War Cry 20 April

London Marathon runners put best foot forward for others

WAR CRY

Plane passenger’s life is turned upside down as new ITV series takes off

Ex-nightclub promoter puts faith in clean water

The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity seeking to share the good news of Jesus and nurture committed followers of him. We also serve people without discrimination, care for creation and seek justice and reconciliation. We offer practical support and services in more than 700 centres throughout the UK. Go to salvationarmy.org.uk/find-a-church to find your nearest centre.

What is the War Cry?

The Salvation Army first published a newspaper called the War Cry in London in December 1879, and we have continued to appear every week since then. Our name refers to our battle for people’s hearts and souls as we promote the positive impact of the Christian faith and The Salvation Army’s fight for greater social justice.

Your local Salvation Army centre

THIS Sunday (21 April) thousands of participants will be pounding the streets of London as they take part in the UK’s biggest marathon.

As we discover in this week’s War Cry, more than 50 of those runners are taking part to raise funds for The Salvation Army, including Rodney Kingston, who works as a graphic designer on this magazine.

‘The Salvation Army is a huge part of my life,’ he says, explaining that his fundraising has provided a defibrillator that has been installed at the church and charity’s building in Staines for use by the whole community.

Another runner supporting The Salvation Army is Chris, who has grown up going to its church in Romford. ‘Knowing that the money I raised would go to helping the community work [at my church] gave me extra purpose and motivation,’ he says.

It’s not just by running marathons that Christians try to help other people. In an interview in this week’s issue, we speak with Scott Harrison about a charity that he was motivated to start by his faith. Before Scott began to follow Jesus, however, he lived a very different life as a nightclub promoter.

‘I chased girls, money, cars, watches and fashion weeks,’ he says. But when he was forced to confront his own mortality because of health concerns, he realised that he had been living a life without any joy, peace, fulfilment or purpose.

The realisation prompted Scott to return to the faith that he had grown up with, to sell everything he owned and to volunteer for a charity providing free medical care in Liberia. Now Scott is the CEO of a charity that supplies clean water in 21 of the most marginalised countries in the world.

It’s yet another example of Christianity inspiring people to put their best foot forward, literally and metaphorically, to help those in need.

INFO INFO

Taking flight

A doctor wants to get free in new ITV thriller

DR Matthew Nolan is having a rough time. Kicked out of a club into the pouring rain, he scrambles into his car and crashes it. Hours later, when he lands at Heathrow on a flight home from Beijing – where he had been attending a medical conference – he is arrested. Things are about to get worse for the doctor, in ITV1’s new drama series Red Eye, which is scheduled to begin on Sunday (21 April).

Matthew learns that a woman’s body was found in the car he had crashed. He is being held responsible for her death. As he considers the repercussions of such an accusation, he tries to get free, protesting his innocence. But he can’t escape and is escorted on to a plane back to China, to face charges.

Taking to the skies with him on that night’s ‘red-eye flight’ to Beijing is DC Hana Li (Jing Lusi), a no-nonsense London detective, who isn’t best pleased. Resentful of Matthew for the crime she believes he has committed, Hana is

unimpressed when he tries to connect with her on the 11-hour flight. He makes attempts at a conversation to show her that he isn’t the callous man she thinks he is, but she isn’t interested.

He says to her: ‘You say you don’t want to know me. It’s because you think you already do.’

It is easy to judge others

Hana has made a judgement about him, but as the journey continues –and suspicious incidents begin to happen around them – she may find that she is wrong.

And viewers may find themselves thinking of occasions when they have wrongly judged someone. We have all probably been guilty of such behaviour at one time or another.

It is easy to go down the route of judging others or making assumptions about who they are. People have been doing so for centuries.

It was also centuries ago, however, that Jesus showed those around him a better

way to live. When a crowd condemned a woman who had been caught in adultery to death by stoning, Jesus offered her compassion instead. He said to the crowd words that have since become well known: ‘He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her’ (John 8:7 King James Bible).

The truth is that we are all with sin – that is to say, we have all done something wrong that is worth judgement. But Jesus, who was perfect, showed compassion to everyone – and a way out. He offered people God’s forgiveness, assuring them that, if they acknowledged their wrongdoing and entrusted themselves to God’s love, they would find freedom from an ultimate sense of condemnation.

Not only that, but Jesus also said that God wants to get to know us, despite our flaws. If we accept what Jesus said and did, we can experience a relationship with God that will mean the sky is the limit.

Dr Matthew Nolan is being escorted back to China by DC Hana Li

TV preview by Sarah Olowofoyeku

talk talk Team talk Team talk ‘ ’

j TEA M TALK

Bible story

Claire Brine gives her take on a story that has caught the attention of War Cry reporters

A COLLECTION of early Christian texts which contains ‘the oldest complete versions of two books of the Bible’, is up for auction at Christie’s in London, reported The Times

According to the article, the Crosby-Schoyen Codex was ‘mainly created’ in the middle of the third century AD ‘in what is now modernday Egypt’. Written on papyrus in the Coptic language, the text ‘contains the first complete versions of the Book of Jonah and the First Epistle of Peter’.

Eugenio Donadoni, a senior specialist in books and manuscripts at Christie’s, was quoted as saying that the text is of ‘huge international significance’.

He explained: ‘It is one of the earliest books in existence. You’re right at that period when the codex started taking over from papyrus scrolls. To have a third or fourth-century book in the same format as we have books today is kind of unbelievable.’

Its spiritual value is what matters

Due to be sold in June, the Crosby-Schoyen Codex has been valued at up to £3 million. Also up for auction is another ancient Christian manuscript, the Codex Sinaiticus Rescriptus. Written in Aramaic in the late fifth or early sixth century, it contains, said The Times, ‘the earliest surviving pieces of the Gospels to be written in the language of Christ’ and has a valuation up to £1.5 million.

After reading the article, I found myself wondering about the kind of person who would bid on these ancient texts. Clearly, these fascintating pieces of history are of huge financial value – and I imagine many people would love to own them.

But for millions of people living through the ages, the value of the text isn’t (or hasn’t ever been) tied up in its monetary worth. Its spiritual value is what matters most.

The Bible on my bookshelf may not be worth millions of pounds, but it contains the same message as any ancient Bible manuscript –that God loves me, forgives my mistakes if I ask him, and wants to be part of my life.

Just as he guided people through times in the past, so he is willing to guide my steps in the future. For centuries, the story of God’s love has proved life-changing to anyone who chooses to believe it, and, in my eyes, that’s what makes it infinitely valuable.

Caroline ‘From being accepted to represent The Salvation Army, it has been a journey of mainly highs, with a little bit of fear and doubt about fundraising and completing the training,’ says Caroline. ‘I have been humbled by the generosity of friends and strangers and their willingness to help. Training with my friends has been fantastic, and I can’t wait to run on the day.’

A Bible verse that gives Caroline encouragement when she runs is: ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you’ (Isaiah 41:10 New International Version).

WAR CRY

Runners with a cause

On Sunday (21 April), thousands of people will line up at the start of the London Marathon, having trained for months. Many of them will be running with a person or a cause in mind, including the more than 50 men and women who are raising money for The Salvation Army. We meet five of those runners, who tell us about their motivation and experience in fundraising and training

Russell

‘My role takes me to many corners of The Salvation Army, and I have seen first-hand the amazing, valueadded work we deliver,’ says Russell, who is head of pensions for the church and charity. ‘This inspired me to sign up to run the London Marathon for The Salvation Army.’

Russell is raising money for The Salvation Army’s homelessness services. While working remotely from his local Salvation Army church during the cold winter months, he saw its doors opened to the community and was convinced to become a fundraiser.

‘Because of the open hall, 25 people who would probably have been hypothermic by the end of the night had somewhere safe to wash, do laundry, have a hot cup of tea and sleep. The difference it made to those individuals was profound.’

Having run a couple of marathons before, Russell says: ‘I know how uncomfortable it’s going to be. I don’t take part in many charity events unless I really believe in the cause.’

START

Lauren

‘My parents met as teenagers in the Salvation Army band,’ says Lauren, describing the ‘long history’ of her family’s connection with the church and charity. ‘My grandma also ran the Rugby branch of the over-60s.

‘Mum and Dad married and were together for 50 years before my mum sadly passed away just a week before their wedding anniversary. I want to run in my mum’s memory.’

Chris

Rodney

‘The Salvation Army is a huge part of my life, so it was an obvious choice for me,’ says Rodney. ‘I first started fundraising to provide a defibrillator that could be installed on the outside of the Staines Salvation Army church building so that the community could access it and our congregation could offer in-house first-aid training.

‘The funds I’ve been raising have supported 30 people who are part of our various programmes to be first-aid trained, and the defibrillator we bought has been released twice by the ambulance service via 999 calls.’

Rodney’s advice for training is: ‘The more you put into it, the more you get out of it; practising and doing things regularly means you will see the benefit of it.’

The first marathon that Chris signed up for was the Manchester Marathon due to take place in April 2020. ‘After I had completed almost all my training,’ he remembers, ‘the marathon was – understandably – called off. But then my running habit became a godsend in the difficult lockdown months. Going out for a run helps me shake off the stress of the day and gives me time to reflect and spend time in prayer.’

Having been a member of Romford Salvation Army church since childhood, he was grateful for the opportunity to raise funds for its community work by running the London Marathon.

‘Knowing that the money I raised would go to helping the community work gave me extra purpose and motivation,’ he says.

Happy hour

Nightclub promoter-turned-charity founder SCOTT HARRISON explains how returning to his childhood faith transformed his life and enabled him to change other lives through providing clean water

Interview by Emily Bright

NEW York nightclub promoter Scott Harrison seemingly had it all. His girlfriend was on the cover of fashion magazines and he was holidaying with the rich in a South American resort. But something didn’t feel right.

‘We were blowing up thousands of dollars of fireworks, and the best magnums of champagne were flowing,’ he says. ‘We had servants picking up our beach towels. We had access to a massive yacht. Yet I remember thinking: “I’m not happy and no one is happy. Is this all that there is?”’

Life hadn’t been plain sailing for Scott. While he was growing up in a middle-class Christian family in Philadelphia, everything was fine. Until it wasn’t.

When he was four years old, the family

moved house. It was the dead of winter and, unknown to them, carbon monoxide gas was leaking into their new home from a poorly installed heater in the basement.

‘We all started experiencing these symptoms,’ he says. ‘Then on New Year’s Day 1980, my mum walked across her bedroom and collapsed on the floor unconscious. A series of doctors, hospital visits and blood tests followed. They finally detected very high amounts of carbon monoxide in her bloodstream.’

As soon as the source of the gas leak was discovered, Scott’s dad tore out the heater, and he and Scott both bounced back from their symptoms. But Scott’s mother, who had been living in the house 24/7, was irreversibly affected.

‘My mum became an invalid for the rest of her life,’ he explains. ‘Her immune

system irreparably shut down. She was chemically sensitive. Anything chemical would make her sick, including car fumes, the print from the ink in books and soaps. So she lived in isolation, wore these charcoal masks and tried to avoid exposure to anything really.’

Despite everything that the family went through, they remained committed to their Christian beliefs.

‘My parents credited their faith for getting them through unbelievable trials, which lasted the rest of my mum’s life,’ says Scott. ‘I was raised in church. I grew up playing piano in the worship band on Sunday, going to all the youth retreats and wanting to be a doctor to help my mum to get well.’

But, at the age of 18, Scott had a change of heart and walked away from his faith.

Scott Harrison

Charity: Water has built more than 150,000 water points in countries across the world, including Ethiopia

‘Instead of becoming a doctor, I moved to New York City and became a nightclub promoter. To the horror of my parents, I spent the next 10 years living out the Bible’s prodigal son story, where I filled up 40 nightclubs with rich, famous, beautiful people. I chased girls, money, cars, watches and fashion weeks.’

When looking back over that time, Scott admits to pretty much every vice a person might pursue – drinking heavily, smoking, taking drugs, going to strip clubs and gambling. By the age of 28, he started experiencing health problems.

went away.

I was faced with mortality

‘But it was a trigger to examine the reckless life I’d been living for a decade, which hadn’t brought me joy, peace, fulfilment or purpose. It led me to make a radical change. I made a deal with God that I would dedicate 1 of the 10 years that I’d wasted to serving him and people in need. I sold everything that I owned, and I applied to some of the charities I’d heard about over the years.’

they were sailing in a 522-foot hospital ship to offer free medical services to people in need there,’ Scott recalls. ‘I walked up the gangway of the ship and vowed never to smoke, take drugs, gamble or look at pornography again.’

Volunteering as a photojournalist, he was struck by the extreme needs of those that he encountered.

‘I was faced with mortality and existential questions,’ he says. ‘Eventually the doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with me, and all these strange symptoms

The answer from the charities was no, and Scott felt disappointed – until Christian organisation Mercy Ships offered to take him on as a volunteer with them in Liberia.

‘A 14-year civil war had ended, and

‘I saw people with facial tumours, flesh-eating disease, cleft lips and cleft palates. Then there were people who had been disfigured and badly burnt by rebel soldiers during the war. What left a real impression on me was that we would turn away thousands of people because there weren’t enough doctors or resources.

‘I remember how heartbreaking that

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From page 7

was, learning that some of these sick people had walked for more than a month with their children in the hope of seeing a doctor or a surgeon, but they were too far back in line to be seen.’

Scott couldn’t ignore what he’d witnessed, so he signed up for a second year with Mercy Ships. He began to explore what was behind so much sickness, and discovered research from the World Health Organisation which found that half of the disease in Liberia could be attributed to unsafe water and a lack of sanitation. He realised clean water was linked to many other issues.

We’ve helped 18 million people

education. It impacts women and girls who are spending hundreds of millions of hours walking for water that’s not even clean. It impacts the economy, as so many people are spending unnecessary funds on healthcare interventions for deworming, dysentery, trachoma and many other waterborne diseases.’

On his return to New York, Scott decided that he would set up a non-profit organisation with the aim of bringing clean and safe drinking water to every human on the planet. ‘I thought this would be possible,’ he asserts, ‘and still do.’

people attended, donating an entry fee. By the end of the night, the partygoers had raised $15,000. Scott took the money to a refugee camp in northern Uganda and built three wells. It was the beginning of Charity: Water.

First mission accomplished, Scott decided to take transparency to the next level. ‘We sent the photos, GPS co-ordinates, video footage of clean water flowing and satellite pictures to the 700 people who made a donation, and we said: “This is where your money went.”’

‘If you don’t have safe water, it radically impacts your health,’ he says. ‘In many countries, half the diseases are still waterborne. Unsafe water impacts

The charity had a rather unconventional starting point. Using his skills as a promoter, Scott hosted his 31st birthday party in a nightclub. Seven hundred

In doing so, he established an important foundational principle for his organisation: accountability. He decided to separate overhead costs from public donations through separate audited accounts. He encouraged philanthropists to pay staff salaries, office rent and admin costs into one bank account. Members

Scott visits his charity’s project in Uganda

of the public would donate to the other account, 100 per cent of which would be used for building wells in projects run by local people.

The charity, established in 2006, is now active in 21 of the most marginalised countries in the world, has funded more than 152,000 water points – all of which are signposted on Google Earth and Google Maps – and has provided clean water for 18.4 million people.

In Scott’s mind, clean water for all isn’t just a pipe dream, but an urgent need to be met. He seems restless, keen to do more to alleviate suffering in the poorest parts of the world.

‘We’ve helped 18 million people out of 700 million people without access to clean water. In some places, we can go back a year later and find an 80 per cent reduction in disease at the health clinic. But we’re not going fast enough, so we are trying to scale up and grow the movement.’

Part of his urgency stems from seeing first-hand how clean water makes the difference between life and death for so many people. He tells one particularly sobering story to illustrate his point.

‘In northern Ethiopia, a 13-year-old girl had been walking for water with all the other girls and women for seven hours, carrying 40 pounds of water in a clay pot on her back.

‘Before she reached home, she tripped on a rock, slipped and fell. She smashed her clay pot, and she spilt all her water. She was so overcome with shame and guilt, because she’d spilt the water and broken the pot, that she took a rope and hung herself from a tree in her village.

‘I met her mum and her friends and walked in her footsteps and stood next to that tree where this 13-year-old girl took her life. It’s hard to imagine not having water; it’s hard to imagine a child taking her own life because they spilt their water.’

Just as Charity: Water’s provision of water is the difference between life and death, Scott’s own life was saved from the brink by his belief in God.

He says that he ‘would be stuck in a nightclub doing cocaine, probably dead by now, if I hadn’t come back to faith and turned my life around’.

Faith has been influential in his work too.

‘It certainly animated the beginning of Charity: Water,’ he says. ‘There have been huge amounts of trial, adversity and discouragement, but it has been great for me to have this deep belief.

‘When I first came back to faith, I remember reading the Book of James –

the verse that says true religion is to look after widows and orphans in their distress and to keep from being polluted by the world.

‘I remember thinking: “I have done nothing for widows and orphans for a decade; and not only am I a polluted person, I actually pollute others for a living. My profession is getting people drunk and high, and then sending them home after taking their money at nightclubs.

True religion is to look after widows and orphans

‘So I was excited to learn that there was a profession in which I had to show personal integrity and I could actually look out for people in need.’

The calling to care for vulnerable people flows through Scott’s attitude to his job. While he emphasises that Charity: Water is ‘not explicitly religious in any way’, he says: ‘I believe in the Kingdom of Heaven, and no one there is drinking dirty water. No woman is walking seven hours at risk of rape or attack to get to some dirty waterhole.

‘Through my work, I’m able to live out my theology and bring what would look more like the Kingdom of God to Earth in more than 150,000 villages. I’ve been able to unify people around a universal, inarguable common good – clean water.’

Charity: Water’s wells provide clean water in Nepal

COURTESY OF CHARITY: WATER

Tea is served

‘Britain is in love with tea,’ say the organisers of National Tea Day, which takes place on Sunday (21 April). Certainly The Salvation Army and tea have a connection steeped in history – and one that is still strong

Feature by Philip Halcrow

AT times in its 150-plus year history The Salvation Army has sold its own tea.

The War Cry carried adverts for Triumph Teas, claiming the varieties were ‘celebrated for their purity, great strength and delicacy of flavour’ and stating that ‘all profits arising from the sale of this tea go directly to extend missionary work in foreign lands’.

A 1901 article described a visit to the ‘tea department’ at The Salvation Army’s ‘trade headquarters’ in north London, where Ensign Collins ‘tastes, buys, and blends the teas himself’.

Steven Spencer, director of The Salvation Army’s International Heritage Centre in London, says that the tea brands and the existence of a Missionary Tea League, in which people pledged to buy Salvation Army tea to help the church and charity’s ministry, ‘are the kind of social history that is often neglected by books – sometimes all we have are the adverts and articles in periodicals, though we also have a couple of boxes of Salvation Army tea on display in our museum’.

An

DURING the Second World War, Salvation Army mobile canteens at home and abroad provided military personnel with tea, as well as chewing gum, soap, toothpaste and sewing kits. They also brought refreshments to people after air raids.

advert for The Salvation Army’s Triumph Teas in a 1908 issue of the ‘War Cry’

Serving the Home Guard

THE team behind a longstanding Salvation Army tearoom in Essex recently decided that a change in the way it is run would be just their cup of tea.

The tearoom is on the site of Hadleigh Training Centre, which helps people who have additional needs to develop self-esteem, confidence and skills that will enable them to make the most of opportunities, whether in employment or wider life.

Trainees have long been part of the set-up in the tearoom, but recently they and centre staff decided that the venue should reopen with a new philosophy.

Sarah Withington, community engagement co-ordinator for the Hadleigh site, says that previously the trainees played a supporting role.

‘They would take food to the customers, clear tables,’ she says. ‘Now the tearoom is led by the trainees – all the decisions about the menu, the layout and the uniforms were driven by them. They decided how they wanted to run it.

‘They do the ordering, the stockchecking and all the front and back-ofhouse operations.’

The new-look tearoom blends well with the work of the training centre as a whole.

‘It’s all about the trainees and their development,’ says Sarah. ‘They’re all on personalised training programmes that are tailor-made to each individual’s need and what their individual goals are.’

One of the trainees, Paige, talks about how she enjoys working front of house, ‘checking our booking system and collating the order forms, adding the table numbers and cake of the day, cleaning the tables, checking the condiments, greeting the customers and taking them to their tables, where I take their orders’.

She says: ‘I’ve made new friends in the team. Also, my confidence has grown when dealing with members of the public and using the till and card machine. I like serving the public, meeting new customers and showing them what we do and what skills we have learnt.’

WHEN firefighters, ambulance crews and police are called to an incident, Salvation Army emergency response vehicles also often attend and ‘serve tea and coffee by the gallon’, says Major Ruth Gray.

Ruth and her husband, Major Karl Gray, are among the Salvation Army personnel – many of them volunteers – who, when called upon, take emergency response vehicles to the scene of an incident, where they provide refreshments to members of the emergency services as well as anyone else in need.

‘Primarily we serve the blue-light services,’ says Ruth. ‘In London, we’re called out by the London Fire Brigade, but we also serve the police, the ambulance service or anyone within the cordon. It could be council workers, power workers or anyone who has been displaced –it may be people who just need a cup of tea while they go and get their stuff from their houses within the cordon.’

Emergency workers taking a break from physical activity are in need of rehydration, says Ruth. As well as tea, coffee or fizzy drinks, they want snacks that will give them an energy boost.

But, she adds, the time spent at the Salvation Army van is sometimes about more than physical refreshment.

‘For those working in a stressful situation, it’s a breather from what they’re witnessing. It’s five minutes of going back to normality. It’s a chance to have a normal conversation. They can be themselves and natter their heads off to us.’

Ruth says that the presence of Salvation Army teams at incidents is appreciated. She speaks of an encounter that Karl had when, on Christmas Day last year, they attended a fire being tackled by more than 125 firefighters at an industrial site in west London.

‘Karl spoke to somebody who remembered him from the Grenfell fire, six years before. He remembered how, in the midst of horror, Karl asked him, “Do you want a cup of tea?” The guy remembered the cup of tea and the hope that it gave him.’

Paige enjoys working at Hadleigh Tearoom (bottom)

A Salvation Army vehicle at the scene of a fire

YOUR prayers are requested for Kirsty, that she will stay strong to overcome her addictions.

The War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the first names of individuals and details of their circumstances, for publication. Send your Prayerlink requests to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk or to War Cry, 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. Mark your correspondence ‘Confidential’.

jBecoming a Christian

There is no set formula to becoming a Christian, but many people have found saying this prayer to be a helpful first step to a relationship with God

Lord Jesus Christ, I am truly sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Please forgive me. I now turn from everything that I know is wrong.

Thank you that you died on the cross for me so that I could be forgiven and set free.

Thank you that you offer me forgiveness and the gift of your Holy Spirit. Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit to be with me for ever.

Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen

BOO K REVIEW

Have a Lit t le Faith: Life Lessons on Love, Death and How Lasagne Always Helps

The Rev Kate Bottley Penguin Life

IN a series of relatable ramblings, the Rev Kate Bottley shares her thoughts on success, love, conflict, loneliness, grief, confidence and strength – all through the lens of faith.

She explains that, as a priest in the public eye, she seeks to ‘speak into that increasingly wide gap between everyday culture and faith’ and illustrates how belief can play a part in normal life.

Writing openly about her experiences and struggles, Kate welcomes all readers, regardless of whether they have plenty of faith or none. She reminds them that faith isn’t an exclusive club – it’s OK not to have all the answers and to pray even if you don’t believe in God.

Yet she doesn’t shy away from mentioning that her Christian faith plays a central role in her life and identity, helping her through ‘so many of the messy, messed-up complexities of human existence’.

Faith isn’t an exclusive club

Kate explains how she came to faith, tells anecdotes from her priestly encounters and highlights how belief in something bigger than ourselves can give us a language to understand the deep and meaningful aspects of life.

She also cites examples from the Bible – including a conversation that Jesus had with a woman who had a shadowy past and extracts from a letter that the apostle Paul wrote to a community of believers – to elaborate on her views on forgiveness, strength in vulnerability, love and suffering. She doesn’t avoid the tricky topics such as where Jesus belongs amid questions of suffering and unanswered prayer.

At the end of each chapter, she offers three suggestions of how best to navigate the challenges posed by each subject.

With humour and heart, Kate reminds us what it means to be human, and – as the title suggests – how lasagne always helps if we want to make a gesture of goodwill to our neighbours and friends in difficult times. She highlights that we can all have a little faith – in whatever it might be – and that doing so is a valuable part of our DNA.

Emily Bright

London Marathon Weekend

QUICK QUIZ

1 2 3

4 5

6

What is the oldest line on the London Underground?

Which art gallery is located on Trafalgar Square?

What Agatha Christie play is the longest-running theatre show in the West End?

The Crown Jewels have been stored and displayed in which historic building since 1661?

In which studios did the Beatles record their first single, ‘Love Me Do’?

In what year did London last host the Olympics?

Don’t distress

Stress Awareness Month aims to help people’s sense of wellbeing

Feature by Claire Brine

FEELING stressed? If so, then you’re not alone.

According to the Stress Management Society, 79 per cent of adults in the UK experience stress at least once a month. That’s why Stress Awareness Month – which runs until the end of April – is encouraging people to take action to achieve a better sense of wellbeing.

Established in 1992, Stress Awareness Month aims to highlight the causes of stress and the steps that people can take to tackle it.

This year its theme is Little by Little, emphasising the importance of making simple, consistent and manageable changes that can be seamlessly integrated into daily life. Just 10 minutes a day of stretching, listening to a favourite piece of music or taking a stroll can be beneficial and make a huge difference in reducing long-term stress.

‘Much like the single bricks in a sturdy house, each small step towards stress management contributes to a stronger foundation of mental wellbeing,’ says Neil Shah, the chief de-stressing officer at the Stress Management Society.

Taking a stroll can be beneficial

In other words, the accumulation of our small steps and consistent efforts can lead us to a more peaceful future.

As we go through life, all of us will face various situations that cause us moments of stress. Perhaps we are going through bereavement, illness or money problems. And, although we can take action to reduce the feelings of pressure that we are under, it may not always be humanly possible to eradicate our stressful situation entirely.

But many people have discovered that, in cases when times seem particularly bleak, comfort can be found in Jesus. He told his followers that, while they were bound to face troubles, they could always turn to him for help.

He said: ‘I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn’t like the peace that this world can give’ (John 14:27 Contemporary English Version).

Two thousand years later, Jesus’ offer of peace still stands. When we form a relationship with him as part of our day-to-day life, we can experience his love, strength and guidance, whatever we are facing. All we need to do is take that first small step.

INGREDIENTS

fajitas

METHOD

2tbsp sunflower oil

1 large onion, sliced

1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced

1 green pepper, deseeded and sliced

1tbsp fajita seasoning

400g raw large prawns, peeled

1 lime, juice

8 flour tortillas

Black pepper

8tbsp low-fat soured cream

200g fresh salsa

200g guacamole

Sliced jalapeños

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a moderate heat and cook the onion and peppers for a couple of minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the fajita seasoning and prawns. Stir well and cook for a few more minutes, until the prawns are cooked through. Squeeze over the lime juice.

Prawn croquettes

INGREDIENTS

1tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for deep-fat frying

1 onion, diced

250g cooked king prawns, peeled and roughly chopped

300g cooked mashed potato

1tbsp mixed dill, coriander and flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 lemon, zest, plus wedges, to serve

Salt and ground black pepper

50g plain flour

2 eggs, beaten

50g breadcrumbs

6tbsp reduced-fat seafood sauce

Paprika, to garnish

Cress, to garnish

While the prawns are cooking, heat the tortillas according to the packet instructions. Tip the prawn mixture into a dish and add a grind of black pepper.

METHOD

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and cook the onion gently for 5 minutes, until softened.

Transfer the onion to a bowl and toss with the prawns, potato, herbs and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Divide the mixture into 12 balls. Roll out each ball to form a log shape. Place the croquettes on a plate, then cover and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up.

Meanwhile, put the flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs in separate bowls.

Roll the croquettes in the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs until they are evenly coated.

Heat the extra oil in a deep fat fryer or a large deep pan to 180C. Deep-fry the croquettes for 3 minutes or until golden. Once cooked, transfer to kitchen paper until they are ready to serve.

The Lord will never leave you or forsake you

Deuteronomy 31:8