Polar Explorer To Give Talk In Delph

As a kid growing up in Failsworth, I and fellow friends used to plague the Methodist church on Oldham Road (now knocked down) and think we were clever when at a certain time of year, if we went to Sunday school for so many weeks prior to a particular date (no idea what the date was!) we used to "qualify" for a gift.

We thought we were being clever, but it was the vicar who was clever because he used to wrap the gifts up - making them more enticing. I remember well that one year my gift was a ladybird book on Captain Scott. 40 years on, I really respect that vicar, and I'm sure he doesn't mind that I don't remember who he was as an individual - just that the gesture will always be remembered. He knew that a gang of us who played on the street and never went to church, would come along for at least 4 weeks of the year, just to qualify for a gift. And he was right, we did. It doesn't make me closer to the church, or know more about captain scott, but its just a hand reaching out to try and communicate that matters and a lesson that I carry on throughout life.