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The British Grand Prix – and the faith of Ayrton Senna Our popular pubs Should prisoners be allowed to vote? “I'd rather stay in my own home”
The British Grand Prix – and the faith of Ayrton Senna
The Fosters British Grand Prix on 10 July is one of the days on the British sporting calendar. It is difficult to get to Silverstone, set in rural Northamptonshire – unless you are on corporate hospitality and flown in by helicopter!
It is even more difficult to get away afterwards, with hours of traffic jam. However, that will not deter their being the biggest crowd of the year at a British sporting event. In fact the second biggest crowd is for the final practice day. And at £140 plus per ticket!
The race will be at Silverstone for the 19th year in succession. Previously Silverstone alternated with Brands Hatch but was also held at Aintree five times in the 60s. The 3.19 mile circuit is now part of our consciousness with its familiar corners – Stowe, Club, Becketts, Copse, Woodcote etc
This year's race will first of all be greeted as much with relief as excitement as for much of the year a dispute between the powers that be almost led to the cancellation of the race. Indeed the first draft schedules for the season did not include the race.
This year's race will be one of the most open for some years with last year's winner Michael Schumacher's Ferrari looking considerably less invincible than in previous years. Ferrari have in fact won the last three races (Schumacher 2 Barrichello 1).
The race has been won over the years by all the great champions – Michael Schumacher, Jack Brabham, Jacques Villeneuve, Fangio, Nicky Lauda. Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna etc. Since the war there have been 20 home wins.
The winner in 1988 was Ayrton Senna in a McLaren/Honda. Ayrton was arguably the best driver in the history of the sport. His career and his life were cut short at Imola in the San Marino GP on 1 May, 1994. His record speaks for itself: 3 times world champion, 41 Grand Prix victories in 161 races.
He was a man of Christian belief, even if his behaviour did not always live up to it (but then neither does mine). He was often quoted about his faith and sometimes misquoted. His greatest rival Alain Prost said: "Ayrton has a small problem. He thinks he cannot kill himself because he believes in God and I think that is dangerous for other drivers". Senna denied that he believed this. Ayrton preferred to talk about "the comfort I draw from the Bible", or of "the peace I have found in my relationship with God".
I met him once for about 15 minutes on a practice day for the British Grand Prix. He was glad to see us and talked about the difficulty of having any contact with Christians in a lifestyle when one is constantly on the move. He told us "Prayer is often all that sustains me".
Among his possessions returned to his family after the accident was a well marked Bible. Senna used a highlighter to mark parts of the Bible which helped or challenged him. One of the passages marked was “those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:31). In the midst of a high pressured life, Ayrton was learning to put his hope and trust in God and not in his own achievements and abilities.
By Stuart Weir of Christians in Sport
Our popular pubs
Pubs are very popular in the summer. But did you know:-
Who invented them? Along with paved roads, running water, and so on, we have the Romans to thank for the pub. The Roman tabernae were primarily wine shops, for the Romans introduced viniculture to Britain. But the British climate, more suitable to a wide cultivation of cereals, ensured a preference for ale over wine.
How many are there? There are about 60,000 pubs in Britain – roughly 53,200 in England and Wales, 5200 in Scotland, and 1600 in Northern Ireland.
Which one is the oldest surviving? Several lay claim to being the oldest. The timber frame of the Royalist Hotel in Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, which in the 13th century was called The Eagle and The Child, has been dated back to 947AD.
The Fighting Cocks in St Albans, Hertfordshire, is in an 11th century building on an 8th century site. Ye Old Ferry Boat Inn at Holywell, Cambridgeshire, may have existed in 560AD.
Which one is the highest? The Tan Hill Inn, near Keld, Yorkshire, at 1732 feet. It is on the Pennine Way, four miles from its nearest neighbour, eleven miles from a shop, and has a parking spot reserved for a snowplough. You can get married there.
Where is the smallest? The smallest total bar area of any pub is The Nutshell in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, just 4.82 by 2.28m (15ft 10in by 7ft6in), dating from the 17th century.
Where is the pub with the longest name? The Old Thirteenth Cheshire Astley Volunteer Rifleman Corps Inn at Stalybridge, Manchester. What a mouthful!
How much do we drink? On average, we drink about half a pint of beer or lager a day in pubs – 99.4 litres per head per year (including low or non-alcoholic beers).
Because of the doubtful quality of medieval water supplies, ale, which involved boiling, and therefore sterilising the water – was the staple refreshment of most of the population. Researchers estimate that the average Briton once drank more than two litres of ale a day.
It has been suggested that the arrival of coffee in the 18th century, the widespread appearance of coffee houses as an alternative to taverns, and the changes in drinking habits among the 'thinking classes' – was a factor in the intellectual explosion that fuelled the Industrial Revolution.
Should prisoners be allowed to vote?
The Bishop to Prisons, the Rt Revd Dr Peter Selby, and his Catholic counterpart have both given their support to the 'Barred from Voting' campaign which calls for a review of the 135-year old law that prisoners cannot vote in elections.
The campaign, organised by the Prison Reform Trust and Unlock (the national association of ex-offenders) argues that taking away the right to vote from sentenced prisoners is a relic of the 19th century which dates back to the Forfeiture Act of 1870. Last year the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the UK Government's blanket ban was a violation of the Convention on Human Rights, a ruling against which the Government is currently appealing.
“Denying convicted prisoners this right serves no useful purpose,” says Bishop Selby. “What it does is to state society's belief that once convicted you are a non-person, one who should have no say in how our society is to develop, whose opinion is to count for nothing. It makes someone an 'outlaw' and as such has no place in expressing a civilised attitude towards those in prison.”
Eighteen European countries, including Spain and Ireland, allow prisoners to retain the right to vote, while in France and Germany courts can impose a ban as an additional punishment they consider the offence is sufficiently serious to warrant it.
The pro-vote campaign has cross-party support in Parliament and is also backed by the former and current Chief Inspectors of Prisons, the Prison Governors' Association and the fifty member organisations of the Penal Affairs Consortium.
Juliet Lyon, Director of the Prison Reform Trust, says that “the notion of 'civic death' undermines attempts to improve community cohesion by excluding those who are already on the margins of society.” It encourages them to be seen, and to see themselves, as alien to the community to which they will return to live.
If prisoners are to return to our communities as law-abiding citizens they must surely be encouraged to be active and responsible citizens. Voting in prison can be an important first step. For further information, contact the Prison Reform Trust, 15 Northburgh Street, London EC1V OJR.
“I'd rather stay in my own home”
That's what many old, disabled or vulnerable people say when it is suggested that they should consider going “into care”. But the option may be denied them if their home is falling into disrepair and lacks the facilities they need.
Home Improvement Agencies (HIAs) offer valuable services to help such people repair, improve, maintain or adapt their homes. Funded in part by government, HIAs last year helped over 40,000 vulnerable people to remain living independently, by assisting them to make over £91 million worth of improvements and adaptations.
The help comes in several different forms according to the situation. Sometimes there is a need to review all housing options, including advice on legal entitlements, welfare benefits, financial matters and other support services. It may turn out that the cost of repairs or improvements may be covered by a grant from the local authority, or a charity, as well as from their home insurance, savings or through equity release schemes.
HIAs offer truly independent advice and can give practical help, such as filling in forms or checking that clients are receiving all the benefits to which they are entitled.
Then there are technical issues: many clients are apprehensive about managing any work that needs to be done. A local HIA (there are nearly 300 of them) can offer guidance on what work is needed and provide assurance that any repairs undertaken will be done properly, to budget and on time. Some have developed 'handy person' schemes to carry out small repairs and hospital discharge schemes. Also within the remit of HIAs are security and crime-prevention measures, safety advice to prevent accidents, and showing householders how to keep the home warm affordably.
The co-ordinating body for HIAs in England is called Foundations. To find out whether there is a Home Improvement Agency in your area, contact Foundations at Bleaklow House, Howard Town Mill, Glossop SK13 8HT. Telephone 01457 891909 or email: www.foundations@cel.co.uk
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