Mum’s the word

Having four children under four sounds like anything but fun to me. But then I’m not Rebecca McNish, a rather amazing mother of five children (yes she went and had another one …). In the wake of Mothers Day I wanted to find out how she not only survives, but thrives, writes Jane Wyles.

Rebecca and husband Jamie’s offspring, whose names remind me of walking through an Edwardian flower meadow: Lily (2); Poppy (4); Millie (8); Florrie (10); and Sebastian (12), are fine examples of robust childhood. As I settled down at their huge pine dining table to talk to this ‘supermum’ it was clear Lily and Poppy were not going to relinquish her without a fight...

Crisis or Opportunity

Magazine talks to the Revd Christopher Harrison, a former civil servant for HM Treasury and recently installed Priest in Charge of Nottingham All Saints, St Mary & St Peter in the city centre. How have his years at the Treasury helped him to prepare for his new role alongside Workplace Chaplain, the Revd Alison Maddocks in the current financial climate, and how do they see the Church playing its part?

Christopher (51) spent five years in the Treasury when Margaret Thatcher was at No 10, and gained significant experience of industrial policy, monetary policy, and international economic policy. “Some of the seeds of the present financial crisis were sown then,” he says...

Interview with... Dr Elaine Storkey:  Elaine on: myths and legends

An informal queue of people, young and old, were gathered round Elaine Storkey at the end of the service at Holy Trinity, Southwell. It’s not very often that visiting speakers generate such a response and I had to join the line to wait and put some questions to her, following her talk entitled, ‘The Rise of Women’, writes Rachel Farmer.

“It’s not a title I chose. I think women have always been on the rise!” she told the congregation with a grin, as she arranged herself on the vicar’s kitchen stool at the front of the church. This was Elaine Storkey in conversation - a ‘Dave Alan’ style sermon - when we were taken on a global journey with stories and images of women from across the world...

The Dividing Line one Women

Women in leadership in the church have faced an uphill struggle over the years, Dean of Women’s Ministry in this diocese, the Revd Canon Ruth Worsley gives an overview of the present situation for the Church of England and how Nottinghamshire clergy are playing their part.

The Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham has 62 female clergy out of a total of 196 clergy  - which means 31 per cent are women - although these figures do not include sector clergy. This makes Southwell & Nottingham the second highest diocese in the province of York (the northern half of the country) in terms of percentage of women clergy. The average among the 43 dioceses in England is 25 per cent... 

Pass it On

Serving the needs of young people in the North Ashfield Area has become a passion for social entrepreneur Mike Collins. He and his team at newly registered charity Passing on Hope are aiming to positively address local teenage problems such as drug and alcohol abuse, unwanted pregnancies, youth crime and bullying, in the villages of Skegby, Stanton Hill and Teversal.

C Magazine caught up with Executive Chairman Mike, who worships at St. Andrew’s, Skegby, as he returned from  a promotional event at Oakmere Park Golf Centre, in early January. “We are thrilled that Geoff Steel starts his year as Captain of the Commanders Golf Club supporting us as his chosen charity, through fund raising events during his year in office,” said Mike...

Signs of the Times

It was whilst at university that Ken Dyson realised deaf people can be unintentionally excluded from Church as they cannot follow the service. Ken, who is now an Evangelist amongst Deaf People in the Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham, was at Southampton studying Electronics and it was not until he was in his early 30’s, and a Chaplain to the Deaf invited him to the Deaf Church in Reading, that his feelings started to change.

“It was a strange experience, but at least I could follow the signs, and the lack of music meant nothing to me as I am profoundly deaf from meningitis at the age of six,” he said...