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Heart eat Holy Ascension Church and Community Magazine September 2018 Fairground Fun at July’s Messy Church

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Page 1: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

Heart eat

Holy Ascension Church and Community Magazine September 2018

Fairground Fun at July’s Messy Church

Page 2: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

August saw the sixth Chester Pride

event in our city. Around 13,000

people attended during the day to

celebrate diversity in the area.

There was something for everyone;

from tiny tots, to teens, to the

older generations. It was a truly

multicultural, fun, community

event full of hope, joy and love.

This month our community comes

together for its second fun day at

Upton Pavilion where once again

there will be something on offer

for all the family.

100 years ago, between 26th

September and 11th November the

It was the last major battle of The

Great War and the American

Expeditionary Force’s largest and

bloodiest operation of the war.

Two decades later on the 30th

September, Chamberlain arrived

back in England after signing the

Munich Agreement declaring there

would be 'peace in our time.'

Let us hope that our community

events continue to foster peace,

goodwill, tolerance, and love that

is so badly needed in our country

and our world today.

WW1 Meuse-Argonne Offensive

took place in France.

Welcome to Heartbeat …

at…

The Church’s logo was designed for the 160th anniversary of the Church in 2014. It illustrates the church’s commitment to be at the heart of the whole community of Upton by Chester. The name for the magazine, Heartbeat, reflects that commitment.

Editorial Team Sharon Forsdyke - Editor Margaret Adams Colin Attwood Sue Burgess Dave O’Brien

Copy for the magazine is always welcome. Contributions for the October issue should be received by 12 September via the Parish Office or email [email protected] The magazine can also be viewed online at www.holyascension.org.uk/HeartBeat Or if you prefer we can email you a copy each month – just let us know at the above email address.

Page 3: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk
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Did you ever get flashed by a speed

camera?

There you are driving at the legal

limit for mile after mile (as you do)

and you just put your foot down a

little and flash – gotcha!!!!

It’s no good saying "Well I stuck to

the speed limit for miles and miles.

It was just that little bit of road I

broke the law." What went before

or after doesn’t matter – that

snapshot has you speeding.

Now they’ve refined this torture

and they have new cameras that

actually estimate your average

speed. Mile after mile at sticking to

the speed limit and then your

concentration wanders and you go

over the limit, and then spend the

next few miles driving slower,

hoping you can average it out.

Life is pretty average. It tends to

meander along, but like the speed

camera there are those times

when the unexpected happens and

trouble comes out of the blue.

It may be in relationships, or work,

or money, and of course when we

have health problems or a

bereavement. How suddenly

everything becomes focused on

that problem or worry.

What’s going along quite smoothly

suddenly takes a turn for the worst

and life can seem somehow

random and unfair. It’s in those

times some people might look for

help from God or at least try to

make a deal with Him.

‘Oh God, just get me out of this

mess and I’ll be good. I’ll go to

church every week.’ I can

understand this. It’s something I’ve

done myself in the past.

But as we come to know more

about God we recognise that He is

not in the business of making those

kinds of deals.

The Bible tells us that God has

indeed revealed himself through

the person of Jesus Christ, his Son

and through Jesus, has promised to

be with us whatever our situation.

Things might take us by surprise,

like the flash of a speed

camera, but nothing takes God by

surprise.

Letter from Paul

Page 5: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

God is not the last chance saloon

or the last resort when all else has

failed.

The Bible shows us God in action

throughout history in the lives of

countless men and women, being

with his people regardless of their

situation.

God is love and it is that love in

action, which speaks to us in every

generation.

Through Jesus, God has drawn all

things together. Our understanding

of the world is seen through the

life of Christ and his teaching. But

beyond that, it is his death and

resurrection that are vital to our

understanding of this God whose

power of love is greater than any

other power.

Always we are pointed to the

cross, the crossroads of history

where God’s nature and his will for

his creation are made clear.

In our times of trouble, God, our

Heavenly Father is with us without

having to make deals. Through

those times God will lead us,

because beyond the cross lies

resurrection, new and eternal life.

There is nothing so bad that God

can’t bring good out of it, however

impossible that may sometimes

seem.

Those ‘speed camera moments’ -

the chances and changes of life -

may sometimes leave us hurting,

baffled, bewildered, sometimes

doubting and perhaps frightened,

but God goes with us. Paul

Churches Together In Upton

Songs of Praise

at

Holy Ascension Church

on

Sunday 30th September

at

4.30pm

Come along and sing your

favourite hymns.

Join us for

refreshments afterwards

----------------- Churches Together in Upton

AGM at 7.00pm on

Wednesday 12th September at Upton URC

Everyone is Welcome

Page 6: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

Picnic in the Countess of Chester Country Park

Woodcarver Paul Edwards and his memorial bench for the Poppy Trail in Upton

Sue Loughran dressed as sphagnum moss, demonstrates levels of moss

Page 7: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

Apologies from the Editor

The article about the Upton Community Choir 5th Birthday which

featured in July/August Heartbeat was written by Clare Newbould.

I apologise for this omission. Sharon Forsdyke

Upton by Chester Horticultural Society Summer Show

Page 8: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

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* UPVC Windows * Conservatories Maintenance * Landscaping * Fencing

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To advertise in this magazine please email us at [email protected]

Page 9: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

Monday 17th September sees the

start of our A.C.F. 2018/2019

programme.

We meet on the third Monday of

the month at 7.30 pm in Upton

Community Hall and we start our

meeting with a prayer and some

notices. We usually have a talk on

a wide range of topics followed by

a cup of tea and a biscuit and end

the evening with a short epilogue.

We have in the past had an annual

subscription for members and a

small charge for visitors. This year

we are changing our funding by

charging a flat rate of £2 per

person per meeting with no charge

for the tea and biscuits.

We open our programme with a

talk - ‘Chester Zoo: A Voice for

Change’ given by Julie Platt or

Catherine Barton from the zoo.

They are going to talk about the

future plans of the zoo and the

projects that they support in

Mauritius, Mexico and many parts

of Africa.

We follow on with:

October 15th ‘Tomorrow’s Women

Wirral’ A talk by Maureen

Thompson

November 19th ‘From Armistice to

Remembrance: Marking the End of

the Great War 1918-1920’

A talk by Prof. Graeme White.

We continue as Holy Ascension

Church Fellowship Group as the

Diocesan A.C.F. ceased at the end

of last year but the five aims

Fellowship, Worship, Service, Study

and Giving will continue to be the

aims of our group.

We look forward to seeing old

friends and new friends at our

meetings where you are assured of

a warm welcome.

If you require a lift please ring me

on 01244 381404 and I shall try to

arrange a lift for you.

Margaret Brizell

Association of Church Fellowship – A.C.F.

Page 10: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

HANDYMAN & BUILDING MAINTENANCE

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Page 11: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

September Crossword

Thank you to Graham Barley for creating this cryptic crossword for us.

Answers next month.

ACROSS

1. Fly high – it sounds painful! (4)

3. Old king’s rule for salad item (8)

8. Craving a bite out of hamburger (4)

9. Shortness of supply leaves mark on

big town (8

11. Get the go-ahead at junction (5,5)

14. Turn of phrase for Everest climber (6)

15. Q8 is said to reveal oil-rich Arab kingdom (6)

17. All cry ‘geek’, clumsy 50s film star (5,5)

20. Board game played in breezy surroundings? (8)

21. Composed opus as an entrée (4)

22. Len trips over sliver of wood (8)

23. Additional note on street – whispered to attract attention (4)

DOWN

1. Slow-moving – like garden pest? (8)

2. An elegy’s rewritten on this island (8)

4. Plant kept in porch ideally (6)

5. Ground-breaking event? (10)

6. Ex-PM loses head in animal’s den (4)

7. Methods used in Manchester’s prison – not unusual (4)

10. Doddery grandpa and son produce plant (8)

12. Retrievers seen in court at Wimbledon (4,4)

13. Refuses to budge as putty’s setting (5,3)

16. Chesty problem for the reaper (6)

18. Does translation of poetry (4)

19. American’s autumn trip (4)

Answers to July Crossword

ACROSS: 1. Debt 3. Abnormal 9. Meerkat 10. Cello 11. Limit 12. Enrich 14. Songs Of Praise 17. Deacon 19. Mural 22. Ruler 23. Earnest 24. Disguise 25. Used DOWN: 1. Demolish 2. Bream 4. Butterfingers 5. Occur 6. Malachi 7. Loot 8 Skates 13. Deflated 15. Needles 16. Remark 18. Corfu 20. Reels 21. Prod

Page 12: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

Hello,

Welcome to September. Can you

believe it, summer has come and

gone? The 15th August is a special

day in the O’Brien household. It’s a

day we celebrate the life of Libby

O’Brien, who died nine years ago

with bone cancer aged two years,

eight months and eight days.

Her mum Pip and I (her granddad)

decided to do something special on

that day. We went on Europe’s

Longest Zip Wire, at Zip World in

North Wales, and with all the

family looking on, we remembered

her.

The day started with me at Holy

Ascension celebrating Wednesday

Communion. As it happened I was

speaking about family and how we

are adopted into God’s family

because of Jesus Christ.

I was then rushed away by my

other grandchildren to Zip World

where we booked in and waited

for our time slot. Once called, we

changed into red overalls and

harness equipment.

We were then weighed and given a

safety talk about all that would

happen to us. I can tell you I was

frightened and excited at the same

time. We didn't know that we

would do two trips on the zip wire

- a smaller one at 45 m.p.h. and a

lot longer one at 115 m.p.h.

The whole experience was

exhilarating. Pip and I were both

excited that we had done it. My

family had also taken some video

of us coming down on the wire so

that we could look back on the

experience. We all then went to

Rhos-on-sea for fish and chips, in

the café on the front, and ice

cream. As all eight of us were

tucking in, I said to the Lord in my

heart:

Thank you Lord for Family Life.

Thank you Lord for Libby’s life.

And thank you Lord for being in

your Family too.

May you know you are always

welcome into the Lord’s family.

Come and see us sometime. You

will be made very welcome.

Every Blessing,

Dave O’Brien (Curate)

Out and About…

Page 13: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

We thank the Blakemore Foundation and Spar, Long Lane for their continued support for Messy Church and in the distribution of this magazine.

Thank you to Bache Post Office, The Russian Pancake House, St John’s Café and Oasis of Miracles in helping to distribute Heartbeat.

Here's what we are looking for...

TOYS: Include items that children will immediately embrace such as dolls or stuffed toys (with CE label), toy trucks, harmonica, yo-yo, skipping rope, ball, small puzzles etc.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES: Pens, pencils & sharpeners, crayons or felt pens, stamps & ink pad sets, writing pads or notebooks & paper, solar calculators, colouring books etc.

HYGIENE ITEMS: Toothbrush and toothpaste, bars of wrapped soap, comb or hairbrush, flannel.

OTHER ITEMS: Hat, cap, gloves or scarf, sunglasses, hair accessories, jewellery set, wind up torch, wrapped sweets (best-before-date must be at least March 2019).

DO NOT INCLUDE: used or damaged items, war related items such as toy guns, play soldiers or knives; chocolate or other food items; liquids or lotions of any type including bubbles; medicines; hand-made or knitted stuffed toys; anything of a political, racial or religious nature; playing cards (of the 4-suit variety); sharp objects; glass or fragile items; clothing other than as listed

On Sunday 14th October we will be assembling Shoe Boxes for Operation Christmas Child.

Boxes are at the back of church for donations.

The next Messy church will be on

Sunday 9th September at 4.30pm

in Holy Ascension Church

The theme will be A Picnic – Jesus feeds the 5,000

.

Page 14: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

Kid’s eat

Sunday 16th 23rd and 30th September

Bible themed crafts and activities for children aged 3+

during 10.45am Service in the Kempe Room.

Children having fun, learning about God, Jesus and the bible.

Fairground Fun at July’s Messy Church

Page 15: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk
Page 16: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

Baptisms 5th August Thomas Vernon 12th August Sophia & Benjamin Harra 19th August Emilia Pesnot

Weddings 7th July Sarah Burgess & Tom Millington

14th July Hannah White & Martin Turner

28th July Jessica Blundell & Jamie Littler

10th August Lucy Edwards & Richard Towers Funerals 3rd July John Fowler 6th July Iain Gorrell 17th August Ann Bell 23rd August Allan Smith

EVERYONE WELCOME

Tea/ Coffee and Cakes Raffle

Friday 21st September

10.00 to 11.30am

Kempe Room

Holy Ascension Church

Hearing is not believing

A wise schoolteacher sent this

note to all parents on the first

day of school:

‘If you promise not to believe

everything your child says

happens at school, I’ll promise

not to believe everything he or

she says happens at home.’

Save the Date

Churches Together Quiz

Friday 12th October

St Columba’s Church Hall

At 7.30pm

Details in next month’s

Heartbeat

The Parish

Registers

Page 17: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

Adult Board Games Come along and play board games in an informal

sociable setting Everyone welcome, suitable for all abilities

Games provided but you are also welcome to bring your own

Fortnightly Mondays 10am - 12 noon

3rd September 2018 17th September 2018

1st October 2018

cwaclibrary

cwaclibraries

Page 18: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

My first meeting with John was in

1961 when, as a newly appointed

Lecturer at Chester College, I was

allocated to him as Teaching

Practice student.

As I was training to teach

secondary pupils it came as a

surprise to both of us when I was

given a Primary School in Ellesmere

Port.

John was extremely tolerant of the

situation, but didn't seem

particularly impressed by my

lesson about Edward Lear's ‘Dong

with the Luminous Nose.’

John came to Chester from Hulme

Grammar School and had been

appointed as an English Lecturer

with responsibility for running the

Library. At that time there were

only 16 staff.

When he left Chester College of

Higher Education he became a

General School Advisor responsible

for English with Liverpool City

Council. He was also responsible

for the Collegiate School where I

then taught (and Paul was a pupil).

After his retirement from

Liverpool City Council, John was

appointed to represent the

Liverpool Diocese on the governing

bodies of its Church Schools.

John was a tolerant, sincere and

dedicated Tutor, Advisor and

Governor who had a very wry

sense of humour.

Alongside his ‘Day Job’ in Liverpool

he was a Lay Reader at Holy

Ascension and, together with his

colleague Jim Wheldon, they made

the interregnum between Rev.

Fred Lapham and Rev. Glyn

Conway run smoothly, aided

perhaps by Jim's home-brew on a

Friday evening. The congregation

were well served by the Lay

Readers' sermons and those of the

visiting preachers.

John was also a walker and

arranged a number of New Year

walks for Holy Ascension. I

remember the Panoramic Walk to

World's End in the aftermath of a

storm; and also from Trevor to

Chirk through six foot snowdrifts,

as well as some on good weather

days.

John Fowler

Page 19: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

During the latter days of John's life,

whilst he had difficulty in

remembering recent events, he

was very clear in his memories of

Chester College, and especially

Liverpool City Council. He loved to

talk and reminisce over events and

personalities of those times, even,

up to quite recently, meeting ex-

colleagues who came by train to

take him to lunch at The Bache.

John will be remembered with

affection and respect.

John Butler

Hospice of the Good Shepherd Upton Support Group

COFFEE & DESSERT

AFTERNOON

with entertainment from

SING ME MERSEYSIDE CHOIR

Thursday 27th September

3.00 - 5.00pm

Upton URC Hall

Heath Road, Upton

Tickets £7 Available from

01244 383 703 / 01244 370 310

Some of you will remember Doris

Owens who used to attend Holy

Ascension with her late husband

John who was a Dunkirk evacuee.

Doris celebrated her 100th

birthday on Tuesday 6th August.

Page 20: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

NIGEL FAHY Mobile: 07958 369337

PLUMBING, HEATING & TILING

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Telephone: 01244 380804

email: [email protected]

Estate Agents. Valuers. Letting Agents

15 LOWER BRIDGE STREET, CHESTER, CH1 1RS TEL: 01244 346226 FAX: 01244 314412

e-mail: [email protected] www.matthewsofchester.com

A family run Independent Estate Agents Residents of Upton for over 35 years

MARK REDPATH

JOINERY TIME-SERVED CARPENTER/JOINER

All aspects of joinery work inc:- Internal/External doors

Kitchens

Stairs – Spindles, Handrails

All supplied and fitted or fitting only

General house repairs

Free estimates

Tel: 0151 356 1406 Mobile: 07703 230241

REGISTERED

PLUMBER

Page 21: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

With Chester Mystery Plays 2018

now firmly a part of Chester’s

history, the cast and crew have

been left with a very special

inheritance – a series of powerful

testimonies bearing witness to the

power of community theatre.

Long after the staging and lighting

at the Cathedral was taken down

and the costumes stored away,

some of those involved in the Plays

have shared their stories of the

positive impact that being involved

in this epic production has had on

them. New friendships have been

forged and the experience has also

had a positive impact on mental

and even physical health.

The Plays, adapted by playwright

and actor Deborah McAndrew and

directed by Peter Leslie Wild, were

staged at Chester Cathedral in June

and July and prior to this there

were months of rehearsals.

This all led up to a production

which garnered four and five star

reviews, including a four star

review from influential theatrical

publication The Stage.

As the Plays came together under

the watchful eye of a talented

production team, so too did a like-

minded and supportive new

community in Chester.

The cast and crew have even set

up groups on Facebook and

WhatsApp to facilitate regular

meet ups and potential future

collaborations – all evidencing the

power of community theatre.

More testimonies will be shared on

wearechester.co.uk. For now, here

is one powerful testament as to

the impact of this production.

Cast member Evelyn Bates said: “I

can honestly say that, as I have

been going through a very difficult

time in my life, being part of the

Chester Mystery Plays this year has

been my saving grace. And it has

completely changed my life and my

wellbeing and opened up the

world to me again. The community

spirit of everyone was an absolute

delight. We all became a huge

wonderful family of lovely people.”

Angela Ferguson (We are Chester)

The Chester Mystery Plays

Page 22: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

Chester Small Business Award Winners Free Advice on Funeral Planning

Telephone: 01244 319595 70 Green Lane, Vicars Cross Chester CH3 5LB www.gmgooldfunerals.co.uk

G & M Goold Chester’s Most qualified

Independent Funeral Directors

directors with

Upton

Community

Hall

The hall is available to hire for children’s parties, public and private

meetings, workshops etc.

There is availability for regular activities

to take place.

For more information and to make a booking

please contact the Parish Office

Tel 01244 383518

Email : [email protected]

Page 23: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

Are you an owner of a Children’s

Society Box?

September is the month here at

Holy Ascension to have our

Children’s society boxes opened.

Please will you bring your box to

Church and leave it with myself or

the Warden on duty. You will find

the emptied boxes on the book

shelves at the back of Church.

If you prefer you may bring your

box to 20 Demage Lane but please

ring first on Tel. 381404 or I could

collect your box.

Do please consider having a

Children’s Society box if you don’t

already have one. The society

works with the most vulnerable

children and young people in our

society today and need all the help

that we can give.

Margaret Brizell

Upton-by-Chester is twinned with

Arradon in Brittany, France. Upton

Community Links is the group

which arranges visits between

Upton and Arradon.

The Annual General Meeting of

Upton Community Links will be

held at 12 noon on Sunday 2nd

September at Upton Community

Hall, Demage Lane, Upton,

Chester, CH2 1EL.

If you are interested in joining us

on our visit next year to Arradon or

would like to find out more about

the group then please come along

to the meeting or contact the

secretary Terry Wellerman on

01244 311874 or email

[email protected]

Pauline Moulton

Upton Community Links

Page 24: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk
Page 25: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

Upton Community Hall

Monday 17th September 7.30pm

“Chester Zoo: A Voice for Change” A talk by Julie Platt or Catherine Barton

Everybody is invited to join us for the first meeting of our 2018/2019

programme

£2.00 including Tea & Biscuits

THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Women’s Section, Heath Road

Tuesday 18th September

8.00pm

AGM & Harvest Supper

Visitors Welcome

£1.50 including Tea/Coffee and Biscuits

BACKFORD, MOLLINGTON &

DISTRICT

LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY.

7.30pm

Wednesday 5th September

Talk by Kevin Cootes

“Poulton Research Project”

. Wednesday 3rd October

Talk by Gavin Hunter

“Wind and Water” the history of Windmills and Watermills in

Wirral

Backford & Mollington Village Hall

All are welcome to attend,

non-members £3.00.

Upton-by-Chester Flower Club Upton Village Hall

Wednesday 26th September

7.30pm

Arthur McDonald (Area)

‘Throw Nowt Out’

Visitors Welcome - £5

Sunday Lunch Club

Sunday 23rd September

Upton Community Hall

Please contact

Sheila Taylor 01244 383481

to reserve your place

HOLY ASCENSION CHURCH FELLOWSHIP

GROUP

Upton Community Choir

Wednesday evenings 7.15-9.15pm

£3.50 per session

Upton High School St James Ave, Upton CH2 1NN For more details and to confirm

attendance please contact Clare Newbould on 07896 614397

or Email [email protected]

New members always welcome

Millennium Greenway Friends Next task day

Saturday 22nd September

See website for details

www.millenniumgreenwayfriends.org.uk

Page 26: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

COFFEE AND

CHAT!

Every Monday 10.00am – Noon

The Pavilion

Wealstone Lane

An open invitation is

extended to all.

Churches Together in Upton

Wednesday

12th After service Caring & Sharing Lunch 26th 3.00pm Wednesday Singers

Thursday 10.00am –Noon Sewing Group

Saturday 9.30am Parish Prayers

Monday Holy Ascension Musical Tots

10.15-10.45am Gentle Music for Babies

11.15-11.45am Toddlers Music Time

Restarts Monday 10th September

Tuesday 9.15- 11.00am Holy Ascension Sunshine Tots Term Time (Upton Community Hall) Restarts Tuesday 11tt September

Upton Community Hall,

Demage Lane, Upton, CH2 1EL

Opening hours The parish office will be open Monday to Friday 9.30 – 11.30am

Parish Administrator Karen Evans 383518

Email [email protected]

Parish Safeguarding Coordinator

Please contact the coordinator via the parish

office or email:

[email protected]

The food bank

provides 3 days of emergency food

for local people in crisis.

There is a box in church for non-perishable food

donations. Urgently needed

items:

UHT Fruit juice

Biscuits

Tinned Fish

Toiletries

Page 27: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

Sunday 2nd

8.00am

9.00am

10.45am

Holy Communion

Choral Eucharist

All Age Worship

Wednesday 5th 10.15am Holy Communion

Sunday 9th

10.45am

4.30pm

Holy Communion

& Confirmation

Service

Messy Church

Wednesday 12th 10.15am Holy Communion

Sunday 16th

8.00am

9.00am

10.45am

Holy Communion

Choral Eucharist

Morning Praise

Wednesday 19th 10.15am Holy Communion

Sunday 23rd 8.00am

9.00am

10.45am

Holy Communion

Choral Eucharist

Morning Praise

Wednesday 26th 10.15am Holy Communion

Sunday 30th

8.00am

9.00am

10.45am

4.30pm

Holy Communion

Choral Eucharist

Morning Praise

CTU Service-

Songs of Praise at

Holy Ascension

Views expressed in this magazine are not

necessarily those of the Editorial Team, the

Clergy, the Parochial Church Council, or of any

authoritative body of the Church of England.

Vicar Paul Newman 743325 [email protected]

Curate Dave O’Brien 375782

Church Wardens Mike Curtis 313152 Colin Foden 381094 [email protected]

Reader Emeritus Barbara Capstick 380299

PCC Secretary/ Churches Together in Upton Margaret Whaley [email protected]

PCC Treasurer Sue Burgess 380340 [email protected]

Electoral Roll Secretary Mark Burgess 380340

Family Worker/Sunshine Tots Margaret Adams 07707 030020 [email protected]

Guides District Commissioner Gill Goynes 310000

Church Fellowship Leaders Barbara Capstick 380299 Margaret Brizell 381404

Director of The Samara Trust Graeme White 312758

Page 28: Heart eat - holyascension.org.uk

Will they abolish the state pension? Given the many recent changes to the state pension, with ages already now equalised for men and women to age 65 and increasing further to 67 being phased in over the next 10 years it is no surprise that clients keep asking us if the Government will abolish it? “We do doubt it” is our answer, after all given the “grey vote” is strong in the UK (meaning the mature amongst us tend to use their right to vote more than any other section of society), making it political suicide that any Government will try to abolish it. Instead, we can look forward to it being constantly tinkered with and probably its value being eroded over many years.

What’s the problem? I paid my national insurance I hear you say. Correct, but it is effectively run as a current account rather than a wealth fund meaning current NI contributions largely go towards paying out the current pensioner’s benefits. Your NI has already been spent to pay your Mum and Dad’s pensions! Bear in mind, when you get to 65 you are national insurance exempt and no longer even pay it! Another advantage to go with your bus pass!

Here’s a basic explanation. At the moment, there are 1,000 workers for every 310 pensioners, however the ratio is expected to be 360 pensioners by 2036. Therefore, if the state pension remained the same forever, each worker will have to pay more and whichever way it is cut, national insurance (or taxes) will have to go up! So, what can be done?

Abolition? Research shows that the majority of pensioners rely on the state pension for between 50 and 78% of their total income. Given the political nature – suicide by a Government is not likely!

Pay later? Reducing benefits will never be popular but with the recent rises of women to 65, and all pensioners to 67 by 2028 (and probably 68 in 2040’s) you can be certain there will be more tinkering.

Pay out less? One third of all developed countries have reduced their equivalent state pensions in recent years. However, as it is not means tested everyone is able to claim it based on their National Insurance record – could the answer be to means test it? Again - not very popular as most people believe they are “entitled” to what they have already “paid for”.

Whilst I wouldn’t rule anything out…Messing about with the inflationary links is my bet (certainly in the short term) removing the “triple lock” is likely. Therefore, if the Government can erode the real value of the pension over an extended period of time – say 10 or 15 years then maybe people won’t be so upset about it!

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