for Manchester (with a lot of help from various sources). It is aimed at potential assistants, carers of people with learning disabilities and others who might get involved in the community. It will be ready for distribution at the National Gathering.
International Consultation Process
We are invited to take part in a Federation-wide consultation on the International structures, the process of discerning and choosing the new co-ordinators and agreeing their mandate. I will invite people to a special meeting to join in with this if they want to. It might seem far away but we are part of an International Federation and I think it is important that our voice is heard. (We may not have a long history in L’Arche but we are part of its future!!)
Great Places Housing Association have told us they are not going to bid for any of the national funding that would enable them to finance a new build project for L’Arche Manchester. This means that although they would be happy to look at this again in the future, they are not in a position to help us open a house at this time. They suggested we talk to other housing associations who might have other property coming available from other projects that are closing down which could be adapted for our purposes.
I have opened discussions with Arcon Housing. Unlike Great Places, Arcon are not dependent on the national funding and are used to borrowing from commercial lenders against their current housing stock, to fund new property. We have identified a former care home in Withington which, with some redesigning and adaptation could accommodate 5 people with learning disabilities and 3 live-in assistants. The cost of purchasing and converting the property is likely to be in excess of £500K but Arcon are suggesting they have the ability to fund this. Arcon know of L’Arche and are keen to work with us.
Our suggested design includes one ground floor fully adapted bedroom with en suite bathroom with tracking and hoisting. We would therefore be offering support to people with varying levels of ability. The whole of the ground floor would be wheelchair accessible including the garden, conservatory, outbuildings and greenhouse. There would be a separate disabled toilet on the ground floor for visitors and the ground floor layout lends itself to being used as a community space for 20 or people or more.
It is easy to get carried away but I am beginning to feel confident that this could come off. Arcon are in negotiations with the vendor over the price. (Although it is not our money that will pay for the house it is still important to us that they negotiate a good price as the lower the capital costs the lower our rent payments will be.)
I am meeting with the Local Authority commissioners to discuss what level of funding we can expect from them and who would be placed with us. There might be a certain amount of tension here when we come to discuss those people commissioners want to place and those we feel would best suit a L’Arche community. There may be people who would like to live in our first house who the commissioners refuse to fund and equally there may be people the commissioners want to place who we do not think would fit in. But I am sure we will be able to work through this.
Income raising schemes
Together with the Committee I am considering what schemes we might develop alongside the house which could generate income and complement the community life of a house. Currently we are exploring Adult Placement, Advocacy, Community Outreach Support and ‘Activity co-ordination’ – this last being the way I describe how day services are going to develop in the future. We have yet to decide where to focus our efforts some will suit our ethos well and others will be more likely to raise income so we will need to give this careful consideration.
Prayer evenings
Are going well. The most recent was held on June 1st. This was not particularly well attended but was a good cementing of the relationship with the Chorlton Central Church as many of the parish attended. The next is on July 6th. I suggest we do not hold a prayer evening in August but continue with the pattern of the first Wednesday of the month starting again on September 7th. Need to consider how we reach out to others to attend this group.
Boogie Nights
Boogie Night was held Friday May 20th. This was a good evening and quite well attended with a few new faces mainly young people with learning disabilities and their carers. (The DJ was also new and he was well received by everyone.)
Didsbury Festival
We had a stall at the Didsbury Festival on June 11th. We sold merchandise from Liverpool and distributed information on our own group and our forthcoming events.
National Gathering
A lot of time in the coming weeks will be devoted to the planning of the National Gathering on July 8th, 9th 10th July. We hope that it will provide a platform for Manchester to advertise our presence and get people involved.
We need to gather names of everyone who wants to come so we can enable as many people as possible to take part. Some people will come only for the mini-pilgrimage and others will come only for the party in the evening. There is no lunch on Saturday so people wanting to stay throughout the day will need to make their own arrangements for lunch. Anyone wanting to stay for the evening meal needs to buy a day ticket for £15. We will need to set aside some time at the next Community Support Group meeting on Tuesday 21st to consider this.
New Brochure
I have created a new brochure for Manchester (with a lot of help from various sources). It is aimed at potential assistants, carers of people with learning disabilities and others who might get involved in the community. It will be ready for distribution at the National Gathering.
International Consultation Process
We are invited to take part in a Federation-wide consultation on the International structures, the process of discerning and choosing the new co-ordinators and agreeing their mandate. I will invite people to a special meeting to join in with this if they want to. It might seem far away but we are part of an International Federation and I think it is important that our voice is heard. (We may not have a long history in L’Arche but we are part of its future!!)
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Recent events
I am afraid we have had to put the Singalong Night on hold for the time being. We will try again after the Summer. Anyone interested in helping run this - please give me a call in the office or email me and we can have a chat. What about a partnership with the Film Club at the University?! Any students interested in getting involved?
Monthly prayer meetings have started and are going well. Come along if you're free. The first Wednesday of the month at Chorlton Central Church 7.30pm. They are a very relaxed affair with tea and coffee afterwards. The next is on Wednesday June 1st - during half-term I know but I hope that means that more people will be free to come along!
Boogie Night on May 20th was a great night with a mixture of new faces and old. Good fun but too much food left over. We're still eating cold sausage rolls in our house a week on!
Some progress being made in the search for a house. We mustn't get carried away but if talks with the Housing Association go well in the the next week or two we could have exciting news soon.
Remember there is the National Gathering coming up July 8th to the 10th. There is a 'mini pilgrimage walk' from St Augustine's RC church (in All Saints) to Manchester Cathedral on the Saturday morning and in the evening there is a big July 4th party at Owen's Park. Elvis will be there - will you? See the webpage for further details.
Monthly prayer meetings have started and are going well. Come along if you're free. The first Wednesday of the month at Chorlton Central Church 7.30pm. They are a very relaxed affair with tea and coffee afterwards. The next is on Wednesday June 1st - during half-term I know but I hope that means that more people will be free to come along!
Boogie Night on May 20th was a great night with a mixture of new faces and old. Good fun but too much food left over. We're still eating cold sausage rolls in our house a week on!
Some progress being made in the search for a house. We mustn't get carried away but if talks with the Housing Association go well in the the next week or two we could have exciting news soon.
Remember there is the National Gathering coming up July 8th to the 10th. There is a 'mini pilgrimage walk' from St Augustine's RC church (in All Saints) to Manchester Cathedral on the Saturday morning and in the evening there is a big July 4th party at Owen's Park. Elvis will be there - will you? See the webpage for further details.
Friday, 6 May 2011
Prayer Night
We held the first of our (now to be regular) Prayer Evenings at Chorlton Central Church. It was nice to be in a new venue and to welcome new faces to the group. It was a good evening. Stewart led us in the service and I did a cameo. I'm looking forward to the next one on June the 1st.
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Boogie Night
Dad, no one goes to "discos" anymore. So it's not a disco it's a Boogie Night - and they have been thoroughly enjoyed by all who have attended the last few. The next Boogie Night is on Friday 18th Feb at St Cuthbert's again. It's free remember but there is a bar so bring a few quid for a drink and come on down. Please remember to bring a plate of food to share so we can stop and have a chat and a bite to eat in the middle.
See you all there.
See you all there.
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