Month: July 2020

Susan Dabrowski and Gill Duffy were our bakers for the cake drop-off on Wednesday 1^st July.  This was a more complicated process than their usual role as Lunch Club cooks, as it had to take into account Leeds City Council guidance on providing food to the public during Covid.  They did a fantastic job of preparing and packaging everything safely.  Gill had worked out a clever way to hang the cake boxes in bags on people’s front door handle (once they had stepped back from the door) so that we could maintain our distance.

Twelve willing volunteers delivered cake boxes with 4 different types of cake to 28 seniors, who were surprised and delighted to receive them!  Several of the volunteers also stayed for a doorstep chat – we had brought our camping chairs and umbrellas and sat outside to enjoy some face to face time together, whilst the seniors remained indoors in the dry!  Some of our seniors have been isolated for a long time, so this was a really welcome time to talk and smile together, and catch up on how everyone is doing.

A huge thank you from me and from all our seniors to the amazing Lunch Club team! We are planning more doorstep chats and another baked drop-off over the next couple of months whilst our plans to meet again in a group remain up in the air.

Carole Smith

My father was an ex coal miner in the Welsh town of Tredegar.  He had left the mine in the late 1930s because of dust on the lungs, and with his father and brother had a fish, fruit and vegetable shop half way up Castle Street which is where we lived.  At the bottom of the street was the Circle and 4 roads led into it with a large clock tower in the centre. On the corner of the next road round from Castle Street there was a small corner office and on the window were the words ‘Medical Aid’

It all started in 1890 when a group of small societies amalgamated into one called ‘Tredegar Workman’s Aid Society’. 95% of the town were members and paid halfpenny each week into the society. By 1909 this was raised to a penny.

Starting from nothing and with help from the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company and also some wealthy people, the Society was able to build a Hospital (I was a frequent attender at its casualty department). There were also two surgeries and a maternity unit (which is where I was born). The Society also had five doctors, two dentists and nurses. There was a pharmacy in both surgeries. A surgeon based at the hospital had oversight of all the medical services provided by the Society. If for some reason there was not appropriate medical support for the patient they would be sent to Newport or Cardiff for treatment paid by the society. I went to Bristol to have my tonsils out.

Aneurin Bevan was the MP for the area and when Labour came into power after the war he became the Health Minister. He was frequently in the town and as children if we saw him we would cheer and shout. He would sometimes speak to the crowds from the clock mound or the veranda of the Castle Hotel which was opposite our shop.  The stones shown in the picture are a memorial to Mr Bevan and his achievements.

The people of the area could see that when the NHS started the vision was based on its Medical Aid Society.  The Medical Aid was finally wound up in 1994 with 114 members who had paid 18p a week.  The assets from the closure were given to the hospital.

When I think of what the NHS has achieved over the years, and particularly 2020, I am pleased to remember those men and women in 1890 who had the foresight to set up the Medical Aid Society which was the foundation for the NHS today.

Robert Owen.

MBC Youth have been meeting regularly throughout lockdown. All of our contact has been virtually on Zoom which has made it possible for us to stay in touch even when apart.

The youth team have been running weekly Sunday evening Zoom calls where we have been exploring the same themes and bible passages as ‘Church at Home’. This has helped us all to feel connected and part of the whole church.

God has been speaking to us about how Christ is the head of the church, which is the people – not the building! We are all still able to be part of Christ’s church, even when we are physically apart.

We have also been running mid-week groups:

• Tuesday evening (weekly) – Deepening Faith (a discipleship group for those wanting to go deeper and find accountability with others)
• Wednesday evening (monthly) – Topical Discussion (a chance to discuss topical issues raised by the young people)
• Friday evening (monthly) – Social (a chance to hang out with each other and play games)

We have been really encouraged by the engagement from some of our young people and have been able to continue to build and strengthen relationships during this time. As we come towards the end of a what has been a long and difficult term for many of our youth, there is certainly a sense of “Zoom fatigue” and a desire to meet together again in-person.

As we head towards the summer holidays, we are discussing as a team what we might be able to offer our young people during the break.

Thank you for your continued support and prays for our amazing young people and their leaders.

Next week we are planning on bringing you a more comprehensive roundup of how other areas of MBC’s ministry are coping with the changes that Covid-19 has forced upon them.