A message from the Rev’d Stephen Sutcliffe

Posted by Admin on 25 August 2019, 12:06 am

The Rev’d Stephen Sutcliffe

Assistant Curate

2 St Faiths Rd

Cowes.

Tel: 01983 652506

Email: steve.alan.sutcliffe@icloud.com

Good afternoon my Northwood friends!
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Having the opportunity to ‘speak’ to you directly via these monthly letters is a real privilege and I wanted to just thank you for taking the time to read each one.
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How has your summer been? I do hope that you managed to get a few days in the warmer weather to unwind and relax. Relaxing and taking care of ourselves is something a lot of us find difficult to do, especially these days with the hectic pace of life. Over the course of the summer I have been fortunate to meet a number of people including many parents and grandparents who have been looking after our younger generation and many of them looked exhausted.
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A great many of us, feel a pressure to keep our children and grandchildren occupied, especially during the summer months, taking them to theme parks, days on the beach, holidays, events put on by local communities, the list is endless. And yet as I reflected upon this, I was reminded of my own childhood.
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Being brought up in Manchester meant that we had to travel if we wanted to go to the beach or enjoy significant days out as a family. We would go to the beautiful regions of North Wales or the Peak District if we had the chance. And when we did, my mum would often make us a packed lunch for the occasion.
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But what I remember the most from these special times was the fact that we spent time together. Yes of course it was great fun enjoying the many rides at Blackpool Pleasure Beach for example, but the real special times were simply spending time together. Whether my mum and dad spent money taking my sister and I on days out or whether we simply went out for a picnic was almost irrelevant. Quality time together creating memories was what was important.
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It is those times together that I remember with happiness now.
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We are so lucky in many ways to live on an Island as beautiful as this. We have a great number of community-minded people who pull resources together to create opportunities for us to enjoy.
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Over recent weeks and months, I have been able to enjoy time with others at events such as Coffee and Chat, Craft days, The Balloon Festival at Northwood Church, Cowes Week events including the famous Firework Night spectacular. Many of these events are free and are put on to bring people together and help to create happy memories, create friendships and lift people out of loneliness.
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This month, Northwood Church are once again holding their Tea@3 event in Northwood Scout Hall on Wyatts Lane. It’s an opportunity to meet friends of old and make new friends as well. It’s an opportunity to create some new happy memories for us to look back on in the years to come.
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Creating a space to bring people together is something that is generally appreciated by communities at large and I hope it is something many of us will come to appreciate. Who knows what could happen as a result of a chat over some refreshments?
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If you feel that this could be something you would like to attend then please consider yourself invited, come with a friend and use the opportunity to share your past memories and make some new ones.
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Tea@3 is on September 29th at 3pm in Northwood Scout Hall, Wyatts Lane. It would be wonderful to see you and hear all about your summer.
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But for now take care and I’ll see you soon,

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Rev’d Steve.