As we observe the time of Advent, a time of waiting in anticipation for Christmas, L'Arche Manchester observes an advent period of its own as we wait in anticipation to welcome our first core members into the house. We're really looking forward to getting started. This is probably the wrong phrase to use after what I've just said, but we can't wait to crack on!

We have been keeping ourselves very busy in the meantime. On Wednesday 5th December, we had our prayer evening at Chorlton Central Church: a lovely evening, a little less raucous than last year's improvised nativity play fiasco. A slightly more cerebral Advent preparation! Here are the pictures we collated depicting our hopes and aspirations for the future:

Also, a few weeks ago, a couple of us had a fantastic opportunity to visit the founding L'Arche community in Trosly, France. Here are some photos from that:

Heather and Richard share a joke with L'Arche founder Jean Vanier.

Tracy, Eleanor and Jean Vanier.

Welcome to the mothership.

Jean and Richard.

A great time was had by all with plenty of new memories made. It was also a fantastic opportunity to become more familiar with what's going on in other communities across the globe, and to also share our experiences with Jean, in the place where L'Arche began back in 1964.

Furnishing the house

It's been a busy week for l'Arche Manchester, as we continue to wait for our first core members to come in and call our now-furnished home their own.

 Yes, this week has been a tremendous time of team-building for our budding assistants as they have masterly assembled some of the toughest furniture known to man. Some say it's harder than solving a rubik's cube blindfolded. Yes, it's Ikea. Drawers, cupboards and seating, our assistants knuckled down, got their screwdrivers in hand, and for the most part scratched their heads in perplexion while reading the instruction manuals, but in the end the dedicated men and women at Heathside were left with a real sense of fulfillment.

Fitting curtains.

Some of the assistants were okay at assembling furniture.

Self-satisfaction.

After bigging up the teamwork of making furniture to sound like a Hollywood epic - granted, a very dull one - we move onto our community gathering that took place at Heathside on the evening of Tuesday 20th November. We focused particularly on what we can do as a community in the upcoming time of Advent. It was a great time of fellowship and a chance for some of the long-established members of the community to meet some of the new assistants. It was also a great opportunity for us all to hear about (and see the photographs!) of different stages of the development of the house.
From this:

To this:

On Sunday night I was promoting the work of L'Arche Manchester at the evening student's mass at Holy Name Church - a church widely known by avid fans of the Smiths as it is immortalised in song (in "Vicar in a Tutu" Morrissey quips "I was minding my business lifting some lead off the roof of The Holy Name church"), followed by a meal and fellowship at the Catholic chaplaincy, Avila House.  I am returning there on Wednesday 28th November - at 7pm to talk in more depth about L'Arche and our hopes for our new community here in Manchester.  Drop in if you're free!

That's all for this week.

On the weekend of the 5/6/7th of October we opened the doors of Heathside for our open house. Visitors flocked to see the house with plenty of new faces as well as those who have travelled the long journey to this weekend. We had over 200 people through the door and people were stunned by how great the place was looking. It certainly has the 'wow' factor.

Ministers from the Methodist, United Reform Church, Catholic and Anglican churches joined us in blessing the new house. What else could a house want; bread, water, a Bible, a candle and party poppers. You figure it out.

We asked our guests to have their picture taken and to leave us a message. The walls were soon covered with happy, excited faces.

And the weather was so good we even managed to have impromptu bacon sarnies in the garden. What a weekend.

The house opens this month and we can't wait to get started.

We're getting busy in the next few weeks

On Tuesday 17^th July we have our Community Support Group meeting.  This is an important meeting.  In only a few weeks’ time we will have opened the doors on Heathside.  There will be loads of new faces arriving:  new assistants, new people with learning disabilities and new family and friends.  From October our community meetings will start to look very different.  We need to get ready to welcome these new people. 

Come along and join in the discussion on plans for the coming weeks and months.  Where should we hold meetings from now on?  When should we hold them?  Should we start to have two separate meetings:  one for “Friends of L’Arche Manchester” and another for people linked to the Heathside house?  Should we start a separate Fundraising Group?

There are lots of things to consider and getting it right could make a huge difference to the success of the first few months of Heathside’s existence. 

Also we have a Boogie Night on Friday 20^th July.  I know many of you will be leaving for Summer holidays soon so this is our last chance to all get together before we head off.  Come along and boogie and meet some new people.  Pass this on to friends and let’s get a really good turn out!

On Wednesday 1^st August we have our regular Prayer Evening.  I know lots of us are away that week but we decided to leave the date in as it is important to be faithful to our regular attenders so if you are free on that evening why not come along and find out why our prayer evenings have been so well received.

If we don't see you at one of these events, have a great summer anyway.

RETREATS IN L’ARCHE

I have just returned from retreat in France.  Every year I join a L’Arche team providing a “walking retreat” in the French Alps for L’Arche assistants in their first year in a community. One of the things that makes L’Arche more than just a good ‘service provider’ is the importance given to the spiritual life both of people with learning disabilities and assistants.  In October L’Arche UK are running what we call a Friendship Retreat for people with and without learning disabilities.  Adapting the traditional retreat model this retreat is done in pairs where a person with learning disabilities and someone who knows them well do the retreat together; accompanying each other through the retreat.  Developing their relationship with each other and exploring their individual spirituality and relationship with God at the same time.  So often people with learning disabilities are not deemed capable of this kind of reflection or are seen as not having spiritual needs at all.  It is true that we do often approach spirituality as a kind of intellectual exercise like a kind of Religious Cognitive Behavioural Therapy!  But of course there is nothing to say it has to be approached this way and in the Friendship Retreat we explore different ways of thinking, feeling and expressing what we feel and think about our relationship with God and with each other.

The walking retreat is also another way of trying to think/feel/experience a way into reflecting on our own spiritual journey.  Each day we have a talk in the morning and after this we set off on a long walk into the mountains.  We are organised into small groups of about 6 or 8 and we spend a lot of time on the walks in these small groups.  Sometimes talking, sometimes walking in companionable silence.  We take a picnic with us and at lunchtime we stop and eat together and have a time of sharing in our small group.  We can talk about what we have been thinking about and feeling on our walk up the mountain and what the talk in the morning meant to each one of us.  Walking in the mountains is a great medium for exploring who we are.  Your body gets well and truly exercised (we walk for about 4 hours all together each day); you do an awful lot of thinking when you get into a nice rhythm of plodding along; all your senses seem to be stimulated by the smells, colours, sounds, tastes and feel of a mountainside in late Spring; and above all it’s good to talk when you walk.  When two people are walking together you are experiencing so many of the same things from the feel and smell of the alpine flowers to the pain and discomfort of the latest incline – and on retreat where you have also both heard the same talk that morning it gives a complete framework to share what you have in common and what you are thinking, feeling, living differently from each other.  It’s a joy and as a retreat experience it works!

We like to boogie!

What a great night! With the fabulous weather that we had on the evening of the boogie night, I have to say I was a little worried what the turnout would be like. I had images of everyone sitting in their gardens sipping a nice cool Pimms trying and failing to pluck up the enthusiasm to trot off to a hot sweaty church hall for a L'Arche Boogie.

But how wrong was I?

We had a brilliant turnout and based on the impressive moves on the dance floor I think everyone had a great time. We had loads of lovely food, a busy bar and some funky tunes from our resident DJ.

I've had so many people saying what a great night they had, we all can't wait for the next one! Watch this space for the next boogie night ... until then, enjoy some pics from our last event!

Not the best weather for it but we did it!

Well it's all over now! 4 hours 45 minutes was a bit slower than I wanted but who cares.  It was sooo cold and miserable that day that I am just delighted we finished at all.  We had a little group of three of us running together and we chivvied each other along all the way.  In a bizarre way it was actually a really enjoyable day.

We had a great team of L'Arche supporters who braved the harsh conditions and took shelter under trees to cheer us along.

We raised a fantastic amount of money and the donations are still coming in.

What will the next challenge I set myself be? ... I don't know yet but it will be somewhere warm I hope!


... here we are at 18 miles















Tired but happy to have crossed the line!



School boy training error!

Since I was in the Lakes (up by Coniston) I thought that instead of a long run I would try my hand at fell running. How hard can it be?!

(This is me after only 5 miles of the Great North Run in 2007 when I was, by my calculation, 5 years younger. What made me think I can hill run! 6 foot tall and weighing 14 stone.)

Because you know what? Running up hills is really hard! I thought I was in pretty good shape. (I'm running a marathon in a week or two - did I mention?) I thought my lungs would explode. I did about 15 minutes of the gentle bit at the start and thought I was doing smashing but then as you go properly up hill I managed about 50 metres at a time and in between each burst I had to rest for about a minute. I swear I would have been quicker just walking up. Anyway it took me 45 minutes from the Walna Scar car park to the top and about 25 to come down. I think I could be a down hill fell runner. Do they do down hill only runs? But the next day, and the next day, the day after that, and the day after that I have been in such pain. I avoid going up and down stairs, as the old gag goes: 'If I bend down to tie my shoe laces I look around to see if there's anything else I can be doing whilst I'm down there!' I'm not sure my legs will ever get back to normal.

I need a massage (I also need to go out running again, I know) but I want a break first. Fell runners: respect!

Running with Steve Coogan, BAFTA winning actor

Had a great break over Easter but now back with a bump. Less than 2 weeks to go to the Marathon! I spent a few days with the family down in Brighton with my brother and running partner, Steve. We went out for a run along the Brighton coast which is rather pleasantly flat. We just did about 8 miles - just as a tester really. And I find to my shock and horror that he is about as fit as me and - worse - that neither of us is in 4 hour marathon condition. We were able to sustain 8 1/2 minute mile pace for the 8 miles but to sustain it for 26 miles we will need to come down to about 10 min mile pace so I think we just need to stop talking about a 4 hour target and see 4 hours 30 as "success" and then everyone's a winner!

I suppose there have to be advantages to running with Steve Coogan BAFTA winner. But does it mean people will hassle him and slow us down or does it mean we will have to suck our bellies in more and keep the pace up when we feel like slacking a bit? Who knows maybe we'll whizz round in 3 hrs 38 and 37 seconds. ( I think not!)

Sponsorship is not going to well either. 50 quid to date! Both donations from mates! I think I need to put out a few more requests and put a joke or two on the website. See if I can jolly people along.

Boogie Night on Friday

Wow,what a great night! Loads of people turned up and it was a really good atmosphere.
What I think we have going here is something really special. People came becasue it was a great night out NOT because they felt they "ought to" or to "support the noble cause". No, it was a fun night and that's why we like it. People young and old, disabled and non-disabled had a great night. We had previously thought we would stick to Boogie Nights every 3 months but people were so keen that we are bringing the next one forward so get Friday May 25th in your diaries and see you there!

Tenebrae Prayer Evening

If the idea of a Boogie Night is a bit too much in the last week of Lent how about a quiet night of gentle reflection? Come and join us on Wednesday 4th April.

John O'Brien workshop organised by Paradigm

On Friday March 2nd several of us from L'Arche Communities around the UK joined other organisations for workshop led by John O'Brien entitled 'Reconnecting Hearts and Minds'. It was organised by Paradigm and there was a really good turn out and a genuine 'buzz' of enthusiasm and desire to bring about change.

One of the issues that came up was how regulations and policies - whether imposed from Local Authorities, National bodies, like Supporting People or self-imposed by organisations trying to do the right thing - sometimes get in the way of good care instead of helping. Why does this happen and why do we do it to ourselves?

Much of the time the reason is that we feel we need to 'protect' people above all other considerations. Now of course we do need to keep people safe but not at the expense of having a life!

Lot's more discussion to be had but at least debate is being sparked. Comments please!

Oh, and a bit surreally, our kid turned up and had his picture taken with everyone. Not sure John O'Brien knew what to make of him! But it's good for our website! We are doing the Manchester Marathon together (what was I thinking?) to raise money for L'Arche Manchester so watch this space!

Easter Boogie Night!

Progress Update March 2012

Crickey. Can't believe so long has passed since the last update. So much has moved on it is difficult to know where to start. The house has been purchased and work has started on stripping out prior to building work proper starting. And I really mean stripping out. All the plaster is off the walls, doorways and floorboards have been removed, most of the plasterboard ceilings pulled down. It is just the brick shell of the house still standing. All very messy, but very exciting too.

Discussions are on going with the Local Authority to identify the right people to move in and we are starting to recruit our first assistants. Finding the right people is absolutely vital. You can have the best policies, ethos, facilities, in the perfect setting and if you haven't got the quality of people you're wasting your time! So if you think you've got what it takes or if you know someone who you think may suit working in L'Arche let me know!

If all goes well we will be opening the doors in September 2012 so there's lot's to be getting on with.

I am just putting the finishing touches to the website now so that will be up and running in the next week or two and we are also putting out a newsletter to bring people up to date. So watch your inboxes!