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How
does Religion play a role in the Culture of Merseyside?
AS our city,
Liverpool, is now European Capital of Culture, we will be host to
visitors from around the world.
Our region has a
great reputation and history of welcome and has often been the focus
of social reform. At the start of 2008, Crosby Churches gave a fine
display of Liverpool’s history and its Christian heritage, but it
has set me thinking of our responses to strangers today...
In what ways can we
as individuals help to improve the social environment in these often
thoughtless, even callous and cruel times?
Have we packed our
Christmas good will away with our decorations, or have we truly
resolved to play a bigger part in society’s improvement and future?
I would like to hear
from all religions, not just Christians....
Please send your
thoughts, comments, to us via emailing our news room via:-
news24@southportreporter.com.
Each month we will select 1 or 2 of your submissions, which we judge
to be the most thought provoking and original. Also a cross
selection of responses from previous letters may be included.
STICK TO YOUR NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS WITH THE SCOUTS
AT the stroke
of midnight on 1 January 2008, hundreds of thousands of people up
and down the country will make a New Year's Resolutions. From
keeping fit, to giving something back to the community, to spending
more time with your family, but how many people will have broken
their pledge by 31 January 2008?
Why not become a volunteer with The Scout Association (TSA) where
you can meet and keep these goals.
The Scout Association
is always looking for new volunteers to help run their Beaver
Colonies, Cub Scout Packs and Scout Troops. There are over 30,000
young people between the ages of 6 and 18, boys and girls, on the
waiting list, who cannot join because of the lack of volunteers.
Volunteers can give as much of their time as possible and The Scout
Association has a flexible programme which enables volunteers to fit
their involvement in with their lives.
Becoming a volunteer for The Scout Association has a number of
benefits:-
* Lead an active lifestyle – lose weight, get fit
* Meet new people of all ages
* Help young people to achieve something new
* Try out new activities
* Give something back to the community
Lee Allwood, a
volunteer from Merseyside, said:- "I joined the Scouts as a
volunteer leader and I've enjoyed every minute of it. TSA let me fit
Scouting into my lifestyle, and tailored my Beaver/Cub/Scout
meetings to this.
I have made so many new friends, both young and old and I've had
opportunities to try out also sort of activities including climbing,
clay pigeon shooting and also to travel the world.
The most rewarding aspect of volunteering is seeing young people
achieve something they'd never thought they could do, like rock
climbing or spending their first night camping away from home.
I would urge anyone who is thinking about changing their lives for
the better in 2008 to consider joining The Scout Association.
I've definitely
seen the benefits, I've lost weight, given something back to the
community and most importantly, I was able to keep my resolution
past the third week of January 2008!"
For more information about becoming a volunteer with The Scout
Association, please visit
www.merseysidescouts.com/join. |
The
Shaping of Liverpool
Photos and report by L.
Trollope.
AS a good
example of Merseysiders contributing to the Capital of Culture,
Churches Together in Crosby joined to produce a procession and
pageant entitled "The Shaping of Liverpool".
Whilst using the
artistic device of focusing on a group of washerwomen reminiscing
and relating local historical information to their children playing
around the court; the main tableau illustrated those stories on a
the background stage or screen. This related information from the
early monks and their ferry to the present day and encompassed the
arrival of new comers such as the Chinese, the Irish and West
Indians, their assimilation and subsequent enrichment of Liverpool
culture. Also mentioned were significant people who shaped City
life.
This was a skilful
illustration by the characters and imaginative props on stage. An
unintended emphasis of Liverpool’s determination in the face of
adversity came when the young Irish Dancers survived a short failure
of their accompanying music and danced on with great aplomb,
receiving rousing applause for so doing.
The whole pageant
seemed well researched, thoughtfully written and presented,
skilfully enacted and was accompanied by an impressive choir. Its
original venue, the Serpentine, had to be abandoned because of the
biting winds but the people who crowded into St Luke’s Church Yard
were not disappointed.
This was an admirable
start to the people’s Capital of Culture. It bodes well!
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