We now have one CFR trained by WMAS, who is about to do some on the job training with neighbouring units, and two more CFRs have dates confirmed for their training courses. The team made their first public appearance at St Peter's School Fayre in May and their second at Weston Fete on June 8th and they will be at Sandon Fete on August 17th. Please come along to meet the team and find out what our medically trained rapid response volunteers can do. Great news! We have received a very generous offer from a company who have been working locally, to purchase an essential item of medical equipment for us, at a cost of more than £1,000. More details and photos will follow soon. This piece of kit will enable our rapid response volunteers to assess a patient's condition quickly and efficiently.If you are interested in becoming a Community First Responder, West Midlands Ambulance Service are recruiting at the moment, up until 30th June. For more details go to the NHS website and in Job Search enter C9217-CFR07-24-25A special thank you to Wellington Fields Allotment Association, who very kindly donated the proceeds from their annual plant sale to the CFRs, which increased our funds by over £700.00. Target £11,000 - raised so far £6,000! To donate, you can use the QR code above or for further info, contact Mark Farrington on: 07814 - 453326 If you would like to become part of this team or wish to find out more of what's involved please contact me by email...Mark Farrington, Chairman Hixon Memorial Hallmarkfarrington2003@hotmail.com
Change is a fact of life. Indeed, throughout our lives we experience all sorts of changes: sometimes dreams are realised, sometimes dreams are shattered; sometimes change is anticipated and hoped for, sometimes change is inevitable or disappointing. Some changes bring us joy, some bring us sorrow.As I sit writing this letter, I am contemplating a sermon based on Jesus calming a storm (Mark 4:35 if you would like to read it). Jesus commands the wind and the sea to be still, and tells his frightened disciples not to be afraid. Even when the situation appears bleak, we can find reassurance and peace in Jesus: if we trust in him, we can weather any storm, any change – great or small.Our churches in the Mid-Trent Benefice have started to consider the changes that will be needed before a new parish priest can be appointed. This is likely to involve re-organisation of the team, new ways of church communities working and worshiping together more closely, thinking afresh about the way our ten church buildings are used and managed in the future. Some of these changes might seem obvious, some radical; some might bring joy, others might seem sad, but through prayer and careful discernment, I am confident that God will cause the right seeds to grow, that Jesus will offer reassurance and peace, and that the Holy Spirit will guide our church leaders towards a bold future, focused on sharing the Good News of Jesus, and loving and serving our village communities.Our ‘Compass’ magazine has been through exciting changes recently. You will see that we are appealing for donations to support its continued publication and distribution (with increasing costs, but delivered free of charge to every home): please do consider contributing if you are able.Change is coming for me, too. By the time this copy of ‘Compass’ finds itself in your recycling bin, Malcolm and I will have moved to our new parish, St John the Evangelist in Perry Barr. Change can be both daunting and exciting; moving to a new post, a new home, and a new community can be both sad and joyful. I have enjoyed my time serving as curate in Mid-Trent Churches greatly, building relationships, developing ideas, and serving and worshiping alongside many of you. It has been a wonderful privilege for which I am truly grateful. I pray that you will all continue to grow and flourish in mutual respect, love and service for one another in the years ahead. And, if you are someone who prays, please pray for me as I embark on the next chapter of my ministry in Birmingham. May God bless you, and all those you love. Amen.With every blessing, Danny
Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.The Compass magazine goes to the 2,500 homes within the eight parishes of Mid-Trent. It’s full of church news, community events and supported by many local business who advertise in it.We have an annual appeal from the community, to help with the running costs of producing the magazine. Each months copy costs £1,000 to produce. Just Giving makes it as simple as possible for you to donate something to support its continued production by either scanning the attached QR code or clicking on: Mid Trent Churches Compass is fundraising for Lichfield Diocesan Trust (justgiving.com)If you are not comfortable giving on line, you can still pass on a donation to your distributor or drop it into the church.Please help us to support the community with a magazine for the local community and local businesses.Thanks for your donationDonating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
It has been said of Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802) that no one has ever rivalled him in his achievements in such a wide range of fields. He was a far-sighted scientific genius and one of the foremost physicians of his time. His gift for friendship enabled him to recruit the members of the Lunar Society of Birmingham which is often seen as the main intellectual powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution in England.The son of a Nottingham lawyer, Darwin studied classics and mathematics at St. John’s, Cambridge, and then engaged in three years of medical training at the University of Edinburgh. He moved to Lichfield in 1756, where he ran a medical practice and was elected a fellow of the Royal Society (1761). His first wife, Mary Howard, died in 1770, leaving three surviving sons, and the youngest, physician Robert Waring Darwin, married the daughter of Darwin’s close friend, English craftsman and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood. The young couple’s fifth son was Charles Darwin, who would later write the influential work On the Origin of the Species (1859).In the early 1770s Erasmus Darwin had two illegitimate daughters with his live-in helper, Mary Parker. In 1781 he married a young widow, Elizabeth Pole in 1781, and moved to Derby, where they had seven children.The most striking of Darwin's many talents was his extraordinary scientific insight in physics, chemistry, geology, meteorology and all aspects of biology -- his deepest insight being his evolutionary theory of life. Two of his books, the ‘Zoonomia’, which made him famous as the leading medical mind of the 1790s, and ‘The Temple of Nature’, a long poem, show that he believed life developed from microscopic specks in primeval seas through fishes and amphibians to 'humankind'. He spent 7 years translating Linnaeus' text of botanical classification into English. Darwin helped to transform British manufacturing by promoting canal systems and steam power. He invested in development and technological innovations of factory owners, such as Josiah Wedgwood, Matthew Boulton, and Thomas Arkwright. Erasmus was the first person to give a full description of how clouds form and of photosynthesis in plants. He was also an inventor of mechanical devices, among them a speaking machine, a horizontal windmill, a copying machine, sketches for rocket engines and the steering technique used in modern cars!Towards the end of his life he gained recognition as the leading English poet in the country, and he deeply influenced Blake, Wordsworth and Shelley. This insight into Erasmus Darwin; was given by Pat Empsall through ‘Erasmus Darwin House’ in Lichfield, which is open 6 days a week.Our Next Meeting on July 2nd will be a visit to Sandon Church starting at 7.30 pm (or meet at the hall at 7.00pm if you need a lift).The September 3rd meeting will be about ‘Animal Symbolism’ in the Staffordshire Hoard. John Egginton
