May your memories be a blessing
It is with great sadness that we find ourselves writing this article. Our friend and long-term contributor, Michael James, recently passed away and Mark and I felt it was only fitting that we show respect for Michael and his family by publishing a tribute to him which we hope can do justice to what an incredible man he was. To say that Michael lived a full and interesting life would be a severe understatement. He was born and grew up in the Rhondda Valley and after leaving Grammar School, was drafted into the RAF for two years, serving as an Air Traffic Controller at RAF Barnwood in Gloucester. Upon leaving the RAF, he found a job in Cardiff working for the Council, which meant travelling two hours a day on the train, and which is where he met his wife, Elizabeth. They settled in Cardiff in 1976 and as a family joined Albany Road Baptist Church, which proceeded to play a huge role in Michael’s life. Michael wrote his very first article for Cardiff Times in May 2014, and continued to write regularly for us, with his most recent article in last month’s issue, a poignant and inspiring read entitled ‘A Reminder That Help And Hope Is All Around Us’. His first article was entitled ‘You Must Be Mad’, and was the general response he got when he told people that he
4 CARDIFF TIMES
was undertaking a sponsored trek in the Himalayas. There may be some truth in their honest initial reaction as it is a serious challenge for anyone, especially for me. For those of you who don’t know me, I am not the Bear Grills type of person, although we do have something in common, we both have a great faith in God but that’s where the similarities end. Bear is the ex SAS, all action super hero and I am an unfit, over weight 75yr.old, (check out the photo) with arthritic knees and possibly suffering from an old age crisis. Then why am I doing this! I am doing it to raise awareness, support and, yes money, for the two Christian Charities I work with as a volunteer. This excerpt touches on Michael’s charity work, with the two charities in particular he worked with being the Rainbow of Hope, and The Leprosy Mission, both of which were close to his heart. The sponsored trek in the Himalayas mentioned earlier enabled Michael to actually visit the Leprosy Mission in Nepal and visit some of the patients who would be directly benefitting from his fundraising. The Rainbow of Hope is an organisation that works to support the Homeless and Disadvantaged on the streets of Cardiff. It is run by a small group of unpaid staff at its office/shop/drop-in centre in Broadway and by volunteers
