Community Shrove
Tuesday events Shrove
Tuesday events A
thin, flat cake made of batter and baked on a griddle or
fried in a pan, the pancake has a very long history and
is featured in cookbooks as far back as 1439. The
tradition of tossing or flipping them is almost as old:
"And every man and maide doe take their turne, And
tosse their Pancakes up for feare they burne." (Pasquil's
Palin, 1619). The
World Cup – and the By
Stuart Weir of Christians in Sport We all
love a giant-killer, a Cinderella story! So which African
teams will be in the World Cup this summer –
Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa and Senegal perhaps?
Well, actually no! For
Cyrille Domoraud, the captain of Cyrille's
career has taken him around Qualification
could not have been tighter. With two games to go Cyrille
has always believed in God but in order to ward off evil
influences or bad luck in his career he dabbled in
witchcraft. He took part in ceremonies with witch doctors. This
was symbolized by "a ring that I wore. It had been
given to me and was supposed to protect me from spells
and accidents and all bad things". "When
I got injured while playing for Marseille, my sister
prayed for me and told me to get rid of the ring. But I
would not. One day, we were sitting in the living room
and we were talking about God and I told her that I knew
that God had his hand on my life. "As
we were talking I took my ring off and I told my sister,
'Well, I think that today I'm ready to thank the Lord
without having the witchcraft with me.' And so I told my
sister that the next day I would get rid of all the rest
of my lucky trinkets. And I got rid of them all and it
was then that I really became a Christian". Cyrille
has come from a humble background to become a World Cup
captain. He recognizes how fortunate he has been. As part
of his Christian commitment he has taken an initiative to
help children in "The
centre enables kids, who often come from bad
neighbourhoods or even the street, to have somewhere to
live, food to eat, an education and football coaching." Already
more than 10 kids from the centre have represented Idea
from An
idea that had its origins in One
such project is Street Cred, which operates across the Women
are under-represented in the small-business economy. They
are more likely than men to work part-time, and for
longer, at lower pay and in less skilled jobs. Those from
ethnic-minority backgrounds are more likely to be under-employed
or face discrimination at work. Many are single parents
or carers of adult dependants. Given the chance, however,
they can be enterprising. To
access the first small loan of £500, a Street Cred
client must belong to a borrowing circle of between four
and six women for at least three months. The groups meet
regularly and a client who wants to take out a loan must
win the approval of their group for their idea. When the
first two loans have been given out, no more can be
granted until repayment begins on the first two. Clients
are encouraged to discuss any repayment problems with
their development worker. The group can then discuss what
problems might be occurring. Karen
Winchester, for example, set up her Street
Cred does not operate in isolation but belongs to a
number of networks at local, regional and national
levels, which pool their experience and influence
mainstream business-support agencies. For more
information, telephone 0207 729 9267 or visit www.quakersocialaction.com Carers
are missing out on benefits It is
no secret that many social benefits go unclaimed, but one
group that is particularly badly affected are people who
give up their jobs early to care for dependants. Recent
research by Carers UK suggests that some 250,000 carers
over 60 years old are missing out on their entitlement to
Pension Credit, while a further 64,000 are losing out on
the extra benefit, Carer Addition. "Every
year, two million people become a carer and most people
just think of doing their duty rather than thinking about
their rights and entitlements," says Imelda Redmond,
of Carers UK. "They can easily suffer a 'double
whammy'. For younger carers aged under 60, giving up work
and not claiming the right benefits can mean lasting
poverty because their pensions will not be protected.
Some 390,000 carers are currently not building up rights
to a state pension. When they retire, if they have a
small pension or savings, they may still not get their
entitlements." Paid
employment makes up nine per cent of a pensioner's income
(on average) and the longer a person continues to earn,
the better their finances will be over the long term.
People who give up work to care sacrifice an important
source of income as well as the social benefits of the
workplace. There
is evidence that one in ten older carers are having to
cut back on food to make ends meet. Nearly seven out of
ten are having to cut back on other basics like clothes
and heating. Carers
now have new rights to assessments which allow them to
look at opportunities to work, to learn and to take up
leisure activities – yet many carers do not know
about them. Any reader affected by this issue can obtain
a free guide for all carers (and an additional one for
carers aged 60-plus) by calling 0808 808 7777 or by
visiting www.carersuk,org National
Nest Box Week 14 – 21 February National
Nest Box Week begins on St Valentine's Day, the
traditional date for birds to pair up for the new
breeding season. The
British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) aims to urge everyone
with nest boxes to clean them out and check that they are
in tip-top condition for the coming breeding season. This
is also the very best time to put up new boxes. Nest
Boxes are important for birds and other wildlife -
including mammals like bats and hedgehogs and insects
like bumble bees and hornets - because modern habitats
are often very short of the holes and cavities they need
to nest and roost safely. The
best boxes for an ordinary garden are those for tits -
they have a very good chance of being occupied. In many
gardens, particularly those in modern developments, these
nest boxes are the only places for these birds to nest
safely. Making
Boxes: The design and materials of a nest box are
important since it needs to be well insulated and of the
correct dimensions for the birds to be successful.
Unfortunately some boxes are not well made and many do
not last long. Making
boxes is easy and an excellent family activity. Details
of how to make standard tit boxes, and how and where to
erect them, are available free-of-charge from: NNBW,
Freepost 1155, The
Official Nest Box: The BTO has adopted the special
'woodcrete' nest box of Jacobi Jayne & Company, the
founding sponsors of National Nest Box Week, as the
Official Nest Box for the Week. Made from a unique
combination of sawdust, concrete and clay, it is very
sturdy, has excellent insulating properties, is readily
occupied and is now guaranteed for 25 years against
damage in ordinary use! It sells for £17.95 ( About
the BTO: The BTO is the |