Mum – Hot. Malcolm came for some dup at 10am. Talked a bit. GTE took Comm Service in am. Excellent. Spoke on “One?” V nice service. Went to Drayton in aft. Went to Cathedral at night to hear the Phoenix Club from Down Mkt Met Church present worship in music & dance. Quite good. Y People went – then to Janet & David Ward’s afterwards. P had car hoping she would be home earlier!!
Roger – This morning got up fairly early and while the others went to church I listened to my tapes. This afternoon we went to grandma’s. She got back from Mansfield yesterday and gave me £5 for my holidays. Mum and Tricia went to the cathedral tonight as there was no service at Park Lane.
Notes
A Note on the Weather
Mum noted that it was hot. She had noted that it was hot or very hot for most of June and July. This is not surprising as 1976, is well-known for having had a very hot and dry summer, see Chapter 129.
Malcolm Carter
Malcolm refers to Rev Malcolm Carter. He was a Methodist Minister who became mum’s friend and confidant, see Chapter 114. From Merseyside, he served in the ministry there and in Darlington and East Anglia. He was Minister at Court Hey Methodist Church from 1978 to 1986. He was the Methodist chaplain to Walton Prison, now HM Prison Liverpool, for 20 years. I found a YouTube video of him taking a service at Wonford Methodist Church in Exeter in July 2024. When he was in Norwich, he was mainly based at Bowthorpe Road Methodist Church. On this occasion, he came to collect some duplicating (dup) at 10am. Mum noted that they “talked a bit“.
Duplicating
According to mum’s CV, see Chapter 105, she ran a typing and duplicating business from home until 1975. However, she did typing and duplicating after this date, particularly for the church, see Chapter 121. On this occasion, she noted that Malcolm Carter called round at 10am to collect duplicating (dup).
Communion Service
GTE refers to Rev Geoffrey Thackeray Eddy who was Chairman of the Methodist District at this time. He took the morning service at St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church. It was a communion service. Mum thought he was excellent and that it was a very nice service. she noted that he spoke on the topic of “One?“, see Chapter 124.
This was one of few occasions where mum recorded the sermon topic. However, I am not completely sure what he spoke about! I asked Google AI for ideas as to what it might have been about. Its response was that in July 1976, a Methodist sermon titled “One?” given during a communion service likely focused on church unity and reconciliation.
Listening to Tapes
I was no longer attending church at this point so, while the others were there, I was listening to tapes. These were likely to be of things I had recorded either from the radio or from friends’ records, see Chapter 122.
Rev Geoffrey Thackeray Eddy
Rev Geoffrey Thackeray Eddy is mentioned extremely frequently in the diaries as mum worked part-time for him between 1973 and 1977, see Chapter 121. He was born in Prestwich, Lancashire in 1915 and entered the Ministry in 1936. It appears he became Chairman of the East Anglia District in 1972 having previously held the same post in Lincoln. He died in Stratford-on-Avon in 2014.
Sunday Afternoon Tea
Mum noted going to Drayton in the afternoon. This was for tea at grandma’s which was our usual practice throughout my childhood and teenage years, see Chapter 122.
I also noted going to grandma’s She had got back from a visit to MAnsfield the previous day, see Chapter 122. I also noted that she gave me £5 for my holidays.
Cathedral
Mum noted that she went to the evening service at the Cathedral specifically to see and hear the Phoenix Club from Downham Market Methodist (Down Mkt Meth) Church who were presenting worship in music and dance. She thought it was quite good, see Chapter 124.
In my diary, I correctly noted that mum and Tricia had gone to the Cathedral in the evening. However, I thought this was because there had been no service at St Peter’s. Based on the notice of divine services for that weekend, this does not appear to be the case. I think it is likely that they went because Phoenix were there from Downham Market.
Phoenix Club Downham Market
Based on a review of newspaper archives, I discovered that Phoenix were the Methodist drama group in Downham Market. I also found some of their activities including a modern Christmas play nativity in 1972, entertainment at a frugal supper as part of Christian Aid Week in 1974, a play called “The Living City” which they performed in 1979, a presentation called “Faith Alive” which they performed at the Methodist Conference in Norwich in 1981, a musical revue called “Down Paradise Road” in 1982, another musical revue called “Phoenix Goes West” in 1985, a play called “The Pioneers” which was performed at the Methodist Conference in Stoke in 1986 and a show called “Rats” in 1994. West Norfolk Cine Club made a film called “Faith Alive” about the group’s experiences at the 1981 Methodist Conference in Norwich, see Chapter 124.
Mum noted that the young (Y) people from St Peter’s went to the service. This included my older sister Tricia. After the service, they went back to Janet and David Ward’s. Janet and David Ward were friends of mum’s through xchurch. They are mentioned sometimes in the diaries.
Hoping to be Home Earlier
P refers to my older sister Tricia (Patricia). She was 18 at this point and was able to drive having passed her test the previous year. Mum noted that she had the car, see Chapter 127, and she had hoped that she would have been home earlier. I assume mum was referring to earlier than she was. I don’t quite understand the reference to the car. it could be that mum needed the car, but this seems unlikely on a Sunday night after she was in from church. Alternatively, it may be that mum had lent her the car to help her get home quicker and therefore earlier! It seems clear that tensions between mum and Tricia over when the latter came in were ongoing.
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