THE JESUITS AND STONYHURST

THE JESUITS AND STONYHURST COLLECTIONS LAUNCH THE ‘HOT, HOLY LADIES’ EXHIBITION

The Jesuits and Stonyhurst College Collections invite you to discover the ‘Hot, Holy Ladies’ who caused a religious and political stir in 16th and 17th century England and Scotland.

The phrase ‘Hot, Holy Ladies’ was first used as a sarcastic insult in 1602, aimed at an impressive and effective group of strong-minded female supporters of the Jesuit Catholic mission.

Disavowing the traditional restrictions on the movements and interests of their sex, these women used their intelligence and skills to enable the dangerous work of underground priests, and create widespread practical and spiritual community support networks during a time of massive upheaval for their families and society.

Blazing a trail through these islands’ religious turmoil, and witnessing some of its most dramatic events, the Hot Holy Ladies nurtured and preserved Catholicism, even as England’s ties with Rome were cut and those around them faced persecution and death. Their stories reflect the ingenuity and startling courage of a wide variety of women, from young girls to elderly widows.

Chief among them was Helena Wintour, whose male family members were deeply involved in the Gunpowder Plot, the plan to assassinate King James I by blowing up the Houses of Parliament. Orphaned at a young age as a result of this failed plot, Helena nevertheless went on to become the heart of a network of Catholic women who defied the authorities. Allied to the Jesuits, Helena deployed her wealth to help those less fortunate than herself, sheltered priests risking capital penalties, and used her skills in highly sophisticated, symbolic embroidery to create beautiful vestments for clergy who had to practice their faith in secret. Defying the severe state penalties for sewing these subversive chasubles, Helena further dared to sign many of them with her name and family crest.

In this exhibition, Helena’s entire surviving life’s work will be on display,

illustrating the life, inspiration and legacy of this extraordinary woman.

The exhibition will also feature high profile relics such as Mary Queen of Scots’ Thorn. Artistic commissions associated with royal women from the 16th to the 17th centuries such as the sumptuous Henry VII Cope, and Elizabeth of York’s Prayer Book will also be on display, alongside a gold, enamelled and pearl crucifix belonging to Thomas More’s wife, Lady Alice and a series of silver gilt reliquaries commissioned by Anne Vaux, who was instrumental in rescuing the Jesuit missionary, John Gerard, in the aftermath of the Gunpowder Plot.

The artefacts draw on the rich collections of the Jesuit Province and Stonyhurst College, with significant loans from Douai Abbey Library. The exhibition will open online on 16th April, and for visitors at Stonyhurst in July and August 2022, with supporting films and podcasts online from March 8th onwards.

www.stonyhurst.ac.uk

WE ARE THE RNLI

THE CHARITY THAT SAVES LIVES AT SEA

May is one of the most important fundraisings months for the RNLI. The month not only marks the start of the summer season, but gives its name to their annual fundraising campaign, Mayday. But mayday carries another more important message and one that, whilst familiar to mariners, has its origins in aviation.

In 1923, there were very few commercial airlines, but there were regular flights between Croydon and Le Bourget airport, near Paris. The Officer in Charge of Radio at Croydon, Frederick Mockford, was asked to find a word that would indicate distress and be easily understood by all pilots and ground crew at both these main airports. He proposed mayday, the phonetic equivalent of the French m’aidez (help me) and it was adopted, following tests, in February 1923.

The previous distress signal was the morse code message, SOS, but this was not considered suitable for telephone and radio communication. Mayday was adopted as the radiotelegraph distress call by the International Radiotelegraph Convention in 1927, for radiotelephone, in addition to the morse code SOS, for radiotelegraph messages.

Mayday is now used world-wide to signal a life-threatening emergency and has been adopted by both mariners and aviators. Traditionally, the message is repeated three times, to ensure all who hear it are under no illusions that there is an emergency, whilst it also adds a note of urgency.

Every day is a Mayday to our volunteer lifeboat crews. They are willing to drop everything at a moment’s notice to save lives at sea when their pager beeps. In 2020, the RNLI volunteer lifeboat crews launched over 8,000 times.

So, when the RNLI in Ireland were looking for a focus to launch a fundraising campaign in 2013 to replace much needed crew kit, they chose Mayday and campaigned throughout the month of May. Besides highlighting the fundraising period, it also added a note of urgency, which at the time, was important, as new crew kit was essential.

Because of its success, it was adopted by the whole of the RNLI two years later and early each summer, the RNLI embark on their most important fundraising campaign of the year.

Queueing at the Mayday car wash, Hoylake RNLI Whilst originally focusing on crew kit, funds raised now can be used across the organisation, which during the pandemic when fundraising ceased, was important in filling financial gaps.

The Mayday appeal now, not only helps fund vital kit for the volunteer crew, but essential equipment and training, to ensure the lifeboat crew and any potential casualties, make it safely home. In addition, it also helps fund important water safety activity for all who visit the coast, especially families with children.

One of the main activities during the Mayday appeal, is the Mayday Mile Challenge. Encouraging members of the public to cover one mile, however they want, is not only more inclusive than the traditional sponsored run, but can also be arranged as more of a social event. Families and friends, groups of dog walkers, as well as the usual ‘runners’ in fancy dress, all form part of the Mayday Mile.

This year, the charity is calling on supporters to put their best foot forward in their biggest annual Mayday fundraising event. Launching on Sunday 1 May and running for the whole of the month, the RNLI’s annual Mayday campaign asks people to sign up to support lifesavers around the UK and Ireland. The charity will be asking members of the public to join The Mayday Mile and cover at least one mile in any way they like in order to raise vital funds for the lifesaving charity. Every penny raised during Mayday will go towards supporting the RNLI’s mission to save lives at sea.

We are incredibly fortunate and privileged in the RNLI, to have fantastic support from local communities and over the years, there have been many successful local campaigns. At the RNLI station at Hoylake, they held a sponsored car wash in 2019 and in three hours, the volunteer crew, dressed in their yellow waterproof gear, washed 152 cars and raised an incredible £1,115.

RNLI Hoylake also accepted the Mayday Mile challenge in 2021 following the cancellation of the sponsored car wash. Covid restrictions postponed all public participation events in both 2020 and 2021, but the volunteer crew decided they would undertake the Mayday Mile challenge themselves. Fortunately, last year they were dressed in full RNLI water-proof gear, which was just as well, as the weather was awful. But the volunteers always respond, regardless of the conditions, whether it’s saving lives at sea, or fundraising. The Hoylake RNLI volunteers raised a fantastic £2,000.

Is there another car wash with a better view in the world?

TO DONATE OR SUPPORT THE RNLI GO TO: https://rnli.org.uk/support-us

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), a charity registered in England and Wales (209603), Scotland (SC037736), the Republic of Ireland (20003326) and the Bailiwick of Jersey (14)

One of the longest running fundraising efforts occurs each year in Lytham St Anne’s. The ‘Leg it for Lytham’ sponsored walk, started in 2014. Unusually, RNLI Lytham St Anne’s has two boathouses, three and a half miles apart. So, originally, the idea was to ensure both lifeboat stations in Lytham and St Anne’s were involved. The initial ‘Leg it for Lytham’ walk was so well attended it has continued ever since. Of course, to widen the appeal, Lytham RNLI encouraged all members of the community to join in and by now walking or running isn’t the only exercise included. The volunteers’ welcome fundraisers who are dog walkers, wheel-chair wheelers, push-chair pushers and even those who just fancy a saunter. It isn’t a race and the event allow fundraisers the opportunity to appreciate the views, meet new friends and even take part in fancy dress.

The pandemic meant ‘Leg it for Lytham’ was in danger of being postponed, as they didn’t want to encourage crowds at the start and finish. The Lytham RNLI team used their initiative and agreed to ‘Leg it for Lytham’ for the whole of May. They also decided that fundraisers could travel either way, from boathouse to boathouse, thus eliminating large groups forming. Indeed, this new approach was even more successful that the original ‘Leg it’ principle and has been adopted for 2022 as well.

‘Leg it for Lytham’ this May, will be started by Lytham farmer, TV personality, social media presenter and long-term supporter of the RNLI, Tom Pemberton.

Last year, RNLI Lytham St Anne’s raised an astonishing £9,500 with their ‘Leg it’ campaign. So, why not join in, enjoy the walk and help the team beat last year’s total!

As Covid restrictions ease and the threat of further lockdown’s diminish, we look forward to our RNLI shops reopening and helping to raise much needed funds for the volunteer crews. The Mayday merchandise, available for a donation in many local shops and pubs, includes the RNLI’s famous yellow welly badges.

The yellow welly has become a symbol of the RNLI volunteer crew and is instantly recognisable. The yellow welly even took centre stage during the Mayday appeal in 2017, as it featured in the ‘Yellow Welly Relay’. The ‘welly’ set off from Silloth in Cumbria and finished its eventful trip in West Kirkby on the Wirral peninsula. It travelled by various means of transport, including hovercraft, bike, ferry and tram.

The Fleetwood RNLI fundraisers met up with the welly at Knott End, where it crossed the River Wyre to Fleetwood by Lancashire’s only ‘in-county’ ferry, the ‘Wyre Rose’. It was met by members of the Dream Team Singers, who sang appropriate sea shanties, before the ‘welly’ boarded a tram with the volunteer Fleetwood fundraisers and departed to their next destination, Blackpool RNLI. One can only guess what the visitors and tram travellers in Fleetwood thought, as the ‘welly’ was serenaded on its way by the Dream Team Singers.

To date, the RNLI’s Mayday campaign has raised a staggering £3.5 million since 2014. I hope you feel inspired to help raise this total even higher and help us to continue to save lives at sea.

To sign up for The Mayday Mile, or to make a donation in support of the RNLI’s lifesavers, visit: RNLI.org/SupportMayday

Comedian Phil Walker joins RNLI’s Stormy Stan at the start of last year’s ‘Leg it for Lytham’

All are welcome to join Lytham’s annual fundraiser

The Dream Team Singers with Fleetwood fundraisers and ‘the welly relay’