Latest news with #StJamesChurch
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Father criticises school admissions criteria after son denied place at chosen school
A father has criticised the school admissions system after he lost his appeal to get his son into a Church of England faith school. Adam Grainger says his son is only able to attend church once a month because he can find it stressful due to a diagnosed anxiety disorder. But to be eligible for a place at a faith school, attendance should be twice a month. Adam says his 11-year-old son has to sometimes pull his coat over his head due to his social anxiety while in church. Despite the monthly attendance, the family say they have been told that to get a place at St James's Church of England High School, Farnworth, the youngster needed to have attended church twice a month. More: Iconic Bolton youth club to be home to one of just 30 specialist pitches More: First class pupils are set to become tomorrow's leaders More: University admissions expert debunks 5 common clearing myths for students Instead, Adam's son is set to attend Mt St Josephs School, which is a catholic school also in Farnworth. "My son has been attending a Church of England church for 18 months, despite the fact it's a very stressful experience for him," Mathew said. "There's irony in the fact that he has been denied a place at a Church of England school when he has been attending a church of that denomination, but he is being sent to a Catholic school, so religion clearly doesn't matter that much does it?" Matthew believes the decision to not let his son into the family's desired school could cause further deterioration of the 11-year-old's social anxiety problems. He added: "His brother is 13 years old, and he attends St James' so it would be better if they could be together as that would be a huge help. "My 11-year-old's anxiety got worse after his brother started suffering from epilepsy, so he worries about him a lot, and it would help if he could see him in school. "He's rightfully very protective." Matthew's son's mum, who he co-parents with, lives within the catchment area for St James'. The family have appealed the decision to turn down his entry, but were unsuccessful, meaning Matthew's son is on track to attend Mt St Joseph. "I would just like to add, that this isn't sour grapes, we honestly believe attending the same school as his brother would drastically help with my son's anxiety," Matthew explained. A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: 'We cannot comment on individual cases. 'However, the school places appeal process is a clear, accessible, and transparent system overseen by an independent panel."
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Residents turn out in force for annual Party in the Park event
Despite the extreme heat, Ludgershall residents turned out in force for the annual Party in the Park event. Held on Saturday, July 12, the Recreation Ground was bustling with activity, with attendees bringing picnic blankets and umbrellas to join in the fun. The event, organised by Ludgershall Town Council, boasted a range of attractions. Kick Start, Beat the Goalie and inflatable darts were particularly popular. Rich Pearson wowed the crowd with a bike show, followed by Mr Burt's children's entertainment and balloon show. Read more Alpacas bring joy and laughter to care home with surprise visit Wings & Wheels 2025: Eye-catching planes and vintage cars in action Music festival raises thousands to support church roof restoration Rich Pearson wowed the crowd with a bike show. (Image: Ludgershall Town Council) The raffle raised £300 for the Mayor's Charity, which this year is St James' Church Restoration Fund. Trade stands, food vendors and a busy ice cream van, along with tea and cakes provided by Friends of Ludgershall, English Heritage and St James Church, kept everyone refreshed. A selection of entertainers, including The Cover Girls, Nokando, Electric Eden and MJ Ponting, took to the stage throughout the afternoon and evening. As the sun set, more people joined, seeking shelter under the hedges surrounding the ground. A council spokesperson said: "Well done to all the people who helped to make this such a success and to all the Ludgershall residents who came to dance and sing along with us."
Irish Times
27-05-2025
- Irish Times
Walking the Bray Celtic Camino: a Famous Five adventure for adults
Dare I utter the words 'hidden gem'? Especially when referring to Bray, Co Wicklow? I think I dare. The Camino de Santiago de Compostela is a network of pilgrimages across Europe which leads to St James's Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. I know scores of people who have done it for spiritual, physical and craic-centric reasons. They all come home with a sort of knowing air of, 'It's fabulous. It's a pity we don't have that kind of walking infrastructure here.' We do in fact have that kind of infrastructure here, albeit on a much smaller scale. There are two Camino routes in Ireland, one from Tralee to St James's church in Dingle, and one from the Bray seafront to St James's Gate in Dublin 8. Cut to me having half a notion to travel abroad to try the Camino, and then deciding that there would be no harm in availing of a free trial at home. READ MORE My two walking companions want to do the route backwards, going from St James's Church in the Liberties to the Bray seafront. I'm pretty adamant about finishing five minutes from my house in Dublin 8, flopping on the couch and ordering takeaway, but Hugh and Colm win me over with the promise of a dip in the Irish Sea at the end of the long road. It will become apparent as you read this that we are not masters of logistics. In the first instance, we had agreed to set off from St James's with our Irish language pilgrim passes at 11am. With the best of intentions, we depart from the grey stone steps of the church at midday. Delays aside, the first 10 minutes are extremely rewarding and flat. We pick up stamps in St James's Church, St Audoen's Church and Christ Church. Gleeful, we stop for coffees and a lemon slice. We maybe peak too early. Hugh O'Reilly Fitzgerald, Colm Maye and Niamh Browne at St Audoen's Church The first logistical hiccup involves bicycles. Colm has a fanatical relationship with cycling; there's nothing he loves more. If the bicycle and I were drowning at the Bray seafront, Colm would be cycling to my funeral. He insists on cycling to meet me at our starting point. The issue is, he then doesn't want to leave his treasured possession locked outside St James' unattended for hours on end. As a result, he decides he'll walk with it some of the way, deposit it at the first convenient Dart station, and collect the bike en route home. It is not a surprise to anyone who knows him that he walks and wheels it for the entirety of our 30km passage. So there are four of us in our walking party. We start in St James's Church, which is the home to the Camino Society Ireland. Here you can buy your passport, pick up a map and get further information about what you're about to get yourself into. We then walk through Dublin 8 past Christ Church, cros the river to see the Famine memorial, zigzagged back over the Seán O'Casey Bridge, and amble happily over Grand Canal Dock and along the river Dodder until we hit Sandymount. From Sandymount onwards it is navigational plain sailing and we hug the coast till we reach our final destination. The second big issue is that the three of us are chatterboxes. Every available opportunity to stop and chat – about the weather, the Irish language, saving the ocean, then saving the planet, anything at all – is seized. We have made eight stops by the time we reach the halfway point of Dún Laoghaire and are too late to collect our stamps at the tourist information office and the James Joyce tower. [ Bray-Greystones cliff walk: 'It's a big attraction. We have got to get it reopened' Opens in new window ] 'But sure, it's about the journey rather than the destination,' says Hugh. Although this is true, I had been feeling pretty goal-orientated clutching my stamp book. It is at our ninth stop, in Dún Laoghaire, when I start to get impatient. 'Right lads, we need to pick up pace,' I say. The result of this is nine stops pre Dún Laoghaire, two stops post Dún Laoghaire. But even with our second-half urgency, we still arrive at the pebbly beach on the Wicklow border at 8.30pm, some 8½ hours after kick-off. With two kilometres to go until we reach the Victorian sea resort, Hugh cheerfully asks me: 'What is the name of the church? Could you pull it up on Google there?' 'St James's, I assume,' I say naively. After a couple of quick clicks on my phone I realise that there is no St James's in Bray. The church we are supposed to get our pilgrim passports stamped at is 1km behind us – Crinken (St James) Church in Shankill. Colm Maye and Niamh Browne on Killiney Hill Road At this stage of the walk I am sweaty, tired, sunburned and hungry. To go backwards feels like an impossible feat, a huge psychological loss. However, the stamps are saved from the jaws of exhaustion. Colm is the human incarnation of a Duracell bunny and he gladly agrees to cycle back and collect our stamps from Crinken Church. Hugh and I sit at a bus stop with a man whose car broke down with our own broken bodies and wait. We have to eat our words having made fun of Colm for wheeling his bike all day and it turns out they aren't tasty. Niamh Browne at the start of the Bray Celtic Camino Niamh Browne on the Dart home after completing the Bray Celtic Camino By the time we reach Bray, it is past sunset, and the moon is rising. Hugh is too exhausted to even swim in spite of advocating for this orientation of the route for that exact purpose. I slowly (oh so very slowly) side shuffle down the shore with my tired feet and plunge myself into the shallow water. It is enormously relieving. Suddenly I am focused on being cold rather than sore and it feels brilliant. Niamh Browne's stamped Pilgrim passport from the Bray Celtic Camino We hobble from the beachfront to an excellent Pakistani restaurant called Daata, where we devour hearty bowls of creamy and spicy curry, fluffy rice and sweet naan. We are fit only for bed, but just before catching the Dart, we crawl to the famous Harbour Bar for one delicious pint. The beads of condensation drip down the side of the pint glasses like sweat, the music is bluesy and the chairs are plush. It is the single greatest achievement of the day that we manage to peel ourselves away and get the last Dart home. The Verdict The Celtic Camino felt like an adult Famous Five excursion – complete with picnics, swimming, hiking and lashings of ginger beer – although the only adventure was our own knack for creating artificial elements of inconvenience. I'd happily recommend it to anyone, but perhaps with better timekeeping and hiking in the opposite direction. A couple of things to keep in mind: The route is 30 kilometres-ish in total, but it can be broken up into segments. You could do the Dún Laoghaire to Bray stretch, for example, or just the city centre part to practise. Even if we hadn't taken 8½ hours to complete our journey, it still probably would have been better to plan to start earlier. It's long whatever way you dice it but if you want to reach all the stamp venues early enough to collect the seven stamps along the route, it's best to go in the morning. Lastly, wear sunscreen and comfortable shoes. Given that it's an urban trail, most essentials such as water and snacks can be purchased en route. The only non-negotiable item I'd advise you bring with you is sun cream – and lots of it. Further information about the Bray Celtic Camino Coastal Route can be found at .
