Tell us your story A

Tell us your story A

A’s story

A’s early life includes being schooled in Egypt, growing up by the sea as a child in Kent, and eventually moving to Croydon in later childhood after her father changes his job.

At 18 she moves to Oxford for nursery nurse training and meets her husband and marries.

At weekends they start to take children from his school to a centre in Wales for outdoor pursuits. Eventually they seek a loan to buy their own cottage to run as a centre and move north to Chester in 1971 to be nearer to it.

Woven lives

With the cottage renovated they continue to take children on the Christian weekends for the next 35 years, creating opportunities for fun and support for so many. They’re active in their own church community too, hosting and supporting those around them. 

A life woven into other people’s lives, bringing some hope and help.

Her husband’s heath suffers and after a battle with blood cancer, and he passes away in 2015.

His poems about how he felt during that time are eventually used in lectures to help students understand the challenges of his and similar illness. 

The weekend activity cottage is sold and the money is used to convert their local church for better use to be able to continue to supporting the community and the next generation. 

The cottage has become a bit of celebrity in its village! Children who visited returning as adults to again see the place where they’d had so much fun and support, and were given so many opportunities.

Legacy

In spreading Mike’s ashes and visiting the local church she bumps into two people who came to the cottage as children and had come back to visit, they’re both doing positive things with their lives and were thankful for the time they’d had there. 

It felt like a reminder of the legacy their work has left, that continues to flow through the lives of the people they touched.

Having retired from nursery nursing and running her own childminding business, A is still an active person, taking piano lessons, (having made her biggest personal purchase of a piano!), singing with the local choir and crafting for charity. 

A gently soul who continues to be woven into the community.

Insight

Amazing to hear her stories, and be encouraged that the things we do really can leave a life long legacy.

Weaving concept based on the colours of her husband’s favourite colours he used to wear.

Weaving of lives image

Fancy joining in?

Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone’s story is valuable.

Share some stories from your life with a view to encouraging others by sharing the ups and downs of your journey, with opportunities to join in with some creative responses if you want to!

Find out more about Acts

Tell us your story Andy

Tell us your story Andy

Andy’s story

Sent to boarding school very young as a way of finding some structure after some struggles with schools and life. Feeling like ‘I’ve stuffed up, abandoned and rejected by family and that I’d failed and fallen short. I had to do better if I was to reach the standards to be good enough to be accepted and loved by my family again and be allowed back home’.

A sense of striving… 

Boarding school was a difficult time with bullying, corporate punishment and missing home. Seeks solace in singing to himself, making up worship songs and engaging with the notion of God to have someone to talk to, but the challenges continue at college. Felt being bullied is all his own fault and is self critical.

Pushes God away ‘as self protection before he rejects me’…  a coping mechanism used for years in close relationships.

Post Uni in early twenties relationship with parents is restored.

Work success

Finds work success but life feels like ‘there’s something still missing’. Invited to Alpha course by a friend and loves it! Has a sense of healing in knowing ‘God loves me and won’t reject me’. Becomes more ready an able to let someone into his life. In a better place. having experienced God’s unconditional love.

Gets married. Finds unconditional love of his wife restorative.

Health takes a turn for the worse, an initial back problem at 36 meaning he has 7 months off work… cracked vertebra. Receives prayer and permanent healing of vertebrae. Returns to work.

Signed off with other health complications at 39 that forces early retirement.

The following year Dad has brain tumour and Mum diagnosed with dementia. Dad dies two years later – traumatic. It’s a trauma that triggers a further health decline but he manages to nurse Mum until her passing three years later.  

Health diagnosis

Diagnosis at 43 meant a bedridden future is predicted.

‘Will you fight?, I have the last word’ prompt from God. 

Receives phrase and picture from someone ‘…but God’ about hope and staying positive. 

Decides to fight for his health and joins a gym, astounding the specialists with his progress. Four years later sells wheelchair and mobility scooter!

Battles everyday to live the best life he can as health continues to bring challenges and limitations, having the strength to turn up and do what he can and make a difference.

He’s not defined by his health, position, contribution or how much he can do. He knows his value comes from ‘Who I am and not what I’ve achieved’. 

‘We live in a culture where we’re lead to believe we need to achieve and buy and go one better than the next person but I feel no need to do that. I value the small things, being content with what I’ve got and what I can do. Having a heart of thanks and finding peace with that’. 

Great company.

An awesome human.

Insight

Life, you’ve got to roll with it. I’m trying to discern and accept what I can’t change, have the courage to change what I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

Wisdom

Look for the blessings and give thanks for them.

boat image
Above and below
boat draft
boat close up
boat close up 2

Fancy joining in?

Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone’s story is valuable.

Share some stories from your life with a view to encouraging others by sharing the ups and downs of your journey, with opportunities to join in with some creative responses if you want to!

Find out more about Acts

Tell us your story Sarah

Tell us your story Sarah

Sarah’s story

Sarah the active champion

Someone really squeeing the best life she can from life!

Early on goes to Sandiway Petty Pool College studying catering and office retail then went to West Cheshire College doing Occupational Studies and finding independence for herself living in a student house in Ellesmere port.

Volunteers in the community cafe and helps set up and is co-chair of the Bread Making Co-op, ‘Bread Together’ (Supported by The Duke of Westminster). It operates in two venues in Chester and is a super friendly special space.  

An active spark, she takes up rowing on the river Dee in a 4 person team, goes swimming, the gym and cycling. 2009 wins a bronze and silver at the Special Olympics with Boccia and, in 2017, with Ten pin bowling.

2016 starts her Duke of Edinburgh award (involving camping and loads of walking amongst other things!) Visits Buckingham Palace in 2018 to receive her gold award and also squeezes in a trip to the crown jewels too.

Has travelled to Europe visiting France, Spain and Germany, some for more Special Olympics action!

Watch out for some bread making experimentation and I suspect some more medals in the future!

Reflection

A champion person, bread making superstar, and a beacon of light.

Creative response

Fancy joining in?

Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone’s story is valuable.

Share some stories from your life with a view to encouraging others by sharing the ups and downs of your journey, with opportunities to join in with some creative responses if you want to!

Find out more about Acts

Tell us your story E

Tell us your story E

E’s story

Resilience springs to mind from E’s story. An early life complicated by various health challenges hasn’t stopped her finding a way and making a success of her education, attaining fantastic dance grades and exploring making music.

After taking time out pre university she’s done a wonderful job of managing and organising a charity. Seeking to ‘make a difference, working for the common good with a team where everyone’s ideas are heard’. What’s not to like about that?

The future looks busy with looking forward to studying therapies, potentially working with children, seeking to finish her ballet grades and perhaps composing some music. A creative, capable achiever.

Some people just make you feel like the world is in good hands.

Creative response

Mindmap graphic

There is the world we all live in.
There is an arena where the roles I perform align with my core beliefs
There are activities I do that influence those things

 

world graphic

Fancy joining in?

Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone’s story is valuable.

Share some stories from your life with a view to encouraging others by sharing the ups and downs of your journey, with opportunities to join in with some creative responses if you want to!

Find out more about Acts

Tell us your story Mark

Tell us your story Mark

Mark’s story

Started life living on a farm but family have to give it up so has to move to a larger primary school, gets involved with the school gang life and discovers rock ‘n’ roll that ‘fills a bit of a hole’, then got into punk and the mods. Music that was about inclusion in a group.

After school finds a job gardening but in seeking more people ends up at a car manufacturer. Tough job, tough people, tough conditions and bullying.

Meets wife on a blind date.

Discovers stronger faith in 1997 ‘when it hit me!’ during a course. 

Dived deep into spiritual things appearing alongside others on stage show but then crashed, struggling with self worth, suffers breakdown and leaves job.

Difficult period of rebuilding.

Doesn’t understand why someone close isn’t healed.

Doesn’t feel like he fits into ‘church’ and desires more of a stripped back church approach. 

Discovers running and sharing faith with others. 

Just trying to relate to other people without any jargon.

With a punk attitude that helps him stand his ground, he’s not trying fix people but relate, and be the cog in the wheel of support. 

Listening, empathising, smiling.

Insight

We all make mistakes but are bound together like a beautiful necklace.

Creative response

Punk song ‘ (we fight, we fight) Twisting’ (rough demo)

We Fight (Twisted) Lyrics

Listen to the rough demo of ‘(We fight, we fight) Twisting’ 

Fancy joining in?

Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone’s story is valuable.

Share some stories from your life with a view to encouraging others by sharing the ups and downs of your journey, with opportunities to join in with some creative responses if you want to!

Find out more about Acts

Tell us your story A

Tell us your story A

The gift

I’ve chatted to lots of people. We’ve reflected, paused, laughed and learnt. 

Some people have given to others in their life, and I suspect will continue to do so. While I was chatting to someone recently I was painting a stone. It had coloured concentric circles that seemed to represent the varied layers of life.

I wanted to give the stone to them but they suggested I give it to my wife. Typical of them to think of others.

Ended up wondering what I could give to them that they couldn’t give back to me. I’d given them some time and listened, but then they’d given me some time and listened to me.

You just can’t win with some people.

Some people are just a gift.

Insight

The simple act of meeting and talking with someone can reveal so much for everyone concerned.

Creative response

Image and painted stone. People can be such a gift.

people can be a gift

Fancy joining in?

Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone’s story is valuable.

Share some stories from your life with a view to encouraging others by sharing the ups and downs of your journey, with opportunities to join in with some creative responses if you want to!

Find out more about Acts