Podcasts about Hornchurch

My Story  Talk 13 Ministry at Colchester (1962-68) Part 1 Our time at Colchester saw the arrival of our first two children, Deborah in 1964 and Sarah, fifteen months later in 1965. Apart from the birth of the girls, the most significant aspects of our time in Colchester were the growth of the church, my ministry beyond the local church, and the lessons the experience taught me.  In this talk I'll be dealing mainly with the growth of the church, but first a word about practical things like employment, housing, holidays, and transport.   Employment, housing, holidays, and transport Before we were married, Eileen had been working in the Dagenham education office, and on moving to Colchester she found an excellent job in the education office there, which was within walking distance of our new home. She was soon promoted to a highly responsible administrative position which she held until shortly before Debbie was born.   As for me, although the church was contributing £5 a week towards the rent of our bungalow, it was essential that, for the time being at least, I find full-time secular employment. For the first year, the nearest RE (Religious Education) teaching post available was in Braintree which necessitated a thirty-mile round trip every day.   However, a year later a post became available in Colchester at the Alderman Blaxill Secondary School, a little over a mile from our church and a similar distance from our home. In those days the RE syllabus was based almost entirely on the Bible, so lesson preparation was not difficult, and I became very much aware that teaching 300 children every week was an important part of my ministry. I will say more later about how the Lord remarkably blessed that work, but how in 1966 the Lord called me to give up the teaching job and give myself full-time to the work of the church.   The rent for the bungalow we were living in was about £28 a month, which sounds ridiculously low by today's prices, but it didn't seem so then bearing in mind that my monthly salary as a teacher was only £60!  However, we soon discovered that some new houses were being built nearer to our church and that as a schoolteacher I could get a 100% mortgage to buy one. The monthly repayments would be just £18, £10 less than we were already paying in rent.   The only problem was that the builders required a £20 deposit to secure the plot. Eileen had £20 saved up to buy a hoover, which we desperately needed, and we were wondering what to do, when my mother, not knowing anything about our plans to buy a new property, phoned to say that she was buying a new hoover and asked if we would we like her old one, which was in perfectly good condition. We saw this as a clear sign that the Lord was prompting us to make the move, and we paid the £20 deposit and moved into our new home in August, 1963.   My parents also moved in 1963. They had been living in Hornchurch since before I was born, and now I was married they decided to move to a new bungalow in Eastwood, not far from Southend-on-Sea. So when the children came along we were grateful for our holidays to be visits to our parents who were equally pleased to have an opportunity to spend time with their grandchildren. Eileen's parents were still living in Hornchurch, and it was always good to see them, but my parents' home in Eastwood, with its proximity to the sea and the beautiful view of open countryside to the rear of the property was especially inviting. We usually travelled there on a Monday and returned on the Saturday so as not to leave the church unattended on Sundays.   But that brings me to the subject of transport. During the course of my ministry, I have owned or had the use of some fifty different vehicles, ranging from my first car, a Ford Prefect, which I bought during my final term at Oxford, to my recently acquired nine-year-old Mercedes E-Class saloon. The Ford Prefect broke down in the cold winter of 1963 when the snow lay on the ground throughout January, February and most of March.   I was on my way to school in Braintree when it happened, and I quickly decided that I needed something more reliable. That was when we bought our fourth Lambretta scooter, reliable because it was new, but extremely uncomfortable and at times difficult to control in that freezing weather. So it wasn't long before I was back in a car again.   In the summer I borrowed an old Bradbury van from the father of some of the children coming to our meetings. He said we could have it for the day to take them to the seaside. Unfortunately, it broke down on the way home and I was left with about a dozen kids on the roadside. As I was wondering and praying what to do, a man came by in a Humber Hawk and asked if he could help. It was a large car and somehow he bundled all the kids on to the back seat and, with me beside him in the front, kindly drove us all back home.   But that gave me an idea. Maybe I should get a Humber and use it for children's work! I looked in the local paper and saw an ad for a Humber Super Snipe, even larger than the Hawk. It was over ten years old, but I had read somewhere that if you're buying a second-hand car it might be wise to get a big one. It might cost a bit more in fuel, but the engine was more likely to be reliable! Which has been my excuse for buying big cars ever since!   So I bought it for £80 and discovered that it did 11 to the gallon in town and, if you were lucky, 19 on a run! But it did the job, and I remember on one occasion squeezing eighteen kids into it to get them to Sunday School! It was only a short distance, and I realise now how potentially dangerous that was. But in those days ‘risk assessment' had not been invented and there was no requirement to wear a seatbelt. In fact, there were no seatbelts. Piling people into the back of a van or lorry was quite common, but of course there was far less traffic on the roads back then. And if it did enter our head that something might be risky, we just trusted the Lord to take care of us!   But it soon became obvious that we needed something more suited to the task, and I traded in my Humber for a 12-seater minibus. And before long we were running four minibuses to bring people to the meetings as one person after another, following my example, exchanged their car for one. Everything we have belongs to the Lord, and if changing our car for a minibus will lead to more people coming to Christ, we should surely be prepared to do so. The commitment of such people was undoubtedly one of the reasons for the growth of the church while we were there, and that's where we turn to next.   The growth of the church The Full Gospel Mission, Straight Road, Lexden, was nothing more than a tin hut with the potential to seat at most eighty people. When Eileen and I arrived, there were only twelve regular attenders, and that included a family of four who emigrated to Australia not long after our arrival, leaving us with a congregation of eight. By the time we left, the church was packed every Sunday with eighty regular attenders, which, in the 1960s was considered rapid growth, and my main purpose in this section is to explore the reasons why. But first, a word about the church programme.   Church programme When we arrived in Colchester we inherited what was a typical programme for AoG churches in those days. On Sunday mornings there was the Breaking of Bread service, otherwise known as Communion. There was a Sunday School for the children in the afternoon, and on Sunday evenings there was the Gospel Service where all the hymns and the sermon were designed to bring people to Christ, and after which there would be laying on of hands and prayer for the sick.   Midweek on Tuesday evenings there was a Children's Meeting from six to seven followed by a Prayer Meeting at nine, and on Thursday evenings there was Bible Study. There was no meeting for young people until we started one on a Friday, but more of that later.   The attendance at these meetings was far from encouraging. In fact, during our first year at Colchester, the Sunday School and Children's Meeting were attended by only a handful of children, and the midweek meetings for adults were hardly better. On Sundays, if we had visitors, numbers might rise to fifteen. I faithfully preached the gospel every Sunday evening, but in that year we saw not one single decision for Christ, largely because most Sundays everyone present was already a Christian.   Apart from the weekly programme, there was the church's Annual Convention when a guest speaker would be invited for the weekend and friends from surrounding Pentecostal churches would come for the two meetings held on the Saturday. It was good to see the building full and to hear some of the pioneers of the Pentecostal Movement like Howard and John Carter. But while these occasions were a real encouragement, they hardly made up for the weeks throughout the year when so few were attending. So what made the difference in the remaining years where we saw our numbers multiply significantly?   Reasons for growth It is the Lord who builds his church, and in my view, the major reason for the growth of the church was, without a doubt, the fact that he strategically placed me as an RE teacher in a local school where I was free to teach the young people about Jesus. That, combined with the fact that he sent me key people to help me start a Youth Meeting on a Friday night, resulted in dozens of decisions for Christ, many of whom started to come on Sundays.   It all started when I received an invitation to preach at the Youth Meeting in the Colchester Elim Church. After the meeting a couple of people in their early twenties asked me if we had a Youth Meeting at our church, and I said that I'd like to start one but that I had no musician. To which they responded by offering to help me. David Fletcher was an able guitarist and John Ward an excellent accordion player. Together with their fiancées, Jean and Sandra, who were good singers, they made a great group for leading worship and were, quite literally, a Godsend.   All this, in the providence of God, coincided with my starting teaching in the local school and with a girl called Corinne, one of the children from a family in our church, starting there too. She provided the link between my RE lessons and the local church. I told the children about Jesus, and she told her friends where they could find out more.   So we launched our new Youth Meeting by hiring a couple of coaches to provide transport to the church from just outside the school gates. My new friends from Elim provided the music and I preached. In school I had been able to tell them about Jesus, but I couldn't make a gospel appeal in RE lessons! Now, in church, I had complete freedom, and on the very first night, when I made the appeal forty-one children made a decision for Christ.   And when a number of them started coming on Sundays, on one occasion eleven of them being baptised in the Holy Spirit, there was a new sense of expectancy among the older members. They were thrilled to see young people in their meetings, and that began to attract people from other churches too, including David and Jean, John and Sandra, who decided to join us because of their work with the youth.   Of course, our attempts to reach people with the gospel were not limited to the young people. I produced a quarterly newsletter which we called The Full Gospel Mission VOICE. We distributed thousands of these to the homes in the area, using my minibus on a Saturday morning to transport ten or so young people to deliver them street by street throughout the area. I can think of only one person who came to Christ through that ministry, but at least we knew that people had had an opportunity to read the gospel even if they never came to church.   After I had given up my teaching job, I also conducted two evangelistic missions in our church. Each mission lasted from a Saturday through to the following Sunday. We leafleted far and wide, each leaflet containing a message about healing as well as salvation, and, of course, details of the meetings. The meetings were well attended, but mainly by Christians who wanted prayer for healing, and although there were a few decisions for Christ and some healings, I have no memory of anyone being added to our church as a result.   And an SPF mission we conducted in Wivenhoe, a village near Colchester next to which the new University of Essex was about to be built, fared little better. It was a great experience for the students who participated, but there were very few local people who attended. Apart, that is, from Ian and Janet Balfour, a couple from a Strict Baptist background, who came to support us, got to know us, were baptised in the Spirit as a result, and decided to move to a house less than five minutes' walk from our church. They had four children all under the age of five, one of whom was Glenn, later to come as a student to Mattersey Hall, and, for a time after my principalship, its principal. The Lord clearly had a purpose in our going to Wivenhoe, even if, at the time, we felt rather disappointed with the results.   And Ian and Janet were not the only people added to our church as a result of receiving the baptism in the Spirit. Alan Coe, who was a work colleague of John Ward and had recently become a Christian, came along to our meetings, received the baptism, and joined our church. He proved a very faithful member, and when I was in contact with him recently was still attending regularly. David Littlewood, a former Methodist, later to become an AoG minister and a member of Mattersey's Board of Governors, was also baptised in the Spirit in our church while he was a student at the University of Essex.   But the ministry the Lord had given me of praying for people to be filled with the Spirit was not limited to those who would become members of our church. I had the privilege of laying hands on Reginald East, the vicar of West Mersea, and on Mike Eavery, the minister of the local Congregational Church and seeing them both baptised in the Spirit in their homes.   So the Lord was blessing us in ways that perhaps we had not expected, and if the results of the evangelistic missions we conducted were rather disappointing, he was showing us that the key to growth was to follow the supernatural leading of the Holy Spirit. Miracles happen as he determines, and I was certainly not expecting what happened one Saturday evening.   But I'll tell you about that next time.  

Julia Lopez has been the Conservative MP for Hornchurch and Upminster since 2017. Her first political experience was working for the then-MP for the Cities of London and Westminster Mark Field, before she became a councillor for Tower Hamlets – working to improve the standards of an area marred in scandal and heightened community tensions. She went on to hold ministerial roles under three Prime Ministers and is now the PPS to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.   On the podcast, Julia talks to Katy Balls about the impact Margaret Thatcher had on the politics of her family, how she gained political experience touring London's sewers and skyscrapers, and the mixed emotions of becoming an MP in 2017 – when the party lost its majority. She also describes what it was like to fight a campaign five days after giving birth, and her connection to The Spectator – having helped to change the law to protect British media from foreign ownership.   Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

Julia Lopez has been the Conservative MP for Hornchurch and Upminster since 2017. Her first political experience was working for the then-MP for the Cities of London and Westminster Mark Field, before she became a councillor for Tower Hamlets – working to improve the standards of an area marred in scandal and heightened community tensions. She went on to hold ministerial roles under three Prime Ministers and is now the PPS to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.   On the podcast, Julia talks to Katy Balls about the impact Margaret Thatcher had on the politics of her family, how she gained political experience touring London's sewers and skyscrapers, and the mixed emotions of becoming an MP in 2017 – when the party lost its majority. She also describes what it was like to fight a campaign five days after giving birth, and her connection to The Spectator – having helped to change the law to protect British media from foreign ownership.   Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

Talk 8 Between Brentwood and Brasenose (1956-59) Part 1 Welcome to Talk 8 in our series where I'm reflecting on the goodness of God throughout my life. I left school in December 1956 and started my course at Oxford in October 1959, a period of almost three years. In many ways it seemed a long time to wait, but in the plan and purpose of God they turned out to be highly significant years. I gained experience in teaching. I met Eileen, the girl who was to be lifelong partner. And I received the life-changing experience of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. But first, I need to explain how I got my place at Oxford and why I had to wait three years before taking it up. Gaining my place at Oxford In 1956, at the age of seventeen, I had already passed my A Levels and had decided to stay on at school a further year to take S Levels the following summer. S Levels – the S stands for Scholarship – were the highest level of GCE exams that you could take and were designed to support your application to university, especially if you were hoping to go to Oxbridge. However, as things turned out, I did not need to complete my S Level course because in the first term of that school year I was awarded a scholarship to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Brasenose College, Oxford. Our form master, Mr. Rennie, had suggested that some of us might like to spend a few days in Oxford and take some examinations at Brasenose College with a view to obtaining a place there. As there was only one place available I was not expecting to get it. But I decided to go even though my friend, John Bramble, was going too and I thought he was far more likely to be successful. He had always come higher than me in class and had gained better A Level results than I had. There were about eight of us altogether, each of us taking different exam papers, generally depending on what subjects we had taken at A level. There was just one paper that was the same for all of us, an English essay, the title of which was unknown to us until we sat down in the examination room. And that title was WORDS. The length of that exam was three hours and, although some boys started writing almost immediately, I spent the first 45 minutes planning my essay. I can't remember in great detail the contents of that essay but I know that I concluded it by talking about Christ, the word made flesh, the divine logos, the ultimate revelation of God Himself. I have sometimes wondered if the reason I was awarded the scholarship rather than any of my colleagues was that the Lord was honouring me because I had honoured him. Of course, I can't be sure about that, but he had helped me through my A levels when I had honoured him before the whole class when my History master had told me that I was likely to fail, and I have always sought to give God the glory for any academic success I may have achieved. And I discovered later that, of all the papers I sat during that visit to Brasenose, that essay on WORDS was awarded the highest grade – an alpha. But when I received a letter from Brasenose offering me a scholarship a few weeks later, I was totally amazed and, after discussing it with my father, I came to the conclusion that this had to be God. But there was just one problem. The place they were offering me was for three years later in October 1959, after I had completed my two years National Service. However, the Government had already agreed to abolish National Service and were in the process of phasing it out gradually. They did this by delaying the ‘call-up' which meant, in my case, that by the time they would have called me up, there would be less than two years before my course at Oxford was starting. In short, I would not have time to do National Service and, by the time I had finished my course at Oxford, National Service had been abolished completely. So, having obtained my place at Oxford, I decided to leave school at the end of term in December and start to earn some money. And at the time there was a great shortage of schoolteachers, as a result of which young people who had passed their A levels could do ‘uncertificated teaching' before going to university, and so I ended up doing almost three years' teaching before I went to Oxford. Gaining experience in teaching And, surprisingly enough, it started at the very school I had just left. Or, to be more precise, it was at the Preparatory School attached to Brentwood and standing just on the other side of the main playing field. One of the teachers was on sickness leave for a few weeks and I was asked if I would take their place as they taught French and Latin which were of course my two main A Level subjects. As it was a boarding school, I was required to live in and be the housemaster for some of the boys, which mainly involved making sure that they were in bed on time and not talking after a certain time. I was only there for a few weeks (January 15 to February 16), but I enjoyed the experience very much and learnt a great deal, not least of which was that, if you prepared your lessons thoroughly, you had relatively few problems with discipline. After Brentwood Prep I was told by the Essex Education Committee that another job was available in Brentwood, at the Church of England Primary School in Coptfold Road, only a few hundred yards from my old school. A teacher was on maternity leave and a replacement was needed until July to look after her class of 8 to 9 year-olds. The pay wasn't great as I was not a qualified teacher. It worked out at about half what I would have been paid if I had been qualified. And, of course, this was not a residential post, so I needed to travel on two buses each day to get there from Hornchurch. But I accepted the job anyway.   As in most primary schools, a teacher was responsible for teaching their class throughout the day all the subjects on the timetable. That was not a problem, but learning to keep discipline was another matter. My expectations were based on the level of discipline I had experienced as a pupil at Brentwood and the few weeks I had spent teaching at Brentwood Prep. Coptfold Road was quite another matter. Many of the children came from a less fortunate background and some of them were of rather limited intelligence. As a result, and due to my own lack of training and experience, and lack of any supervision, I found the two terms I was in charge of that class extremely difficult, and was quite relieved when I heard towards the end of the summer term that Mrs. Istead, the teacher who had been on maternity leave, was returning the following Monday. So on the Friday before she was due to return I was clearing my desk after school when the headmaster, Dr. Ward, asked me what I was doing, adding, You're not leaving, are you? And he offered to give me a different class to teach and keep me on indefinitely until I went up to Oxford. So I decided to stay and, as things turned out, I was there until the end of September 1959, my ability to keep discipline improving greatly with experience and the help of a Day School Teachers' Conference organised by the Baptist Union and held at St. Augustine's College, Canterbury in August 1957. As I look back on those years of teaching before I went to Oxford, I think I can see why God allowed it to happen that way. While I was waiting I was rather frustrated, thinking, Why am I teaching when God has called me to the ministry? But little did I know then that his plan for me was that most of my ministry would be teaching. And although the major part of my teaching ministry has been to a different age group, even when teaching at degree level in Bible Colleges around the world, I have found that God has given me the ability to teach at a level that everyone can understand, something I repeatedly hear from grateful listeners. And perhaps at least part of that ability is a result of those years I spent teaching less able children while waiting to go to university. God knows what he is doing, and he always has a purpose in what appear to us to be pointless pauses in our lives. But that brings me to an even more significant purpose in those years of waiting, for it was in those years that I met Eileen, the girl I was to marry and who was to be the ideal person to support me in my ministry. Meeting Eileen It was an incredibly hot day that Saturday afternoon. So hot in fact that the railway line buckled in the heat of the sun. It was Saturday 29th June, 1957 and we had arranged a youth rally where the young people from Elm Park Baptist would meet up with Hornchurch Baptist young people for fun and games in the park followed by an open air service. Although the churches were only two miles apart, before then we had had little contact with them, so I actually knew none of the young people there. People have often asked me how I met Eileen and I have usually replied, In the park! After a game of rounders, we sat down in groups and had a picnic tea. I noticed a group of four rather attractive girls sitting a few yards away and thought I would like to take a closer look! So I got up and walked towards them and happened to notice that one of them had taken her shoes off. On impulse, I picked up one of the shoes and ran off with it, with nothing in particular in mind other than just having a bit of fun. Needless to say, the owner of the shoe ran after me but was at something of a disadvantage as she had bare feet. I soon disappeared from view and hid the shoe under the bridge that spanned the park lake. Of course, when she caught up with me, I felt a bit of an idiot and showed her where the shoe was. We got into conversation and I asked her if she would like to come to our Saturday evening youth club which took place after the open air service. She agreed and, after sharing a song sheet at the open air, I found out that her name was Eileen and that she was just six days older than me. After youth club I walked her home and kissed her goodnight. And that was the beginning of a relationship that lasted, with a short break, for 67 years and which ended only when the Lord called her home at the age of 85. We agreed to meet again some time the following week, but the next day, after attending church in the morning, I decided to go to Hornchurch Baptist for their evening service in the hope of seeing Eileen again. She and her friend were sitting in the choir and her friend noticed me in the congregation and said to Eileen, He's here! After the service we went for a long walk in the park and from then on were to see each other just about every day. I discovered that Eileen had attended Romford County High School and had left after taking her O levels. At the time she was working at Barts (St. Bartholemew's Hospital) in London, but a year later she accepted a post in the Dagenham Education Office which was closer to home. But before that, I have to confess that there was a short break in our relationship during the last few months of 1957. I mentioned earlier that I attended a conference in Canterbury during the last week in August of that year. Everyone there was a qualified schoolteacher with the exception of me and one other person, a girl called Irene who was the same age as me and had been accepted to train as a teacher at the Chelsea College for Physical Education in Eastbourne. Irene was extremely attractive, highly intelligent, and very good at sport – she was nearly good enough to beat me at table tennis! But she was having doubts about her faith, and I spent some time with her trying to encourage her. As a result we were both very attracted to each other and, to cut the story short, because I have never been proud of myself about this, we started to see each other after the conference was over. When I next saw Eileen I told her, without mentioning Irene, that I felt we had been seeing too much of each other, that our relationship had been getting too intense – which it probably was – and that I thought we should cool it and not see each other for a while. She later told me that she had not been too concerned because she was convinced that if I was the right one for her, the Lord would bring me back to her. Which he did. The relationship with Irene lasted only a few weeks – until the middle of October, when I went to Eastbourne for a weekend to see her at her college. In short, she jilted me! But not long before Christmas the young people from Hornchurch Baptist came to Elm Park to take our Friday evening YPF meeting. And who should be singing in the choir but Eileen. I think we spoke briefly after the meeting, just polite conversation, but it was enough to arouse my interest in her again. So I sent her a Christmas card, and she replied by sending me one and enclosing this short poem: I do believe that God above created you for me to love. He picked you out from all the rest because he knew I'd love you best. I had a heart so warm and true, but now it's gone from me to you. Take care of it as I have done, for you have two and I have none. Not the best poetry in the world, but it touched my heart and I wrote to Eileen – I still have a copy of that letter – asking if she would like to resume our relationship. And from January 2nd 1958 hardly a day passed without our seeing each other.  

Join Chris and Joe rounding up a win against Hornchurch, before looking ahead to Chelmsford.

Join Simon, Matt and Kirsty rounding up Eastbourne, and Worthing, before previewing Hornchurch, and playing some GAMES!

Talk 4 Brentwood School (1950-56) Part One As I mentioned in the last talk, life for children and young people from Christian families tends to be pretty much dominated by what goes on at school and at church. It was certainly true for me during my years at primary school and continued to be so when I moved on to Brentwood School. Even my recreational activities, in term time at least, took place either at school or in connection with church. So in this talk and the next I'll be concentrating on my experience at Brentwood School, and I think it will be helpful if I start by talking about:   The educational system in England Just like today, children left primary school in the July of the school year in which they became eleven. But the school they moved up to depended on their academic ability, which was assessed by their performance in an examination known as ‘the scholarship' or ‘the eleven plus', a system which still exists in some areas today. Only those who were successful in these exams were accepted into what were usually referred to as ‘High Schools' or ‘Grammar Schools'. (There were no ‘Comprehensive' schools as we know them today). Children who did not pass the eleven plus would normally go to a ‘Secondary Modern' school where there would be little or no opportunity later to progress to academic qualifications like GCEs and A levels. Brentwood, however, came into a different category. It was founded in 1558 as what paradoxically came to be called a public school. Many of the older schools in England come into this category. Well known examples are Eton and Harrow. They were originally called public schools because pupils could attend them regardless of their location, denomination, or family background. However, the term is misleading because, being independent of the state system, they're not actually open to all the public because they charge fees which very few can afford. So how did I come to go to Brentwood? Gaining admission to Brentwood It all started with a recommendation from my headmaster at primary school. I remember feeling a bit nervous as I took the eleven plus exams at primary school. I was under pressure because I was aware that so much depended on it, and because everyone was expecting me to pass because each year I had come top of the class. What I didn't know was that the headmaster, Mr. Occomore, had had his eye on me for some time, and was about to make a recommendation that I think surprised even my parents. Once I had passed the eleven plus, he contacted my father and suggested that, instead of applying to any of the local high schools or grammar schools, I might try to see if I could get into Brentwood School which, he felt, would offer me an even better standard of education. To gain admission I would have to go to Brentwood and sit another exam with a view to winning a Foundation Scholarship. Unfortunately there were only six such scholarships available each year. But, after talking it through with me, my parents encouraged me to try. They were no doubt praying that if Brentwood was the best place for me, God would open the door. And he did. In the week following the exam, Mr Allison, the headmaster at Brentwood, phoned my father and told him that they were prepared to offer me a place, even though I had not come in the first six. I had come seventh! And because Brentwood had accepted me, the Essex Education Committee would cover the cost of the fees. This was because Brentwood was on the Direct Grant List of the Ministry of Education. Without that, my father would never have been able to afford to pay for me to go to Brentwood where I soon found myself mixing with boys some of whose parents were far wealthier than mine. I am so grateful to God that I grew up at a time when education was available to all, regardless of their family's income. First impressions Life at Brentwood was very different from life at primary school. For one thing, it took much longer to get there. My primary school was only a 10-minute walk away from my home, whereas to get to Brentwood I had to walk to Hornchurch station, catch the number 66 bus into the centre of Hornchurch and then wait for the school bus to arrive. There were only two or three boys who got on at Hornchurch, but the bus picked up about 40 more as it passed through Upminster on the way to Brentwood. The journey took another half an hour to get us to school. Unlike primary school, all the boys were in uniform. We wore a maroon-coloured cap and a grey suit accompanied by grey socks, black shoes, and a black tie. The rules on uniform were very strict and rather detailed. For example, in the first year it was compulsory to wear short trousers – something which was not uncommon in those days – whereas in the second year it was permissible to wear long trousers and a white shirt. I suppose, like most kids of today, we really couldn't see the point of these apparently trivial regulations. On arriving at school, we all went straight into Chapel or assembly in the Memorial Hall, depending on which day of the week it was, but more of that next time. Once in class, I was initially surprised by two things. First, the classes were considerably smaller than they had been at primary school where the average class at that time numbered between 40 and 50 pupils. At Brentwood there were only 30. Another surprise was that all the teachers wore gowns. This was a tradition that reflected the fact that they were all university graduates, the majority with MA degrees from Oxford or Cambridge. At 10.45 each morning there was a 15-minute break when we were able to go to the tuck shop, where we could buy a sticky bun for a penny and drink the third of a pint of milk provided free to all children by the government. This break was a welcome relief from the strict discipline in the classroom where the teacher could administer corporal punishment for something as trivial as not being in your seat before the teacher arrived. But that brings us on to the subject of discipline. Discipline I have already mentioned the strict rules about uniform, but there were other minor regulations such as not putting your hands in your pockets, not combing your hair or eating in public. I well remember the occasion during my first week at Brentwood when I was eating an apple on the pavement outside school while I was waiting for the bus. Suddenly, who should appear but the headmaster himself who approached me and said, Are you a new boy? And then he added, Perhaps you don't know that at Brentwood we don't eat in the street. Are you very hungry? To which I replied, Yes, Sir. Well perhaps you could put it away now and save it until you get home. Needless to say, I was very relieved that he had dealt with me so kindly, but I must confess that once I had got upstairs on the bus where the headmaster could not see me, I took the apple out of the bag and ate it. Of course, it was unusual for the head to be dealing with such a trivial thing. Such matters were usually dealt with by praepostors, a word which comes from the Latin meaning placed ahead and which is roughly equivalent to what in most schools was called a prefect. These were boys chosen from the sixth form and were easily distinguished by the fact that they wore a special tie instead of the regulation black one. They had authority to remind boys of the school rules and to impose discipline, like setting essays for offenders to write, or giving them 100 lines, which meant writing out the same sentence 100 times. In class, of course, discipline was maintained by the teachers. Most of them achieved this by keeping their lessons interesting, and, as someone pointed out to me when I started teaching, interest is the best form of discipline. Occasionally, however, this was backed up by putting offenders in detention, which meant doing classwork for two hours all Wednesday afternoon instead of playing cricket or football. This happened to me once, not for breaking any rules, but for not adequately memorising what the teacher had told us to learn for our homework, or ‘prep' as it was called at Brentwood. Another time I avoided detention by agreeing to be caned instead. It happened like this. It was during the French lesson, and I was sitting at the back of the class. I had in my head the tune of a chorus we had been singing at church and, rather stupidly, I started to whistle it very quietly. Of course, the teacher heard it and asked who was whistling. Monsieur Jacquotet was an elderly Frenchman who was bald on top but had white woolly hair at the back and sides. But what made his appearance rather unusual was the fact that he wore pince-nez glasses, something we boys found highly amusing. When he asked who was whistling I immediately put up my hand to confess, which, I think, anyone else in our school would have done. To which Jacko (as we somewhat disrespectfully called him) imposed my sentence: Eh bien, Monsieur Petts, you will go in detention.   However, there was one problem. I was opening bat for the house cricket team and there was a match on the next day. So the team captain went to our housemaster, Lt. Col, D.J Jones, and asked him if he could get me off detention. As a result of which, M. Jacquotet agreed, provided that Col. Jones gave me the cane instead. So that afternoon, with a rather sore backside, feeling something of a hero, I went out to bat for the house team. Sadly, I was out first ball, and my heroic suffering proved in vain! Sport One of the things that first excited me about Brentwood was the wonderful facilities on campus – though ‘campus' was not a term that was used in England in those days. The school boasted the largest school playing fields in England, some 60 acres, enough space for the entire school to be out playing football or cricket at the same time. There were also tennis courts, squash courts, a fives court, two well equipped gyms and an open-air swimming pool where, in the Summer Term, we were all taught to swim. Initially there had been one thing that had disappointed me about Brentwood. We had to go to school on Saturdays! This may have been because about 180 of the boys were boarders and the headmaster once remarked that he viewed ‘dayboys' as ‘boarders who go home to sleep'! Something which is clearly a contradiction in terms, and I confess, we dayboys refused to take it seriously when we were told that we should wear school uniform on Sundays! However, I soon got over my disappointment about going to school on Saturdays, as the whole afternoon on Wednesdays and Saturdays was dedicated to sporting activities, which I loved, and anyway our school holidays were longer than those in other schools – eight weeks in the summer, for example, instead of the usual six. I enjoyed playing football and cricket and, later, rugby. I remember playing left wing for my house team and, on one occasion, scoring 7 goals while my friend John Bramble on the right wing scored another 7. This absurd result was probably because the opposing team was from one of the boarding houses which had fewer boys to choose from than the dayboy houses. This may also account for the fact that in one cricket match I took 4 wickets for the loss of only 1 run! I also played full back in our house rugby team which won the cup for three years in succession, probably because Col. Jones our housemaster was a former Welsh international and an excellent coach. And finally, in the sixth form, I played centre half at football in the school second eleven and was hoping to be promoted to the first eleven until I badly sprained my ankle running down the stairs of the school library two at a time and was out of action until I left school at the end of that term. Next time I'll tell you something about the academic programme at Brentwood before sharing how my Christian faith was both tested and encouraged during my time there.

My Story  Talk 3  Home, Family, Christmas & Holidays (1947-1953) Welcome to Talk 3 in our series where I'm reflecting on the goodness of God throughout my life. From what I've said so far it's clear that after the war my life in the 1940s was largely comprised of school and church. I suppose that was true of most Christian children in those days and continues to be so today. And what was true of my years at primary school and Sunday school was also true of the years that followed. Most of my activity was to be centred on school and church. But before I move on to those things in the next talk, I need to say more about my family, because without a doubt our family is by far the strongest influence in the formation of our character, our behaviour, and our outlook on life. And life is not just about our education or work or church. It's about relationships, people, recreation, having fun, and healthy enjoyment of the things God has so graciously lavished upon us. So this talk is about my home, my family, Christmas and holidays.   Home For the first 23 years of my life I lived with my parents in the home in Hornchurch where I was born. It was a fairly standard three bedroomed semidetached house, but it benefited from a rather large garden which backed onto the railway. We weren't disturbed by the noise of the trains because the garden was some 200 feet – about 60 metres – long, but by walking to the end of the garden and looking down the railway embankment we could watch electric trains on the District Line and the steam locomotives on the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. My parents were both keen gardeners and had chosen the house because of the size of the garden. They planted several apple trees, two pear trees, two plum trees, a greengage tree, as well as strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants and redcurrants. My grandfather had also planted for me an ash tree at the very end of the garden and, by looking at Google Earth, it looks as though it's still there today. Sadly, the large fishpond which I helped my father build when I was about ten seems to have gone.   Family and Friends One of the advantages of having a large garden was that there was a big enough lawn for my father to teach me to play cricket and football. So, although I was an only child, I was never a lonely child. There were always plenty of friends who liked to come and play. I also enjoyed playing board games with my grandad, my mother's father, who lived with us for about five years, and later with my grandmother, my father's mother, who came later to live with us for six years and who died at the age of 86 when I was 16. Having elderly parents living with us for eleven years was not easy for my mother, but she seldom if ever complained, and her example taught me the real meaning of love, a commitment to serving others despite the cost to ourselves. I also got some idea of what it's like to be in your eighties!   Family at Christmas I saw relatively little of other family members as my uncles, aunts and ten cousins all lived too far away for frequent visits. But we did see most of them at Christmas and sometimes during the other school holidays. Because, with one exception, all my cousins were older than I was, Christmas was usually spent with my Auntie Addie – Adelaide actually, but I never heard anyone actually call her that! She was a year or two younger than my mother and had two sons, Brian who was a year older than me, and Geoffrey who was born shortly after the war when Uncle Bert returned from years away fighting in Burma (now known as Myanmar).   We usually alternated where we would spend Christmas, either at our house in Hornchurch or at their prefab in Woodford Green near Walthamstow. Prefabs were prefabricated bungalows introduced after the war to provide housing that could be erected more quickly than by using the usual methods of construction. Originally they were intended to last for, I think, only ten years, but in practice most of them lasted for decades. One of the exciting things about them was that they were all provided with a fridge with a small freezer compartment, so we could have ice-cream whenever we liked. Fridges were a luxury in those days and it was many years later that we ourselves had one. Eileen and I had our first fridge in 1968, six years after we were married. Brian and I had to share a bed every Christmas and I have vivid memories of waking up in the early hours of the morning to see what Santa had left in our ‘stockings' – which were actually pillowcases, as stockings weren't large enough to accommodate the vast number of presents we each received. I don't remember how old I was when I realised that Santa wasn't real, but it must have been well before I left primary school. I do know that some Christians, quite understandably, believe it's wrong to tell their children something which isn't true, fearing especially that, when they finally understand that the whole Santa thing is a myth, they will conclude the Christmas story found in the Bible is a legend too. That's a view that I understand and fully respect, but I can only say that it was never a problem for me, or, as far as I know, for my children and grandchildren for that matter. If we teach our children that what is in the Bible is true, they will soon discover that Father Christmas is nowhere to be found in the Bible, but is just a nice story that, although it isn't true, gave them a lot of fun when they were too young to understand otherwise. But each of us must follow our own conscience in this matter, as we always must when confronted with issues over which Christians disagree. Christmas dinner, as I remember it, was very similar to what most people have today, with one notable exception. I can't remember when we first had turkey, but for several years our celebratory meal was roast chicken. Unlike today, chicken was then very expensive, and Christmas was the only time we had it. At other times our regular Sunday roast was lamb, which, also unlike today, was the cheapest meat you could get. Our typical weekly menu was roast lamb on Sundays, cold lamb on Mondays, minced lamb in the form of shepherd's pie on Tuesdays, and lamb stew with dumplings on Wednesdays. So chicken at Christmas was a real treat! Apart from eating, we spent most of Christmas Day and Boxing Day playing with the games we had received as presents. These were always very competitive and included subuteo football, a form of cricket you could also play on the table, table tennis, darts, and a bagatelle pin board. We also enjoyed heading a balloon to one another and counting how many times we could keep it up. When we later tried it outside with a football we found it was much harder! Another good thing about staying at Auntie Addie's house was that we were able to visit other family members, as three of my aunts lived quite near to her. There was always quite a crowd in the evenings when we all joined together for a party, when we played traditional party games like musical chairs and pass the parcel. Years later I was to discover that some people's idea of a party was a time when you did little more than sit around and drink too much. This shocked me because our parties had never been like that. My parents were both teetotallers and, although most of the rest of the family were not, they respected their wishes and rarely drank in the presence of children and teenagers. Of course, the consumption of alcohol is another of those matters where Christians disagree, but hopefully all would at least agree that abstinence is the best policy in the presence of those who might become addicted. I personally think of myself as an abstainer, but not a total abstainer.  And I'm grateful that, because of the example set by my family, I have always been cautious in these matters and am happy to say that I have never been drunk, something which even some Christians find hard to believe.   Family and Holidays But Christmas was not the only time when I met other family members. There were the summer holidays too. Hotels were too expensive, and we usually spent a couple of weeks away from home staying with family. During my primary school years we went several times to Cowes on the Isle of Wight where my father's sister, Auntie Lil, had a flat overlooking the sea. Her husband, Uncle Ernie, was a lighthouse keeper on the Needles, an impressive rock formation just offshore at the western end of the island. His job required him to live on the lighthouse for several weeks at a time, so sometimes we never saw him at all during the weeks we were on holiday with Auntie Lil. But when he was able to be with us, I remember that he was very generous. We usually had to travel everywhere by bus, but on one occasion he paid for a taxi to take us on a tour of the whole island. Another time, when I was eight, he paid for my father and me to go on a ‘joy-ride', a five minute trip on an aeroplane, an Auster light aircraft with just enough room for Dad and me to sit behind the pilot. I realise that this might not sound very exciting to young people today. Plane travel is so common, and many families take flights abroad for their holidays. But in those days it really was something exceptional. No one in my class at school had ever been in a plane, and my teacher got me to tell them all what it was like. We had only gone up to 1000 feet, but the experience of flying was exhilarating as we looked down on houses that now looked no bigger than a matchbox and were able to see so far into the distance, across to the southern coast of England and beyond. I'm so grateful to Uncle Ernie for making that experience possible for me. (It cost him seven shillings and sixpence which was a lot of money in those days, but which in today's decimal currency equates to 37.5p). Due to his kindness and Auntie Lil's hospitality we always enjoyed our holidays on the Isle of Wight. Another favourite holiday destination, particularly during my early teens, was Canterbury where my mother's sister, another Auntie Lil, lived with her husband Will and her daughter Doreen who was an English teacher in a Grammar School. I remember listening to her discussions with my dad about the nature of language, something I was particularly interested in because by then I was already studying French, Latin, and Greek at school. But more of that later. While in Canterbury we enjoyed visiting its wonderful cathedral and other places of historical interest like the Westgate Tower and the ducking stool where in less enlightened centuries women who scolded their husbands were ducked in the river to teach them a lesson!  We also took advantage of the beautiful countryside around Canterbury and particularly enjoyed walking across the golf course which immediately overlooked my aunt's back garden. Other days were spent taking bus trips to the coastal resorts that lay within easy reach of Canterbury – places like Herne Bay, Margate, and Ramsgate, all lovely places, but nothing of course to compare with the beauty of Devon where I now live! My first holiday in Devon was when I was fifteen – but that's something I'll come back to next time when I talk about my teenage years at church and my life at Brentwood School where I was privileged by God's grace to receive a first-class education.   But finally, I'm conscious that in this talk I've made little mention of God, but I'm reminded that in the book of Esther God isn't mentioned either, yet it's very clear as we read it that he was at work in every detail of the story. So it is with us. His purpose for each of us is different, but he is at work in the ordinary everyday things in our lives, not just in any miracles he may perform for us. So I thank God for the home I grew up in, the family I was part of, and the fun we had together at Christmas and on holiday. These things, I believe, played an important part in my childhood and teenage years enabling me to grow into adulthood, confident to face the future, knowing that God loved me and had a purpose for my life.

Talk 2   School, Sunday School, & Salvation Welcome to Talk 2 in our new series where I'm reflecting on my how the Lord has blessed my life. Today I'll be talking about my time at Primary School, at Sunday School, and how I learnt at the age of eight how to be saved.   Suttons Lane County Primary School My first school was situated on Suttons Lane, quite close to Hornchurch aerodrome. On the edge of town, to the south it had open views of the fairly flat countryside on the northern side of the River Thames. It was less than a ten-minute walk from my house.   From an early age I was able to walk to school unattended as there were no roads to cross thanks to ‘the cinder track', a footpath that ran along the edge of what we called ‘the farmer's field' where we would see horses pulling a plough to prepare the soil for the potatoes that were grown there.   Every day at school began with the teacher marking the register followed by assembly in the school hall where we sang a hymn, said the Lord's Prayer together, and listened to any announcements the headmaster had to give us. I don't know how many of our teachers were practising Christians, but the emphasis in assembly was distinctly Christian, as was the teaching in the weekly Scripture – later to be called Religious Education – lessons we had in class.   In those days it was a legal requirement for all schools to include Scripture on the curriculum and for each day to begin with an act of Christian worship. So the Christian teaching I received at home and at Sunday School was reinforced by what went on at school. The truth of the Christian message was still widely assumed, even if church attendance had greatly diminished as a result of the war. How different things are today!   I can see with hindsight that, although I didn't realise it at the time, one of the reasons I enjoyed school was that there was no conflict between what I was taught at home and what I was taught at school.   And, of course, I enjoyed it too because, unlike some schools today that have misguidedly sold off their playing fields for commercial purposes, our school shared a playing field with the adjacent secondary school, where we played cricket and football, both of which were probably my favourite activities.   I played for the school team at both cricket and football, the love of which I inherited from my father who on Saturdays was an active player in both. I loved going to watch him play for the Elm Park Football Club and the Cranham Cricket Club.   He once told me he thought that the boys in the secondary school where he taught paid more attention to his Scripture lessons because he also taught them to play football. He was a qualified F.A. Coach, and, incidentally, also told me that one of the boys he had coached played in the England team that won the World Cup in 1966. I still have a box full of medals he won for cricket, football, snooker, and tennis. He was seven times the champion of the Elm Park Lawn Tennis Club.   But I think I also enjoyed school because I was good at my lessons. As I've already mentioned, I started school at the age of 4 in September 1943. Educationally I had the distinct advantage that my father was a teacher and had taught me to read and write before I went to school, and so by the time I was 7 my parents were told that I had a reading age of 12.   In saying this I hope I don't give the impression that I'm boasting. I learnt long ago that true humility is not a matter of pretending that you don't really have any talents or gifts, but acknowledging that what you do have comes from God, and that all the credit is his and not ours. If I have a good brain, it is God who gave me that brain, and I have no right to boast about my academic achievements. But that does not mean that I may not mention them! As God said to Jeremiah:   Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5).   Before we were born, God had a purpose for each one of us, and he created us with the abilities we would need to fulfil that purpose.  It's our decision as to whether we fulfil that purpose or not. So I thank God for the good brain he gave me and for parents who encouraged me to use it.   And if I tell you that every year I attended that school I came top of the class, you'll understand that my reason for doing so is to show how, without my realising it, he was guiding me onto a pathway where academic achievement would be an essential part of the work that he had planned for me to do.   Sunday School and Church But school was not the only place I was learning. Probably the most influential source in my education was what my parents taught me at home. But more of that in a moment. I was also learning at Sunday School and at other church related activities like Lifeboys (the name then given to the junior section of the Boys' Brigade).   My first reaction to Sunday School was that I didn't like it! I was only 4 and I'm grateful to my parents that when I told them so they did not force me to go. A little later they suggested very gently that I might like to try it again, and this time I enjoyed it. Because of the wisdom they showed in this matter, I always knew that attendance at Sunday School or Church was to be my decision. No one could ever say that I only went because my parents made me go.   And so I went of my own free will, and year after year was given a book as a prize for good attendance. The annual Sunday School Prize Giving Sunday was a big event, and many of the parents who were not church-goers came to see their children receive their prizes.   Sunday School, which in most churches took place in the afternoon, was a big thing in the 1940s and 1950s. Even parents who did not come to church wanted their children to be taught about the Bible – or they were just glad to get a break from the kids on a Sunday afternoon! We were told that our church had the largest Sunday School in Essex with up to 400 children attending each Sunday. My mother was a Sunday School teacher and my father taught the teenage Bible Class, but more of that in the next talk.   Unlike most of the children who attended Sunday School, I also attended church. I think my first experience of church was travelling on a Sunday evening up to London to attend the church where my parents had attended before the war. We travelled on the London Underground railway on the District Line between Elm Park and Bromley stations, and I took an instant dislike to London because at that time much of that area was damaged, dirty, and quite smelly.   The Tab which formerly, I was told, had up to a thousand in its congregation, had been bombed in the war and, as far as I know was never rebuilt. Many of the people's houses had been destroyed and, rather like my parents, they had moved away from the East End of London. Consequently the meetings I went to as a young child with my parents were attended by at most a few dozen people and took place in the upstairs room of a pub, which I seem to remember was called The Five Bells.   The meetings weren't really suitable for children, and I didn't really enjoy the fuss that all the adults made of me. One thing I did like was the minister, Mr Tildsley, referring to me as King David and perhaps that sparked in my young heart a desire to copy my namesake and achieve great victories for God.   Fortunately, as far as I was concerned, my parents soon decided that it was time to settle into a church that was nearer to where they were now living, so we started attending Elm Park Baptist which was a relatively new church as most of the houses in the area, like ours, had only been constructed in the mid to late 1930s.   It was a warm friendly church with lots of activities for children and young people and, although I couldn't understand all that the minister said in his sermons on Sunday evenings, it's clear, looking back on it, that it was all influencing my mind in the right direction, leading me ultimately in my teens to give my life to Jesus. But that's a subject for our next talk. However, before we get there, it's important that I tell you how, at the age of 8, I came to understand how to be sure I would go the Heaven when I die.   The way of salvation I remember how, at the age of 8, I was sitting on my father's knee when I asked him,   Daddy, how good do you have to be to go to Heaven?      I think the question was on my mind because of something that was called David's Good Boy Chart. This was a chart my father had made rather like a calendar with a space for each day for him to stick on it a coloured sun or moon or star, depending on how my behaviour had been that day.   I think he had made it because my mother had been having some problems with me during the day while he was at work. When he got home, my mother would tell him how I had behaved that day and an appropriate sticker would be applied to the chart. If I'd been good, it would be a sun, not so good, a moon, and so on.   I think I must have been wondering how many suns I would need if I wanted to go to Heaven! My father explained that it isn't a question of how good we are, because none of us is good enough to go to heaven. That's why Jesus came to die on the cross to take the punishment for our sins so that all who believe in him will have everlasting life.   Then he asked, Do you believe that, David?   I replied, Yes, of course I do. And why do you believe it? asked my father. Because you have told me, I said. That's a good reason, he said, but one day you will come to believe it for yourself.   That's the first time I can remember that I was consciously aware of the truth of the gospel. I suppose that, like many who have been brought up in a Christian home, I can't put a date on when I first believed. It feels as though I have always believed. I cannot remember a time when I did not believe.   I used to be concerned about this, especially when so many Christians can remember a specific date. But then I heard an illustration that was very helpful. I never forgot, and will never forget, the date when Eileen and I married. But even if one year I had forgotten it, I would never have forgotten that I was married and who I was married to!   The point of the illustration is this. The date that my married relationship with Eileen started was relatively unimportant compared with our relationship throughout our married lives. The same applies to our relationship with Jesus. What matters is not when our relationship started, but whether I am in relationship with him now. Am I trusting him now for the forgiveness of my sins and my home in heaven? And if I am, then the exact date it all started is relatively unimportant.   So I cannot remember an exact date when I first believed but I can remember the day when I decided to give my life to Christ. And again, it was through my father that I came to that decision. But we'll come to that in a later talk.  

Jamesy and Big Sexy Lou discuss nepo babies and the weird phenomena of people asking the question ‘WHERE YOU OUT OF?!'. The boys also discuss the upcoming tour and Jamesy tries to convince Louie to jump in a Limo to Hornchurch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My Story   Talk 1 Family Background and World War 2   Introduction Welcome back to Great Bible Truths with me, Dr David Petts.  As this podcast will go out live in early January let me take this opportunity to wish you God's richest blessings for the coming year. Let me also apologise that my website was down for several weeks, but the good news is that it's now up and running again.   Now, as I mentioned in my last talk at the end of our series on Mark's Gospel, this year, God willing, I'm planning both to write and record my memoirs in order to place on record God's goodness throughout my life, from the moment of conception in my mother's womb, right through to this present time. I also hope that the things I record may be of some historical and sociological interest, particular to younger people.   What's more, I'm convinced that, if he can bless me, he can bless you too, and my purpose in doing this is to encourage your faith, if you are already a Christian, and, if you're not, to persuade you that, if you put your trust in Christ as your personal Saviour, you will discover how trustworthy and faithful he is.   Some of God's miraculous interventions in my life have already been recorded in some of my books, notably in Signs from Heaven – why I Believe and The Voice of God – how he speaks to us today. But there's still so much more to tell, and friends and family have been encouraging me that now is the time to get on and do it. And, even more importantly, I feel that God himself is prompting me to do so.   Now you may be wondering why I am including talks about my personal experience under the general heading of Great Bible Truths. That's an understandable question, but the answer is simply that as Christians our lives are meant to illustrate and demonstrate how the truth of God's Word works out in practice. In 2 Corinthians 3:2 Paul talks about the Corinthians themselves as a letter… known and read by everyone. And, although in the context Paul is talking about his readers as the living proof of his apostolic ministry, there seems to be here an underlying principle that our lives are, or at least should be, living testimonies to the truth we believe.   And finally, by way of introduction, I need to say that I am very well aware that, again in the words of the apostle Paul, By the grace of God, I am what I am (1 Corinthians 15:10). Whatever we are, whatever we have done, whatever gifts and talents we may have, it's all by the grace of God. And all the glory must always go to him. But now to my story.   My parents My story, of course, begins with my parents. Stanley and Ivy Petts (née Claus) were both born in Poplar, East London, in September 1907. Their home backgrounds were very different. Mum's childhood was very difficult, her father often coming home drunk. Her mother died before I was born. She left six children, two boys, Harry and Bill, and four girls, Minnie, Lily, Ivy, and Addie. As far as I know, only Minnie and my mum, Ivy, ever became Christians.   On the other hand, my dad's family were all Christians attending the Poplar and Bromley Baptist Tabernacle, affectionately known as The Tab, and it was there that my dad met my mum. Dad had three sisters, Lily, Violet, and May. May was born deaf and dumb – that's how it's recorded on the national register – but, as I've already recorded in my book Signs from Heaven, was miraculously healed in answer to prayer .   When she was in her twenties, my grandmother took her to a divine healing  meeting conducted by the evangelist, George Jeffreys , who placed his hands on her and prayed  for her.   That evening, as they were travelling home to Poplar in the East End of London, they went down to catch the underground train. Suddenly, with a shocked expression on her face, May  put both hands over her ears. She could hear the roar of the train as it came through the tunnel approaching the platform!   Until that moment, from the day she was born she had never been able to hear, but now she could hear, and within a few weeks was beginning to speak.   I suppose that's why I've never doubted God's miracle  working power and firmly believe that we should expect to see miracles today.   Mum and Dad were married on August 4th 1934 and lived with his parents until they were able to afford a home of their own. During the time they were there, my mother sadly had a miscarriage and, as my father told me years later, the doctor had expressed the opinion that she might be unable to have children. But they prayed that, in my mother's words, the Lord would give her a son, and that he would go into all the world and preach the gospel. But I knew nothing of all this until I was sixteen when I told my parents that I believed that God was calling me to serve him as a minister.   In 1937 Mum and Dad moved into their own home, a new-build semi-detached house in Hornchurch, which, with the help of a mortgage, they were able to purchase for the princely sum of – wait for it – £630 (six hundred and thirty pounds)! Prices for similar properties in the same area today are closer to £630,000!   I was born in the front bedroom of that house on January 12th 1939, and my late wife Eileen was born 6 days earlier in Stockport, Cheshire. That was just eight months before Britain declared war on Germany on 3rd September 1939. Of course, I was too young to remember very much of the early years of the war, but I was already 6 years old when the war ended and have just a few memories of what life was like at the time.   Earliest Memories During the first part of the war, between 1939 and 1941, because Hornchurch was an area that was likely to be bombed, my mother and I were evacuated to a village called Marcham (near to Abingdon). We stayed in a vicarage with the vicar and his wife (Rev and Mrs Palmer). I have no clear memories of that time, although I do remember the vicarage, from when we went back to visit them after the war.   My father wasn't with us for much of the time because, although he was not in the armed forces as he was a conscientious objector, he was sent as a schoolteacher to what was called an Approved School (which was where they used to send juvenile delinquents). It was a residential establishment near Woking in Surrey and my dad had to live there much of the time, so we didn't see much of him as it was some distance from where we were in Marcham, and in those days very few people had cars.   In 1941 my father was transferred to a different Approved School. This was nearer to Hornchurch and so my mother and I left Marcham and returned home to be nearer to my father. However, our house was less than half a mile from Hornchurch aerodrome, which played a very important part in the Battle of Britain. So there was still a very real danger of being bombed by enemy aircraft.   My main memories of those early years were having to take refuge in an air-raid shelter whenever the siren sounded. (The siren gave a very loud signal when enemy aircraft were approaching and a different signal called the ‘all-clear' when the danger was over). There were two kinds of shelter, the Morrison shelter and the Anderson shelter.   We had a Morrison shelter which was like a very strong table, made of steel, which you had indoors. I can remember having to go underneath it at night when the siren sounded – we slept on the floor underneath it. I can also remember banging my head on it as I was getting out from underneath it! All the houses had to have ‘blackouts' to cover the windows at night so that enemy aircraft would not see the light in the house.   I remember my mum peeping out from behind the blackout during one of the raids and telling me that she could see a Spitfire chasing off a German plane. I can't remember ever feeling afraid. Perhaps it was because I was too young to understand the danger, but also because of my mum's confidence that God would keep us safe.   Other people had Anderson shelters. These were in the garden, dug into the ground, and made of corrugated iron – rather like some of the things pig farmers use to shelter their pigs today. The infant school I went to from the age of four in September 1943 had a large version of one of these which was big enough for all the children to get into if there was a raid during school-time. I can only remember going into it once but can't remember much more about it.   Quite recently, however, I discovered that an enemy aircraft had crashed into the secondary school which was only about 100 yards from my infant school, and I have wondered if this had coincided with the time we were all in the air raid shelter. Of course, I have no way of knowing this, but I am so grateful that our lives were spared throughout that awful time when so many others lost theirs.     When the war ended, all over the country people held parties in the street to celebrate. (There were not many cars around in those days!) I remember we had a big bonfire in the middle of the road – something which I imagine would not be allowed today – and the concrete was broken up where the bonfire had been.   My final memory of the war and the years that followed it is what was called ‘rationing'. Because there was a great shortage of food and clothing during that time people were given ration books with coupons in. To buy something (including sweets!) you needed not only money, but coupons. I remember my mum being pleased with me because I had bigger feet than most of the children. It meant she was allowed extra clothing coupons! The rationing went on for some time after the war and I well remember the first time we were allowed to buy as many sweets as we liked because there was no more rationing!   But now it's time to finish for today, so let's summarise by asking what Bible truths have been illustrated by the experiences I have been talking about. The first of these truths is that God answers believing prayer. Despite what she had been told, my mother prayed for a son, and God answered her prayer. Secondly, nothing is impossible with God. There was no medical cure for my aunt's condition, but God worked a miracle in response to the evangelist's prayer. This shows us, thirdly, that God still grants supernatural gifts like healing as signs confirming the truth of the gospel. We also see that God has a purpose for our lives and that he is able to protect us from danger in order to fulfil it.         Next time I'll be talking about the years after the war, my time at primary school, and my first experience of Sunday school and going to church.  

Join Chris, Kirsty and Clive rounding up Hornchurch, before looking ahead to Chelmsford

Old friend of the podcast, Nick Lowe has just released his 15th solo album, Indoor Safari, and he's about to tour with Los Straitjackets. This absorbing conversation looks back at 60 years onstage and takes in the following … … the secret of a long career. … why he resolved “not to get that famous again”. … touring Germany aged 15 in Brinsley Schwarz's dad's Dormobile. … the Small Faces at the village hall in Hornchurch. … to the Six Bells for seven pints with “photographer for all occasions” Jet Harris. … playing Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent in the school band and wrestling with the chords to Cliff's Living Doll. … Kippington Lodge at Ally Pally, New Year's Eve 1968, supporting Joe Cocker, the Bonzos and Amen Corner - “the Grand Canyon with a roof”. … 270 dog walks with his son Roy during Covid and the things they discussed. … the unique magic of working with “America's premier instrumental surf band”. … how ‘I Knew The Bride When She Used To Rock And Roll' is now a wedding staple. … and the sole mention of ‘freakbeat' vendors the Fleur De Lys in the history of our podcast. Nick's tour starts at the London Palladium on September 24:https://nicklowe.com/tour-dates/ Order Indoor Safari here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Indoor-Safari-Nick-Lowe/dp/B0D5TXRLDDFind out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Old friend of the podcast, Nick Lowe has just released his 15th solo album, Indoor Safari, and he's about to tour with Los Straitjackets. This absorbing conversation looks back at 60 years onstage and takes in the following … … the secret of a long career. … why he resolved “not to get that famous again”. … touring Germany aged 15 in Brinsley Schwarz's dad's Dormobile. … the Small Faces at the village hall in Hornchurch. … to the Six Bells for seven pints with “photographer for all occasions” Jet Harris. … playing Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent in the school band and wrestling with the chords to Cliff's Living Doll. … Kippington Lodge at Ally Pally, New Year's Eve 1968, supporting Joe Cocker, the Bonzos and Amen Corner - “the Grand Canyon with a roof”. … 270 dog walks with his son Roy during Covid and the things they discussed. … the unique magic of working with “America's premier instrumental surf band”. … how ‘I Knew The Bride When She Used To Rock And Roll' is now a wedding staple. … and the sole mention of ‘freakbeat' vendors the Fleur De Lys in the history of our podcast. Nick's tour starts at the London Palladium on September 24:https://nicklowe.com/tour-dates/ Order Indoor Safari here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Indoor-Safari-Nick-Lowe/dp/B0D5TXRLDDFind out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Old friend of the podcast, Nick Lowe has just released his 15th solo album, Indoor Safari, and he's about to tour with Los Straitjackets. This absorbing conversation looks back at 60 years onstage and takes in the following … … the secret of a long career. … why he resolved “not to get that famous again”. … touring Germany aged 15 in Brinsley Schwarz's dad's Dormobile. … the Small Faces at the village hall in Hornchurch. … to the Six Bells for seven pints with “photographer for all occasions” Jet Harris. … playing Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent in the school band and wrestling with the chords to Cliff's Living Doll. … Kippington Lodge at Ally Pally, New Year's Eve 1968, supporting Joe Cocker, the Bonzos and Amen Corner - “the Grand Canyon with a roof”. … 270 dog walks with his son Roy during Covid and the things they discussed. … the unique magic of working with “America's premier instrumental surf band”. … how ‘I Knew The Bride When She Used To Rock And Roll' is now a wedding staple. … and the sole mention of ‘freakbeat' vendors the Fleur De Lys in the history of our podcast. Nick's tour starts at the London Palladium on September 24:https://nicklowe.com/tour-dates/ Order Indoor Safari here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Indoor-Safari-Nick-Lowe/dp/B0D5TXRLDDFind out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Absolute cider royalty comes to the pod this week as Justin and Albert are joined by Alison Taffs, head honcho at multi-award-winning might-as-well-keep-the-trophy cider pub The Hop Inn. We talk about Alison and Justin's shared background as drama students at Mountview, and how that armed them to become tasting host extraordinaires, we touch on managing alcohol intake when working in the drinks industry and Alison schools us on what makes good hospitality. Only momentarily distracted by Justin looking up directions to the Hop Inn on his phone, we learn how to build the ultimate cider list as a pub and how gaining confidence with tasting notes can help drinkers, producers and hospitality staff. Ciders by @gospel_green Albert lords the land @rosscider Adam hops in @cider_review Justin is on heavy antihistamines @justinwellsjustin

When 33-year-old nurse Cheryl Moss popped outside for a smoke break during one of her shifts, she had no idea that a teenager with murderous intentions was lurking in the grounds outside the hospital.What followed was a devastating and frenzied attack that resulted in Cheryl losing her life.Join my Patreon community at patreon.com/britishmurders for exclusive perks, including early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exciting giveaways, and welcome goodies!Social Media:Facebook | British Murders with Stuart BluesInstagram | @britishmurdersTikTok | @britishmurdersX | @britishmurdersWebsite:britishmurders.comDo you have a case request? Please send it to contact@britishmurders.com or fill out a Contact Form at britishmurders.com/contactIntro music:⁣David John Brady - 'Throw Down the Gauntlet'⁣davidjohnbrady.comDisclaimer:The case discussed in this podcast episode is real and represents the worst day in many people's lives. I aim to cover such stories with a victim-focused approach, using information from publicly available sources. While I strive for accuracy, some details may vary depending on the sources used. I list the sources used in each episode on my website. Due to the nature of the content, listener discretion is advised. Thank you for your understanding and support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When 33-year-old nurse Cheryl Moss popped outside for a smoke break during one of her shifts, she had no idea that a teenager with murderous intentions was lurking in the grounds outside the hospital. What followed was a devastating and frenzied attack that resulted in Cheryl losing her life. Join my Patreon community at patreon.com/britishmurders for exclusive perks, including early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exciting giveaways, and welcome goodies! Social Media: Facebook | British Murders with Stuart Blues Instagram | @britishmurders TikTok | @britishmurders X | @britishmurders Website: britishmurders.com Do you have a case request? Please send it to contact@britishmurders.com or fill out a Contact Form at britishmurders.com/contact Intro music:⁣ David John Brady - 'Throw Down the Gauntlet'⁣ davidjohnbrady.com Disclaimer: The case discussed in this podcast episode is real and represents the worst day in many people's lives. I aim to cover such stories with a victim-focused approach, using information from publicly available sources. While I strive for accuracy, some details may vary depending on the sources used. I list the sources used in each episode on my website. Due to the nature of the content, listener discretion is advised. Thank you for your understanding and support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The massive guests just keep rolling in…this time its Indian All-Rounder Ravichandran Ashwin who joins Gilly, Vaughany, The Prof and Ollie. The IPL is in full swing and Ashwin has his take on the competition so far. He also talks us through India's defeat of England during the recent test series and takes a look forward to the blockbuster test series against Australia at the end of the year. It's a brilliant chat with one of cricket's most successful Stars.The guys also take a good look at the HornChurch victory in the ECL, they preview their upcoming trips to India for the IPL coverage and reminisce about the art of trying to pick Murali. There's lots of giggles, lots of fun, lots of Cricket and of course Ollie's quiz!00:00 - Intro02:04 - Ollie's Social Update - NORDVPN are back! (www.nordvpn.com/cpf)03:09 - Welcome RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN04:28 - The IPL getting bigger and bigger08:20 - Vaughany is Ashwin's idol10:11 - ASHWIN vs ENGLAND11:18 - ASWIN playing against BazBall17:05 - INDIA v AUSTRALIA soon18:41 - ASHWIN on Jaiswal22:41 - AUSTRALIA there for the taking26:32 - ASHWIN on having a laugh29:03 - That MANKAD on Buttler36:58 - Vaughany's ODI career38:51 - Could you pick MURALI?49:23 - Our IPL predictions.53:46 - The Quiz!Please do keep liking, sharing and subscribing for more content and follow us @clubprairiefire on all socials. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Its that time of year again, when all the best cricketers in the world head to the epi-centre of cricket, India, to fight it out in the IPL and Club Prairie Fire have got you covered with the most comprehensive preview in the galaxy. The boys predict their tournament winners, their leading run scorers, leading wicket takers and the team that they will be going for. Its all the IPL chat you could ever wish for.Also, the ECL has reached championship week, Vaughany is changing the DRS for ever and the Sheffield shield Final has arrived. If you love Cricket, and love people talking about cricket than this is the podcast for you!00:00- Intro 06:28 - Vaughany changing the DRS09:12 - Merch is on its way11:55 - IPL preview14:01 - Virat Kohli's Runs record15:37 - Who we are all supporting 17:10 - Leading wicket takers prediction21:11 - Leading run scorer prediction29:33 - ECL update30:11 - Cluj update32:00 - Hornchurch update 34:33 - Sri Lanka v Bangladesh45:15 - Sheffield Shield Final50:33 - The Quiz!Please do keep liking, sharing and subscribing for more content and follow us @clubprairiefire on all socials. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 17 of The Premier League Cricket Show, the ultimate cricket destination for dynamic discussions, exclusive guests, and unmatched insights from around the peak of the club cricket pyramid where we will follow not only the 32 ECB Premier Leagues but also all the NCCA (National Counties, formerly Minor Counties) action. In this bonus episode, as Premier League Hornchurch head back to Spain to take part in championship week of the European Cricket League having won their group, we chat with Hornchurch opening batter George Hankins and his bowling brother Harry as they look back at the group stage, ahead to the championship week ahead and a few other bits and pieces of chat! Thanks for listening and if you enjoy the show, why not show us some love and leave us a 5-star review on your favourite podcast platform as it helps other potential listeners to find us when they are searching for cricketing podcasts.  And don't forget to follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram on both to join the conversation, share your thoughts, and connect with us & fellow premier league cricket fans. Twitter: @TPLCricketShow Instagram: @TPLCricketShow Email: TPLCricketShow@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to episode 15 of The Premier League Cricket Show, the ultimate cricket destination for dynamic discussions, exclusive guests, and unmatched insights from around the peak of the club cricket pyramid where we will follow not only the 32 ECB Premier Leagues but also all the NCCA (National Counties, formerly Minor Counties) action. In this 2nd bonus episode, as our Premier League clubs Hornchurch & Wimbledon head to Spain to take part in the European Cricket League, we chat with Hornchurch skipper Marc Whitlock and Wimbledon Head Coach Alastair Fraser as they prepared for the adventure of the European Cricket League! Thanks for listening and if you enjoy the show, why not show us some love and leave us a 5-star review on your favourite podcast platform as it helps other potential listeners to find us when they are searching for cricketing podcasts.  And don't forget to follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram on both to join the conversation, share your thoughts, and connect with us & fellow premier league cricket fans. Twitter: @TPLCricketShow Instagram: @TPLCricketShow Email: TPLCricketShow@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to episode 14 of The Premier League Cricket Show, the ultimate cricket destination for dynamic discussions, exclusive guests, and unmatched insights from around the peak of the club cricket pyramid where we will follow not only the 32 ECB Premier Leagues but also all the NCCA (National Counties, formerly Minor Counties) action. In this bonus episode, as Premier League clubs Hornchurch & Wimbledon head to Spain to take part in the European Cricket League, we chat with top commentator & host from the European Cricket Network Vinny Sandhu a.k.a. Mr. Maximoooo as he takes you on a journey through European cricket like never before – country by country, player by player all in preview of the forthcoming ECL! Thanks for listening and if you enjoy the show, why not show us some love and leave us a 5-star review on your favourite podcast platform as it helps other potential listeners to find us when they are searching for cricketing podcasts.  And don't forget to follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram on both to join the conversation, share your thoughts, and connect with us & fellow premier league cricket fans. Twitter: @TPLCricketShow Instagram: @TPLCricketShow Email: TPLCricketShow@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Guest: Tony Philpot Host: Dave Homewood Recorded: 18th of July 2023 Published: 19th of January 2024 Duration: 50 minutes, 8 seconds In this episode Dave Homewood visits the RAF Hornchurch Heritage Centre, on the site of the former RAF Station Hornchurch, and he talks with the museum's chairman Tony Philpot. RAF Hornchurch is synonymous with the Battle of [...]

Welcome to episode 6 of The Premier League Cricket Show, the ultimate cricket destination for dynamic discussions, exclusive guests, and unmatched insights from around the peak of the club cricket pyramid where we will follow not only the 32 ECB Premier Leagues but also all the NCCA (National Counties, formerly Minor Counties) action. In this episode we chat with Gavin Griffiths of Hornchurch CC as we take a look back at the Essex Premier League last season which Hornchurch won. Thanks for listening and if you enjoy the show, why not show us some love and leave us a 5-star review on your favourite podcast platform as it helps other potential listeners to find us when they are searching for cricketing podcasts.  And don't forget to follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram on both to join the conversation, share your thoughts, and connect with us & fellow premier league cricket fans. Twitter: @TPLCricketShow Instagram: @TPLCricketShow Email: TPLCricketShow@gmail.com

Kim Ismay is currently playing Debs in Elf The Musical at the Dominion Theatre.Elf has returned to London for its third festive run, with Kim reprising her performance for a second year. Kim is beloved for her iconic run as Tanya in the West End production of Mamma Mia! and for playing Madame Morrible in Wicked in the West End and on tour. She has had huge success with her one-person show About Bill. Some of Kim's other theatre credits include: Frances in Kidnapped (National Theatre of Scotland), Barbara in Come Dine With Me (MT Fest), Lysette in The Silver Gym, Dotty Otley in Noises Off, Katisha in The Hot Mikado and Fiona in How The Other Half Loves (all Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch), Maxine in Stepping Out (Derby Playhouse), Baroness Bomburst in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (UK tour), Miss Dinsmore/Dora Bailey in Singin' In The Rain (West Yorkshire Playhouse/UK Tour), Flo Manero in Saturday Night Fever (UK Tour), Miss Bonnie in Acorn Antiques (UK tour), May Belfort in Lautrec (Shaftesbury Theatre), Magenta in The Rocky Horror Show (Frankfurt English Theatre) and Kiss Me Kate, The Wizard of Oz and Comedy of Errors (all RSC).  Elf The Musical runs at the Dominion Theatre until 6th January 2024. Visit www.elflondon.com for info and tickets. Hosted by Andrew Tomlins  @AndrewTomlins32  Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.  

Welcome to episode 29 of Stumps, Umps & Beer Pumps, the podcast dedicated to the world of local & village club cricket around the UK (and beyond!) full of amateur cricketers, long suffering groundsman and all the other volunteers that keep our great game going and without whom the cricketing pyramid would not survive! This episode is the 4th in our G.O.A.T series recognising those 'Greatest of all Time' batters & bowlers at local & village cricket clubs, and this time we are at fast growing club Hornchurch CC in Essex, National T20 Champions in 2022 and runners up in the 2023 European Cricket League club. Joining us in Cow Corner for a chat is Paul Murray Jnr (G.O.A.T Batter) and Marc Whitlock (G.O.A.T Bowler). Enjoy and if you think your club has a couple of G.O.A.T's that are worth chatting to then let us know! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to episode 29 of Stumps, Umps & Beer Pumps, the podcast dedicated to the world of local & village club cricket around the UK (and beyond!) full of amateur cricketers, long suffering groundsman and all the other volunteers that keep our great game going and without whom the cricketing pyramid would not survive! This episode is the 4th in our G.O.A.T series recognising those 'Greatest of all Time' batters & bowlers at local & village cricket clubs, and this time we are at fast growing club Hornchurch CC in Essex, National T20 Champions in 2022 and runners up in the 2023 European Cricket League club. Joining us in Cow Corner for a chat is Paul Murray Jnr (G.O.A.T Batter) and Marc Whitlock (G.O.A.T Bowler). Enjoy and if you think your club has a couple of G.O.A.T's that are worth chatting to then let us know! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back! After a short break I have this wonderful interview for you by podcast co-host Christine Morgan featuring Rosamund Gravelle. Rosamund Gravelle is a writer whose poems have been been published in magazines, online and in Poetry anthologies, while her plays have been featured in scratch presentations at Barons Court Theatre and Queens Theatre, Hornchurch. Three Queens is one-act play about a fictional encounter between Queen Mary I, Lady Jane Grey and the future Queen Elizabeth I, as well another royal cousin - Cardinal Reginald Pole, on the night before Lady Jane Grey is due to be executed.  -- Commercial FREE for ⁠patrons⁠! Love the Tudors? Read the stories of the Tudors on ⁠Tudors Dynasty⁠! -- Credits:  Hosted by: Rebecca Larson Guest: Rosamund Gravelle Edited by: Rebecca Larson --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/rebecca-larson/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/rebecca-larson/support

Mickey-Jo was recently invited to see the first regional revival of KINKY BOOTS at the Queen's Theatre in Hornchurch. Check out the new review for Mickey-Jo's thoughts on this divisive new staging. • About Mickey-Jo: As one of the leading voices in theatre criticism on a social platform, Mickey-Jo is pioneering a new medium for a dwindling field. His YouTube channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MickeyJoTheatre⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is the largest worldwide in terms of dedicated theatre criticism, where he also share features, news and interviews as well as lifestyle content for over 60,000 subscribers. Since establishing himself as a theatre critic he has been able to work internationally. With a viewership that is largely split between the US and the UK he has been fortunate enough to be able to work with PR, Marketing, and Social Media representatives for shows both in New York, London, Hamburg, and Paris. He has also twice received accreditation from the world renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival. His reviews and features have also been published by WhatsOnStage, for whom he was a panelist to help curate nominees for their 2023 and 2024 Awards as well as BroadwayWorldUK and LondonTheatre.co.uk. He has been invited to speak to private tour groups, at the BEAM 2023 new musical theatre conference at Oxford Playhouse, and on a panel of critics at an event for young people considering a career in the arts courtesy of Go Live Theatre Projects. Instagram/TikTok/X: @MickeyJoTheatre

Derby Theatre and Queen's Theatre Hornchurch are to stage a co-production of a new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde. Neil Bartlett has brought the story up to date and introduced some female characters. BTG Midlands Editor Steve Orme spoke to two of the actors, Nicholas Shaw and Polly Lister, about the show while Derby Theatre's Sarah Brigham who's directing and Mathew Russell from Queen's Theatre Hornchurch talk about the benefits of their collaboration. Jekyll and Hyde will run at Derby Theatre from 30 September until 22 October and at Queen's Theatre Hornchurch from 26 October until 12 November 2022.

In a tense Final down at the picturesque Wormsley Cricket Club, Hornchurch saw off Birmingham League side Barnt Green to become National T20 Champions. Here, we speak to George Hankins, whose 84 runs off 63 balls played a big part in winning the match. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/98-not-out/message

In this week's episode we talked about Breakfast, Countries and we have part 3 of our interview with Stephen Donavan from Hornchurch Round Table

In this week's episode we talked about Soft Drinks, Soulbeat and we have part 2 of our interview with Stephen Donavan from Hornchurch Round Table

In this weeks episode we talked about Dating Shows, Comfort Food and we have part 1 of our interview with Stephen Donavan from Hornchurch Round Table

A truly joyous podcast episode!It's us again from the New Wolsey Theatre Podcast, as we get all the latest from rehearsals with three of our amazing Kinky Boots cast members, Keanu Adolphus Johnson (he/him), playing Lola, Aruhan Galieva (she/her), playing Lauren, and Matt Corner (he/him), playing Charlie!We chat about how rehearsals have been going so far (particularly during the recent heatwave!) and ask them about their most challenging and favourite moments.Keanu talks to us about the importance of having characters such as Lola portrayed on stage and what it means to him personally, as well as what it could mean for others who come and see the show.We chat more in-depth about the significance of the show and how it helps to continue conversations around equality and inclusion for all... and of course, we talk specifically about those BOOTS and how Keanu first felt when trying them on...... it's quite a moment!All the cast and creative team have been so busy with rehearsals recently so we can't thank them enough forsparing Lola, Lauren and Charlie for some time to record this amazing episode!Tickets on sale here for Kinky Boots at the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich (1st - 24th Sept)Tickets on sale here for Kinky Boots at Queen' s Theatre, Hornchurch (28th Sept - 22 Oct)The show is based on the book by Harvey Fierstein with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper. The original Broadway production was directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, based on the Miramax motion picture Kinky Boots, written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth and presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International.You're all welcome to get involved with the New Wolsey Theatre Podcast! If you'd like to be a guest or have a questions for us, please just get in touch - we'd love to hear from you!Email: jparker@wolseytheatre.co.uk----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tickets on sale now for some shows that we think you'll really love this Autumn:THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNESTTRIOMUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHINGBOMBAY SUPERSTARand of course... OUR AWARD WINNING ROCK 'N' ROLL PANTO - GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS!To view our full summer and autumn programmes, please click HEREVisit the New Wolsey Theatre website hereThanks to our good friends at Podtalk.co.uk for managing and producing our podcast.The New Wolsey Theatre is supported by Arts Council England, Suffolk County Council and Ipswich Borough Counci

In episode 15 of the New Wolsey Theatre Podcast, we talk to the multi-talented Tim Jackson - artistic director of our upcoming show Kinky Boots !We chat about his path to becoming a director, with stories of initially being an actor, working for free, a great deal of fringe theatre and taking guidance from Doug Rintoul - Chief Executive of the New Wolsey Theatre.We speak about the story of Kinky Boots and how, as a production for regional theatres, this one differs from previous West End versions.Tim talks to us about the important messages of this iconic musical, what he wants audiences to take from it, and the value of perfecting the casting - listen out for the incredible timescale involved in finalising the team! A huge thank you to Tim for giving up valuable time during rehearsals to record with us!Tickets on sale here for Kinky Boots at the New Wolsey, Ipswich (1st - 24th Sept)Tickets on sale here for Kinky Boots at Queen' s Theatre, Hornchurch (28th Sept - 22 Oct)The show is based on the book by Harvey Fierstein with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper. The original Broadway production was directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, based on the Miramax motion picture Kinky Boots, written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth and presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International. You're all welcome to get involved with the New Wolsey Theatre Podcast! If you'd like to be a guest or have a questions for us, please just get in touch - we'd love to hear from you!Email: jparker@wolseytheatre.co.uk----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------More tickets on sale now for some fantastic shows we think you'll really love this Autumn:THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNESTTRIOMUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHINGBOMBAY SUPERSTARand of course... OUR AWARD WINNING ROCK 'N' ROLL PANTO - GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS!To view our autumn programme, please click HEREVisit the New Wolsey Theatre website hereThanks to our good friends at Podtalk.co.uk for managing and producing our podcast.The New Wolsey Theatre is supported by Arts Council England, Suffolk County Council and Ipswich Borough Council.

Joining Mike and Cedric in the studio today is Lucy Wildheart, a Pro Boxer out of Hornchurch, London, United Kingdom. Professional Boxer #2 (IBF) 8-1, 4KO at Churchill's Boxing Gym London. Watch Knuckle Up's Mike Orr, who always discusses up-and-coming young, hungry, and (usually) undefeated boxers during his live daily show at 4pm EST (9pm UK) on TalkinFight.com or YouTube.com/c/TalkinFight #TalkinFight #KnuckleUp #LucyWildheart @LucyWildheart @sammboxing @cedricsports

Havering are a family run business in the centre of Hornchurch, Essex well-known for their flexible and intensive training courses and NVQs which introduce beauty therapists and hair stylists to the fastest growing industry in the UK. A career in hair, beauty, nails or massages is very rewarding and can be very profitable. Depending on your needs, Katie and the team offer hair and beauty training ranging from half a day Diploma courses to long term NVQ training. Hair and Beauty Training courses are suitable for beginners or those already in the industry- including refresher courses and teaching certificates, courses are personalised to suit you. On completion of all our hair and beauty training courses students will be issued a Havering Beauty Academy Diploma or VTCT NVQ qualification depending on which course is taken.

The Play Podcast - 046 - All My Sons Host: Douglas Schatz Guest: Douglas Rintoul The Play Podcast is a podcast dedicated to exploring the greatest new and classic plays. In each episode we choose a single play to talk about in depth with our expert guest. We discuss the play's origins, its themes, characters, structure and impact. For us the play is the thing. Arthur Miller's breakthrough play All My Sons is both a searing family tragedy and an exploration of the moral challenges that Miller believed were inherent in the American Dream. Douglas Rintoul, who has recently directed a wonderful production at the Queen's Theatre in Hornchurch, joins me to share his insights of this devastatingly powerful play.

Beth Hinton-Lever (A Chorus Line / Macbeth) co-hosts The West End Frame Show!Andrew and Beth discuss the Sondheim Old Friends Gala (Sondheim Theatre), Oklahoma (Young Vic) and Love Is Only Love (Other Palace) as well as the latest news about the Drury Lane August concerts, Ariana DeBose hosting the Tony Awards, & Juliet and lots more. Just a few of Beth's theatre credits include: Spring Awakening (Hope Mill Theatre), Hadestown and Dick Wittington (National Theatre), As You Like It (National Theatre & Queen's Hornchurch), Treasure Island (Derby Theatre) and Living Newspaper Edition 3 & Maryland (Royal Court)Having played Anybodys in West Side Story at Leicester Curve, Beth recently returned to the venue to star as Bebe in A Chorus Line. She has just finished a run as the First Witch and Porter in Macbeth at Shakespeare's Globe whilst doing lots of workshops and various screen work.Beth is a proud disabled actor and often speaks up for the disabled community. She's incredible and we were delighted to welcome her on to the podcast!Hosted by Andrew Tomlins. @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts. 

I another Month another Move!A new monthly booze house round up show! Just me chewing the fat!Instagram - @booze_house_tales Email - boozehousetales@gmail.com ko-fi.com/boozehousetalesYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRiv1waIWR__2JXMhIW3qtQLinkshttps://danshake.com/https://www.flyspot.com/en/https://thepubshow.co.uk/https://avafestival.com/london-2022/Podcasting isn't hard when you have the right partners, and the team at Buzzsprout is passionate about helping you succeed. Join over a hundred thousand podcasters already using Buzzsprout to get their message out to the world.Let's create something great, together!https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=581635

55 years after the murder of Joe Orton, the Seven Dials Playhouse is preparing to revive John Lahr's Diary of a Somebody, a play adapted verbatim from Orton's diaries. It's also been 35 years since the show was first premiered at the National Theatre and George Kemp was kind enough to sit down to discuss the upcoming production with us. In the mid 1960s, Joe Orton was one of the most influential playwrights of his time, creating popular works such as Loot and  Entertaining Mr Sloane. Diary of a Somebody takes audiences into the mind of Joe Orton and his meteoric rise to success as well as into his relationship with his long-time partner and eventual murderer: Kenneth Halliwell. George Kemp is getting ready to take on the role of Joe Orton alongside a stellar cast including Toby Osmond as Halliwell, and also reuniting with director Nico Rao Pimparé who he co-starred alongside in Rope at the Queen's Theatre in Hornchurch. In this special interview, George talks about his experience working with the company and exploring the complex dynamic that existed between Orton and Halliwell. We look at the legacy of Joe Orton and how his story still remains relevant today. The interview also highlights the importance of being able to tell stories that represent modern society at a time where more stories about gay men are being told on stage. George also tells us about his initial meeting with John Lahr at the first reading of the play, and how enjoyable it has been getting to work with Nico Rao Pimparé again. He remains ever humbled throughout the conversation about his work as an actor though as we also glaze over working on hit Netflix series Bridgerton  as well as his return to the National Theatre later this year in Jack Absolute Flies Again. There's been much speculation around Diary of a Somebody, especially after the enormous success around the Seven Dials Playhouse's premiere of Steve earlier on in the year, so it seems that we can expect this new revival of Lahr's text to be a highlight of the season. Diary of a Somebody runs at the Seven Dials Playhouse from 22 March - 30 April and tickets are available from the theatre's website NOW!

For over 55 years this all girls marching band has given young girls an opportunity to learn music, make friends, gain confidence and travel the world to perform. With the departure of the band master in recent years, they have struggled to find a permanent replacement and so Jessica joined us for a chat about the history of The Haverettes, her fond memories performing with the group as a young musician and why it is so important that they continue to offer future generations of young girls the opportunity to join The Haverettes. Formed in 1965, because their daughter and other girls were only allowed to march behind the Hornchurch Drum and Trumpet Corps (an all boys band) as majorettes, Alf and Sylvia Smith from Hornchurch in Essex decided to form an all girls marching band. Over the years the band then went from strength to strength, going from a one song routine to a huge repertoire and various displays under their belt. The girls had a major impact at various levels in National Competitions and compete at the highest level in TYMBA contests, formerly national champions. The band are often invited to perform in various shows and carnivals across the UK and Europe as well as being in various music videos including the Inspiral Carpets and Enya, on ITV's This Morning and even TV adverts too. The latest being the Mulberry Christmas Advert 2018, the 12 days of Christmas (look out for their feet / drums!)​. The Haverettes are holding an extraordinary general meeting on Sunday 13th February 6:30pm – 8:30pm at Elm Park Assembly Hall to discuss the future of the band. If you or somebody you know would be interested in helping to support the continuation of the group then please do attend or get in touch as soon as possible by contacting them here.

The Isthmian League match between Hornchurch and Haringey Borough considered by @block45lion and yours truly ...Arrivederci MillwallNick@AchtungMillwall Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Isthmian League match between Hornchurch and Haringey Borough considered by @block45lion and yours truly ...Arrivederci MillwallNick@AchtungMillwall See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

 John made his West End Debut at the age of 12 in Lionel Bart's ‘Oliver' at the Albery Theatre. His theatre credits include: Bull Connor in King The Musical (Hackney Empire, 2018), Lionel Bart in The Story of Bart (Tour 2018 & Mirth, Maud & Marvel -2017 & The Hippodrome 2014), Barry Bronze in Rehab - A New Musical (The Union Theatre – 2017), Uncle Ernie in The Who's Tommy (Greenwich Theatre), Principal Singer in Rhythm of Life (The St. James Theatre, Studio), Fogg in Sweeney Todd (ENO), Ed Kleban in A Class Act (The Landor Theatre) for which he was nominated for Best Male Performance at the Offie Awards and Broadwayworld.com 2013/14, Tateh in Ragtime (The Landor Theatre), Charles Guiteau in Sondheim's Assassins (The Union Theatre) for which he was nominated for Best Male Performance at the Offie Awards 2010, Greta in Martin Sherman's Bent (The Landor Theatre), Maisie in Diamond (The Kings Head Theatre), Dr. Thomas Parker in Batboy the Musical (Shaftesbury Theatre), Ragtime (Piccadilly Theatre), Original Cast Member of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Aspect of Love (Prince of Wales Theatre), Hey, Mr Producer (Lyceum Theatre), Feuilly in Les Miserables (Palace Theatre). Red Bishop & Gran/Wolf in The Boy Who Fell into a Book-Written & Directed by Alan Ayckbourn (The Stephen Joseph Theatre), Wilbur Turnblad in Hairspray (Curve Theatre, Leicester - 2014), Amos Hart in Chicago (The Plenary Hall, Kuala Lumpur), Skimbleshanks in Cats (Larnaca Municipal Amphitheatre, Cyprus), David in Company (Derby Playhouse), Koko in The Mikado and Njegus in The Merry Widow (both for Opera Della Luna), Harry in Flora The Red Menace and Snoopy in Snoopy The Musical (both at The Cambridge Arts Theatre), Cliff in In The Midnight Hour (York Theatre Royal), Che in Evita (Opera House, Manchester), and Tobias Ragg in Sondheim's Sweeney Todd (Watermill Theatre, Newbury). In film he has appeared as Convict 5 in Les Miserables – The Movie (2012) Directed by Tom Hooper, Kenny Star in The Catch (Primley Road Productions 2013), and Do Not Disturb – Shut Eye (2017).  and TV includes Taboo (BBC-2016) The Bill (ITV), The Purple People Eater (Dramarama Series-ITV) Pebble Mill at One (BBC1), The 1987 Royal Variety Show (ITV), and Wednesday at Eight (Thames TV) John has also performed his own Cabaret shows on the QE2 and in some of the most prestigious cabaret venues all over the world, including London, New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Washington D.C, Chicago, Sydney, Venice, Switzerland, and Denmark. His panto credits include: Dame Nanny Fanny in Robin Hood (Queens Theatre, Hornchurch) 2019/20, Dame Dotty in Jack & The Beanstalk (Queens Theatre, Hornchurch) 2018/19, King Rat in Dick Whittington (The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury) Winner of Best Pantomime Villain of the Year – 2016/17, Sarah the Cook in Dick Whittington (Ferneham Hall), King Rat in Dick Whittington (Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield), Widow Twankey in Aladdin (Milton Keynes Theatre), Dandini in Cinderella (Capitol Theatre, Horsham), Ugly Sister in Cinderella (Churchill Theatre, Bromley), Ugly Sister in Cinderella (Richmond Theatre), Snowman in Jack & The Beanstalk (Hackney Empire), Josh the Jester in Sleeping Beauty (The Paul Robeson Theatre), Jack in Jack & The Beanstalk (Greenwich Theatre), Dame ‘Debut' Christabel Crusoe in Robinson Crusoe (Corn Exchange, Newbury), Buttons in Cinderella (Corn Exchange, Newbury), Aladdin in Aladdin (Eden Court Theatre, Inverness), Slap in Mother Goose (Horsham Arts Centre), and Peter Pan in Peter Pan (Hawth Theatre, Crawley).

This week Ahmed & Tom talk about: Sutton United's promotion to the Football League Who will get Play-Offs on the final day? Hornchurch & Warrington Rylands triumphant on Non-League Finals Day Ft. Audio Matchday Experience by Conor Reid All the other Non-League News

Tim Fuell reports on the FA Vase 2021 and FA Trophy 2021 Finals from Non League Finals Day with Binfield, Warrington Rylands, Hornchurch and Hereford. David Richardson provides the week's round-up including Sutton United winning the title and getting promoted to the Football League, the National League EGM resolution vote of no confidence in the board and the fixtures on the final weekend of the main season with many clubs still hoping for a play off spot.One club hoping they can get a result and have others go for them to make the play-offs are FC Halifax Town. Manager Pete Wild has a win ratio similar to Clough and Hodgson and since taking on the role just under two years ago - the very same day Boris Johnson became Prime Minister - he's take the club from turmoil to stability and possibly back-to-back play-offs.

It's a packed weekend of football, which starts on Saturday as Luke travelled to Wembley to cover the FA Trophy Final as he sees Hornchurch cause an upset.Mick Payne joins Luke to review the results in the National League and then it's congratulations all round to Sutton United who are promoted to the EFL for the first time in their historySubscribe via all good podcasting platforms  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a packed weekend of football, which starts on Saturday as Luke travelled to Wembley to cover the FA Trophy Final as he sees Hornchurch cause an upset.Mick Payne joins Luke to review the results in the National League and then it's congratulations all round to Sutton United who are promoted to the EFL for the first time in their historySubscribe via all good podcasting platforms 

Paul and Andy chat to the Hornchurch keeper's been allowed to borrow the chairman's Lamborghini, Martin Kelner assesses the best and worst sport on TV, and there are some TV formats for Aussie rules footballer Hugh McLuggage See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's a very exciting week with Non League Finals Day at Wembley on Saturday in front of fans!Tim Fuell gets some interesting revelations from each of the four clubs taking part.First-up Josh Gowling the young manager at Hereford in his first managerial job looking to repeat his Play-off final win with Grimsby Town from the last time he was at Wembley.Between him and that is Mark Stimson, manager of Hornchurch but also a man with four FA Trophy wins already to his name (once as a player and three times as a manager). Yet, despite all that experience he admits Saturday still has a massive magical appeal.Before the FA Trophy final, two Step Five sides this week elevated to Step Four in the FA restructure, will do battle in the FA Vase.It's the competition with perhaps the greatest stories of clubs at the heart of their communities, building dreams and memories, so we speak to the Chairman who have their hands on the tiller.First up Binfield FC's Bob Bacon, who describes the crazy day, he's already had and why it is so important some of the old stalwarts of the club will be at Wembley to cheer them on. In opposition on the day but in unison in many ways too, Chairman Mark Pye at Warrington Rylands is looking forward to a great day out for his team but everybody at the club including the kids in the youth set-up who will also enjoy heading Wembley Way.Helping understand the big weekend at the top of the National League and the restructuring announcement this week is Non League Paper's David Richardson with the week's round-up of news.

THE D&K REPOSS NON LEAGUW SHOW HEBBURN / HORNCHURCH SPECIAL

Rooney and John walk early, marvel at the mountains and huge vistas over to the African continent. They encounter walkers and guess at which languages to greet them in, listen to the local bird songs, and tell the strange tale of Hornchurch and Edward the Confessor.

We are grateful to have spoken with Guleraana Mir during today's episode. Guleraana is a British award-winning writer, applied-theatre practitioner, and one half of The Thelmas, a female-led theatre company devoted to empowering women to redress the equality imbalance in the arts. She is passionate about telling authentic stories that celebrate, not stereotype. Guleraana regularly facilitates playwriting masterclasses in schools, community groups, and for emerging writers. She is leader of the National Theatre's Writing for Theatre programme for 16-21 year olds, and VAULT Festival's New Writers Programme. She mentors on the MFA Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Writing credits include: ALL THE SMALL THINGS (short, BBC Children's) 2020, MISFITS (co-writer) Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch 2020, Recipient of an OnComm Commendation, SANTI & NAZ (co-writer), VAULT Festival 2020, Winner of an Origins Award for Outstanding New Work & Finalist for Best Stage Production at Asian Media Awards, THE BIGGER PICTURE (audio), commissioned by Tamasha and SOAS, WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED, Royal Exchange Theatre Young Company 2019, MAKE NOISE (audio) as part of Forgotten Women 2018, MANO'S Mulberry School & RichMix 2018, and COCONUT, Ovalhouse and national tour 2018, nominated for two OFFIE Awards including most promising new playwright. Information about Guleraana's Theatre Company, The Thelmas can be found at: https://www.thethelmas.co.uk Tree Speech's host, Dori Robinson, is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and educator who seeks and develops projects that explore social consciousness, personal heritage, and the difference one individual can have on their own community. Some of her great loves include teaching, the Oxford comma, intersectional feminism, and traveling. With a Masters degree from NYU's Educational Theatre program, she continues to share her love of Shakespeare, new play development, political theatre, and gender in performance. Dori's original plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Boston, including: The Great Harvest, The Principal Stream, Name of a Woman, Six Wings to One, and most recently The Elm Tree with Alight Theater Guild. More information at https://www.dorirobinson.com This week's episode was recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pennacook, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket people, and was produced by Jonathan Zautner and Alight Theater Guild, a 501(c)(3) created to advance compelling theatrical endeavors that showcase the diversity of our ever-changing world in order to build strong artists whose work creates empathy, challenges the status quo and unites communities. Alighttheater.org. Logo design by Mill Riot. Learn more about the podcast at: www.treespeechpodcast.com, and IG: treespeechpodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/treespeech/message

This week Ahmed & Tom discuss: A vote of 'no confidence' in National League board DCMS to give £6.8m in loans & grants Updates on when fans can return Hornchurch & Hereford's FA Trophy heroics Notts County's slow start under Ian Burchnall All the past week's results + the Easter Weekend games

It's Episode One Hundred and Thirty Five of the podcast all about life in football's National League, brought to you by two Torquay United fans - comedian Charlie Baker and talkSPORT's John Cadigan. This week features a mega Hornchurch celebration party, John Pemberton on his new job steering container ships through the Suez Canal, and Paul Simon has a song for Dover Athletic...

I speak with Alex Sharp whose team Hornchurch became by beatings Notts County last week the lowest rank side ever to appear in the FA Trophy final. I explain why the No Confidence vote in the National League board is doomed to fail, why the FA should look after the FA Cup and update you on life at The Walks --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stephen-cleeve/message

Paul and Max are joined by Danny Kelly to reflect on a brilliant My Sporting Life he recorded with Murray Walker, they chat to the Hornchurch goalkeeper who's being allowed to borrow the chairman's Lamborghini, the organiser of the showpiece event for competitive banger-making explains how it works and there's another Birthday Spread! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

THE D&K REPOSS NON LEAGUE SHOW RECRUITMENT AND HORNCHURCH SPECIAL

Another episode of THE MAGPIE CIRCLE LIVE as we preview Ian Burchnall's first league game in charge of Notts County against Aldershot.We are joined by all-time record goalscorer Les Bradd as we talk Saturdays defeat to Hornchurch, what to expect against Aldershot, Ian Burchnall, Notts' promotion hopes and much more!

It's a jam packed bumper podcast as we reflect on the managerial changes at Notts County and, rather more surprisingly at Bromley.  Steve Wyss from the Nordic Football Podcast tells us about what the Magpies fans can expect from their new manager, Ian Burchnall.  They look at the decision to expunge Dover's results and hit them with a fine and a points deduction as Dover fan Jamie Parsons joins us to reflect.  Rob caught up with Chesterfield boss James Rowe during the week as they move into the play-off places.  And it was a crazy day in the FA Trophy semi-finals as Hereford and Hornchurch cause upsets, and jubilant Bulls goalkeeper Brandon Hall joins Luke and Dickie on the morning after the day before.All this and lots more so please subscribe via all good podcasting platforms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a jam packed bumper podcast as we reflect on the managerial changes at Notts County and, rather more surprisingly at Bromley.  Steve Wyss from the Nordic Football Podcast tells us about what the Magpies fans can expect from their new manager, Ian Burchnall.  They look at the decision to expunge Dover's results and hit them with a fine and a points deduction as Dover fan Jamie Parsons joins us to reflect.  Rob caught up with Chesterfield boss James Rowe during the week as they move into the play-off places.  And it was a crazy day in the FA Trophy semi-finals as Hereford and Hornchurch cause upsets, and jubilant Bulls goalkeeper Brandon Hall joins Luke and Dickie on the morning after the day before.All this and lots more so please subscribe via all good podcasting platforms.

As the FA Trophy hits semi-final stage Tim Fuell and Dave Anderson speak to two old friends of the show. First up, Colin McBride, one-time manager, one-time owner / Chairman, now Vice Chairman of Step 3 Hornchurch FC who travel this weekend for a one-off game at Notts County, with a Wembley final at stake. Including a discussion about old skool v new skool approaches to management, it's an interesting insight into how a football club with only games in the FA Trophy keeps going.Steve Burr is no stranger to the FA Trophy with a final appearance as a player and two semi-final defeats as a manager. Now as Assistant Manager with Hereford he hopes to get to Wembley by beating Woking this weekend. Another club whose league programme has been suspended, Steve also chats about his feelings as a Macclesfield legend of the next chapter in that 'club's' history.Rounding up the news in the managerial merry-go-round of non league this week and what's in this weekend's paper is The Non League Paper's Senior Writer David RIchardson.

It's Episode One Hundred and Thirty One of the podcast all about life in football's National League, brought to you by two Torquay United fans - comedian Charlie Baker and talkSPORT's John Cadigan. This week features some A-level piano skills (apparently), Roger and Brian, The Two Ray's guide to Hornchurch and the brilliant Chris Lintott from The Sky At Night!

It was another action packed weekend of action, the boys are joined by England C goalkeeping coach, Mick Payne, to find out how the pandenmic has affected the side and his thoughts on what should happen for the rest of the season.Plus a look at a dramatic day in the quarter finals of the FA Trophy as Aldershot lose out to the charging Bulls, Darlington are left quaking at home by an impressive Hornchurch side, we marvel at Elijah Sam's goal as Notts County progress and Woking see off the Gulls.In the National League, Hartlepool edge closer to the top as they beat a beleaguered Barnet,  Luke catches up with Stockport full back James Jennings who's goal helped his team on the path to victory over Chesterfield.  Plus we hail Michael Cheek and look at Dagenham's woes.  Subscribe via all good podcasting platforms  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was another action packed weekend of action, the boys are joined by England C goalkeeping coach, Mick Payne, to find out how the pandenmic has affected the side and his thoughts on what should happen for the rest of the season. Plus a look at a dramatic day in the quarter finals of the FA Trophy as Aldershot lose out to the charging Bulls, Darlington are left quaking at home by an impressive Hornchurch side, we marvel at Elijah Sam's goal as Notts County progress and Woking see off the Gulls. In the National League, Hartlepool edge closer to the top as they beat a beleaguered Barnet,  Luke catches up with Stockport full back James Jennings who's goal helped his team on the path to victory over Chesterfield.  Plus we hail Michael Cheek and look at Dagenham's woes.   Subscribe via all good podcasting platforms 

Steve White Steve was given a small drum as a child by his uncle and upon joining his local Boys' Brigade he began to learn his craft. As with White's band mate Paul Weller, he was given full support from his parents who went out of their way to help their son develop. Steve spent his youth having lessons from the late George Scott of Wanstead and learning from recordings of Buddy Rich and Louis Bellson. He later took lessons with drumming teacher Bob Armstrong at Bob's Masterclass studio, then in Hornchurch, Essex. White complemented his work gigging with local bands with part-time work, spending any spare cash on updating his collection of jazz records. In 1983, White auditioned for an unnamed band which turned out to be Paul Weller's new group, The Style Council. Weller was impressed with the 17-year-old drummer's jazz background and asked White to come back the following day. White stayed with the band for some years but was never actually invited to join, even though he appeared in most of their videos and on all but a few recordings. He became the youngest drummer on stage at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium in 1985. He also performed at Live 8 with The Who at Hyde Park in 2005. The Who's regular drummer, Zak Starkey (Ringo Starr's son), had left to join Oasis on their tours and recording sessions. White left The Style Council in 1989 to pursue other projects and went on to play with many well known acts, such as Ian Dury, The James Taylor Quartet, The Redskins and the Jazz Renegades. When The Style Council reformed for a one off gig for Japanese TV in 1990, Paul Weller invited Steve to his studio to hear a few demo tracks. He was soon back full-time behind the kit for Weller's solo projects. You can reach Steve White on Steve White | Drummer | Percussionist | Educator | The Official Site (whiteydrums.com) (3) Steve White (@drummerwhitey) / Twitter To support the podcast and get access to features about guitar playing and song writing visit https://www.patreon.com/vichyland and also news for all the creative music that we do at Bluescamp UK and France visit www.bluescampuk.co.uk For details of the Ikaro music charity visit www.ikaromusic.com  

It's Episode One Hundred and Twenty Eight of the podcast all about life in football's National League, brought to you by two Torquay United fans - comedian Charlie Baker and talkSPORT's John Cadigan. This week features a Ray bonanza, the Very Reverend Plain Moor's Thought for the Bay, and a catch-up with Ivor Dewdney preparing for the G7 in Carbis Bay...

Episode 8 of Fly Like An Angel, presented by Bobby Stewart featuring Stuart Jenner and Dave Sandford. We talk all things Angels. Opinions on the last 2 games ( St Albans and Hornchurch ) plus a lovely trip down memory lane. For many, Longmead is home, but for many other fans like Dave and Stuart, The Angel Ground will always be home, and it's fascinating hearing them re-live some memories plus explain more about why we moved and what it was like coming to Longmead.

Join Ant, Matt and Clare this week as they chat all about Christmas brews! Volunteer Jack Taylor will be sitting down with Jonny Garrett of the Craft Beer Channel to hear all about his seasonal favourites and Alison Taffs, owner of the Hop Inn in Hornchurch, will speak with Brock Bergius, Owner and Cidermaker at Gospel Green about premium table ciders that deserve a seat at the table this Christmas.As it is the last episode of the season, tune in at the end for some 2020 outtakes compiled by our fantastic editor, David King!You can check out Sue's recipe this week of a 'festive pheasant' at https://wb.camra.org.uk/2020/12/14/beer-recipe-festive-pheasant/Make sure to tweet why your #PubMatters this Christmas @CAMRA_Official and find out more about the cross-industry campaign to save pubs at https://whypubsmatter.org.uk/Don't forget to support the show at https://supporter.acast.com/pubs-pints-peopleOr join CAMRA if you're not already a member for just £26.50 a year at https://join.camra.org.uk/If you'd like to get involved, simply contact podcast@camra.org.uk or follow us on Twitter @PubsPintsPeopleSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/pubspintspeople. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On the first Tuesday of every month, my listeners get the chance to select the tracks for the entire show. This months tracks were chosen by Gareth Gore from Hornchurch in Essex. Amazing selection featuring Luther Vandross, Billy Griffin, Atlantic Starr, Maze feat. Frankie Beverly, Earth, Wind & Fire, George Benson, Anita Baker, Beyonce, Glenn Jones and many more.

Sarah graduated from The Arts Educational Schools London with a BA(Hons) degree in Musical Theatre.   Theatre Credits: Mary Margaret 'Singin' in the Rain' (Pitlochry Festival Theatre), Cover Jenny/Ensemble 'The Calendar Girls Musical' (Original Cast, UK Tour), Nellie 'Annie Get Your Gun' (The Union Theatre), Siren 'Orpheus the Mythical' (The Other Palace), Rose 'The Romford Rose' (The Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch), Janet 'Sincerely Yours' (The Landor Theatre).   Other Credits include: Working (Workshop, directed by Luke Sheppard), Follies (The Royal Albert Hall, directed by Craig Revel Horwood), Soloist on BBC Radio 2's Friday Night is Music Night.   Sarah also has her own film production company 'DaybyDay Productions' where she writes, directs and produces short films. Her recent film ‘Mind=full' was shortlisted for a Mental Health and Wellness award by the AHRC.   Connect with Sarah on  Instagram: @sarahday128  II Twitter: @Sarahdayx   Follow DaybyDay Productions on  Instagram: @daybydayproductionsuk  II  Twitter: @daybydayprods  

This week we're learning all about non-alcoholic brews! We'll be chatting with Rob Fink from Big Drop Brew Co and Stuart Elkington from Dry Drinker. We will also hear from Alison Taffs, landlady at The Hop Inn micropub in Hornchurch who give us her recommendations for the top 10 non alcoholic beverages to try.This week's episode includes a recipe from our resident chef Sue Nowak, which you can view here: https://wb.camra.org.uk/2020/09/28/beer-recipe-plum-porter-jelly/To join the Campaign, visit: https://join.camra.org.uk/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/pubspintspeople. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tonight I chatted to good buddy of the show Millie from Laika Spacedog, who is holding a performance of a play she wrote, entitled The Lighthouse, this coming Monday (9th March) at 8pm at the Queens Theatre in Hornchurch as part of their regular 'Scratch Night' for upcoming talent. We heard all about the unusual back story that inspired the play as well as meeting some of the actors you'll see performing. You can find out more about 'The Lighthouse' and order tickets on the Queens Theatre website, while you can hear more of Millie's tracks (we played two tonight) on her SoundCloud page. Catatonia - Mulder & Scully Super Furry Animals - Ysbediau Heulog Sleater-Kinney - The Professional Let's Be Strange - Shame Anorak Patch - Beans Field Music - A Shot to the Arm The Silver Bayonets - World Slow Down Laika Spacedog - Vicky the EU Worker Laika Spacedog - Sandcastles in the Air Manbreak - Hold It Now Disclosure (featuring Lion Babe) - Hourglass Marika Hackman - Boyfriend The Velvet Tree - My Love Whoremoan - What Are You After The Trusted - Boy Regrets - Void The Invaders - Windows Ren Stedman - Benny & Joon The Penny Antics - Guilty Pleasures Colina Pearl - On My Way Supergrass - Rush Hour Soul Rachel Arnold - This is Me Concrete Natives - Tightrope

This week Luke, Rob and Dickie are joined by Slough Town midfielder Scott Davies to review the trophy action, including all the upsets provided by Dorking, Kings Lynn, FC United, Royston and Hornchurch and near misses for Bradford PA, Southport and Solihull Moors.  Also should Trophy games be deiced on the day, Chester FC's Simon Grand and Chippenham Town manager Mark Collier.Don't forget to subscribe to us on Itunes and Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week Luke, Rob and Dickie are joined by Slough Town midfielder Scott Davies to review the trophy action, including all the upsets provided by Dorking, Kings Lynn, FC United, Royston and Hornchurch and near misses for Bradford PA, Southport and Solihull Moors.  Also should Trophy games be deiced on the day, Chester FC's Simon Grand and Chippenham Town manager Mark Collier. Don't forget to subscribe to us on Itunes and Spotify

Horsham v Hornchurch in the Betvictor Isthmian Premier Division.

Carrie Gracie – that's right, the fierce AF BBC journalist who kicked Auntie right in the nuts over equal pay – joins us to talk about exactly how being "mad, bad and determined" helped her win a previously unthinkable fight with her employer. She also explains how she wants to help all women get the equal pay they deserve, as she shares her story, research and advice in her new book, Equal: A Story of Women, Men and Money. Listeners, we swooned. Also swoonsome is playwright Sadie Hasler, who's tackling Essex Girl stereotypes in her new play, Stiletto Beach, which opens at the Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch, on September 4. Our very own resident Essex girl is having a lovely time on her holidays, but she managed to score a natter with former England star Eni Aluko for Jenny Off The Blocks before she packed her suitcase. In a snippet from a forthcoming big interview, they talk about how the women's game needs more love and investment. Love fails to conquer all in this week's Dunleavy Does Dystopia, in which Hannah and Mick discuss 2010's Never Let Me Go and how scarily close to home its ideas are. And finally, bits of the Bush Telegraph are out of date. Because no one knows what the fuck is happening from one minute to the next. And that absolutely includes PM Bumblefuck McPantsonfire. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Derby Theatre and Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch are collaborating for the second time on their major autumn show and in 2019 they’ve chosen to stage Richard Bean’s One Man, Two Guvnors. For this episode, BTG Midlands Editor Steve Orme spoke to Derby Theatre’s artistic director Sarah Brigham about why she wanted to direct the farce, David O’Reilly who’s playing Francis Henshall, the part played initially by James Corden at the National Theatre in 2011, and Samantha Hull, who takes the role of Pauline Clinch. One Man, Two Guvnors will be at Derby Theatre from 7 until 28 September and Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 2 until 19 October 2019.

AFC Hornchurch vs Merstam (30/10/2018)It's October 2018, and Gus and Sean start their non-league journey in Essex, by visiting the home of the Urchins, AFC Hornchurch. Gus gets over-excited by a corner flag and buys a small fridge magnet off a man living in a hut. While Sean goes to a pub on his own and starts fantasising about sponsoring a man. Other topics covered include:- The global and localised rules for the game of tag/it- Dmitri 'The Dream' Kharim (and other goalkeepers that wore trousers)- Watching someone starve to death in a haunted mirrorAnd, of course, there was the first edition of the quiz.Please be warned: This episode is a pilot. It even has a silly name. Use the name above when telling your friends in the pub about it. And send any communications and/or vitriol to:TWITTER: @20000leaguespod

Dave Anderson is back with Tim Fuell for this week's discussion about non league's finest. With the Preliminary Round this week @FACupFactfile Phil Annets has some more astounding facts about the greatest competition in the world and Aveley Chairman Craig Johnson explains how his side are hosting FA Cup matches this Friday, Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon. Back on the road to recovery and back in the dugout AFC Hornchurch manager Jimmy McFarlane talks to the team about the stroke he suffered in February, the support he was given by the non league community and why getting back to the touchline was essential for him. Matt Badcock, Senior Writer at the Non League Paper joins the boys to chat National League, Irn Bru Cup and early season firing of managers.

This week, Lucy and Emma have a breakdown in communication by each presenting the story of an unsolved murder! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

John explains the dangers of drinking for 13 hours and what a Tequila Rambo is. We talk across the globe from the Dominican Republic to Hornchurch in the first in a new season of the funniest Arsenal podcast on iTunes. Get involved @ourlotpod on twitter and Arsenal Our Lot in Block 5 on facebook.Support the show (http://gunners.com)

Ilford Recorder and Romford Recorder reporters Ralph Blackburn and Beth Wyatt spoke to Time 107.5 FM's Steve Allen about a 'death trap' road in Redbridge. There have been 15 accidents on the same bend in three years, and a resident has been injured twice. What to do? The trio discuss the importance of vaccines as Woodford Green mum Sharon Sandwell urged children to get a meningitis jab after her daughter Lauren died suddenly. They also talk about a Hornchurch nursery which is making meals for the homeless.

Yes it's that time of year again when we link up on our respective holidays. Matt is in Suffolk, Stuart is in France fishing and John is in Hornchurch... er.. being John. There is loads to talk about and a new book for listeners to choose as Theo's book draws close to the last page. Oh, and we talked about the Man City game.Support the show (http://gunners.com)

Singer Patti Boulaye; dancer David Toole; actor Charlie Condou and costume designer Tracy Tynan join Libby Purves. David Toole is an actor and dancer who played a starring role in the 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony. Born without the use of his legs, he turned his back on a job with the post office to study at the Laban Centre of Movement and Dance and follow his dream of becoming a dancer. He is performing with Stopgap Dance Company in The Enormous Room, a new touring piece about grief and the relationship between a father and daughter. The Enormous Room is at Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler's Wells before heading off on tour. Patti Boulaye OBE is a singer and actor. Her autobiography, The Faith of a Child, charts her life growing up in Nigeria during the Biafran War to her West End debut in the musical Hair. In her new show, Billie and Me, she considers the parallels between Billie Holiday's troubled life and her own - at times difficult - experiences. The production starts its UK tour at the Pheasantry in London. The Faith of a Child - The Autobiography is published by Bipada Academy Ltd. Tracy Tynan is a costume designer and writer. The daughter of theatre critic Kenneth Tynan and actor and writer Elaine Dundy, she recounts her story of growing up amid the wreckage of her parents' disintegrating marriage. The couple were at the epicentre of a glamorous show business world - their social circle included Laurence Olivier, Orson Wells and Tennessee Williams. But the bohemian, hard drinking environment came at a cost and Tracy - who describes her life then as being "in a movie with lots of crazy people" - writes candidly about a childhood where the drama happened offstage. Wear and Tear: The Threads of My Life by Tracy Tynan is published by Duckworth. Charlie Condou is an actor best known for his role as midwife Marcus Dent in the British soap opera Coronation Street. He stars in a touring production of The Crucible playing the witch hunter Reverend Hale. In recent years Charlie has written extensively about his experiences co-parenting - he and his partner care for their children with a friend who is also the children's mother. The Crucible starts its tour at the Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Possbily using Boris' bike scheme, the bling worn at Hornchurch (jacket and shoes) Darren Tossell, greatest family films, Christmas shops are opening soon.

Steve is joined in the studio with Julie Peasgood and Darren Tossell

Bob is going to be giving away Easter eggs and having Easter themed events. There are no letters because Bob forgot to pick them up from 1 Grosvenor Parade W5. (Now a restaurant - at the time it was a printers.) It was a great address because it doesn't appear in the A to Z. Capital Radio had been giving plugs for Thameside Radio on their "Help a London Child" weekend. I know that at least one of the DJs used to listen regularly because he wrote in. It was Roger Scott I think.   Bob calls Alan Jameson from Hampton who correctly guesses that an egg thrown out of the studio window wouldn't break!  Dave is on the end of the radio mic having a sticky bun fight with the neighbours before having an egg and spoon race live on air with Bob. Dave (The Inrepid Birdman)  spends his show throwing raw eggs for Bob to catch. He has a great advert for the "self adjusting door knocker" which makes an appropriate sound for the person who is at your front door! Pirate Radio was such fun! Mentions for: Psychopath Kiev. John Webb of N5. Steve of Acton. Richard of Hornchurch.

First half of a 3 hour show. Last week Tony Lloyd was cut off in his prime during a live broadcast from a listener's house (Julian and Vebecca in Meon Road Acton) where the crew ate spaghetti on air. That was the first of many shows from listeners' homes like Tatty's party a couple of months later. This show has loads of musical jingles by Dave. Elton John, B52s, The Motels, Supertramp,  Queen .. what a varied musical selection. Bob calls more listerers with the long running Thameside Radio mystery voice competition. Steve Petherick of Hayes doesn't win tbut  thinks the authorties should return the transmitter they nicked. Later we hear from Ruth Leaper of Harrow who also also doesn't win. She has dedications for her brothers Adrian and Clive also cousins David and Jeremy. Ruth supports Chelsea who are in the Second Division! Richard Jones of Hornchurch and Jim Stockwell contribute local news. This show does illustrate that Thameside Radio 90.2 had  a lot of  listener involvement. No wonder there are so many recordings still around. (do you have one you could contribute?) Bob tells us he is going to play part 2 of the Norman Normal saga and Tony Lloyd will have part 1 of the new LP of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Thameside Radio 90.2 listeners mentioned include: Anthony Osterwell of Wembley Park. Richard Morgan from Bromley. Mr Henry at Latymer Upper School. Mark Bramley of Bromley. Jeff Eagles from the Walthamstow Swimmming Club. Chris Hall. Moat Mount School. Alex and Chris Child of Carshalton. Wilson's School in Wallington. Particia and Paddy Hickory. Richard Jones of Hornchurch. Tim Stockwell.