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February
28 February 2008
Breakout goes beyond in 2008
Thousands of young people will gather in July to
go “beyond” with long-running event Breakout. Organised by MAYC, Breakout
will run from 11-13 July at Cliff College in the Derbyshire Peak District.
Breakout is for all young people in year seven or
above at school. In 2008 the weekend will be based on the theme of “going
beyond.” Mike Seaton, National Secretary for MAYC, says that this includes
“going beyond what people have tried before, whether that is in sport, art or
worship. It means looking beyond our own lives to parts of our communities and
society we usually ignore. It means going beyond our expectations of what a
weekend away can be.”
As well as the usual sporting, worship and social
activities, Breakout will also offer chances for people to make their voices
heard. The organisers are applying for a community radio license, so that groups
will be able to take turns broadcasting to the site.
26 February, 2008
Methodist delight at decision to drop
the supercasino
The Methodist Church welcomes today’s
Government announcement that they will not grant a supercasino licence.
Proposals for supercasinos, also known as regional casinos, have been strongly
opposed by The Methodist Church.
Alison Jackson, Team Leader for Public Issues in
the Methodist Church, said “we are delighted to hear that the Government is
not intending to grant a licence for a supercasino. We are pleased that the
Government has listened to reason and decided against building a massive
gambling complex with unlimited jackpot fruit machines in a deprived area. The
Methodist Church calls on the Government to support other ways of regenerating
those communities most in need.”
The Methodist Church will continue to monitor the
impact of the 16 new large and small casinos that will now open as planned. The
Church will keep pressure on the government and the industry to do all they can
to protect players and support people who have a gambling problem.
Alison says “the new casinos will be a cause of
concern for many people, not least those who live in the neighbourhoods where
the casinos are going to be built. We urge the casino operators and the
licensing authorities to do all in their power to encourage responsible gaming,
and to help those in need.”
The new casinos will be subject to a three-year
evaluation period to monitor their impact. The Methodist Church is demanding
that this time period should start when the casinos open and take three years of
full operation into account. The premises will take time to build and fit out,
so counting the three years from the date on which the licences are awarded
could mean that the casinos have been open for only a few weeks when the review
takes place.
Monday 11 February 2008
£30,000 to support flood victims in
Southern Africa
The Methodist Church in Great Britain is sending
a solidarity grant of £30,000 to Methodist Churches in Southern Africa to
provide support for flood victims.
Flooding of the River Zambezi has destroyed
homes, submerged crops and left thousands of people in Zambia, Mozambique and
Zimbabwe in desperate need of help. Many have been made homeless and there are
widespread outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and dysentery. Children in
affected areas are no longer able to receive education and more than 80% of
crops have been washed away.
Kevin Fray, World Church Officer for Africa,
says; ‘Many are aware of the desperate levels of poverty and deprivation that
already exist in this area of the world, and the flooding has only made this
worse. Those who already faced difficult circumstances in their day to day lives
have seen their homes and livelihoods swept away. We hope that this grant goes
some way toward alleviating their suffering.’
The churches will use the money to provide
shelter, food, clean water, clothing and other types of support for those whose
lives have been devastated by the flooding.
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BOLTON
AND ROCHDALE METHODIST
DISTRICT