Happy Christmas from the Jewells!

Welcome to News of the Jewells! Christmas 2009 / New Year 2010
	The Jewell family in party mood and fancy dress for Alan's 50th Birthday. (Some of us are wearing wigs and one of us has a false moustache.
Chris and Chloe	Matt and Mya	Lizzy and Alex

ALAN IS OLD - HALF A CENTURY OLD This year saw Alan's 50th birthday - no, he couldn't believe it either. To help him come to terms with it, a weekend of frivolity was arranged. Family travelled from the four corners of the globe to be there. Well, not the globe exactly (and the globe doesn't have corners, does it?) but certainly from across the country. On the evening of Friday 13th November (“I was born on Friday 13th - want to make something of it?”) a party was arranged. Theme of said party was 'Decades', because it occurred to Alan that he had lived in 6 decades, thus far - from the Fifties (just!) to whatever this one is called. Guests were invited to pick a decade and come dressed appropriately. Not everyone understood the brief but many people made a decent stab at it. Alan himself chose the Seventies on the grounds that you can't go wrong with a silver suit, Brian May wig and platform boots. Photos show how successfully he carried this off. Rose went for the Sixties because she found a nice 60s-style dress in the M&S Outlet store at Gloucester Quays. Topped with a Dusty Springfield style wig, Rose looked fab and made many people wonder why she didn't go blonde on a longer term basis. (Alan is still threatening to start a Facebook group campaigning for a blonde Rose.) Chris opted for a 90s grunge look with a chopped wig and a shirt stolen from his dad. (Dad, who had been wearing the shirt since the 90s hadn't realised that it was now a period piece.) Matt acquired dad's suit from the 80s (no, he wasn't still wearing it) and looked suave with shades and a fake 'tash. Lizzy looked stunning, of course, in a 50s style dress. Rose's dad, Austin, dug out a jacket and tie from the 70s and Alan's parents, Sylvia & George, earned widespread acclaim for turning up in the very clothes they had worn for Alan & Rose's wedding in 1982.

Entertainment was provided by a succession of bands, many of which Alan was in (even the ones that didn't really want him). In all, nearly 30 guests played or sang something during the course of the evening in a set that ranged from The Shadows to the Sex Pistols; from the Beverley Sisters to the Spice Girls; and from the Beatles to the Arctic Monkeys. Highlights included a youthful and rousing version of Anarchy in the UK (for which Alan provided kazoo solo), a surprisingly competent rendition of Thin Lizzy's The Boys Are Back In Town and an "I think we got away with it" performance of Dire Straits's Sultans of Swing,. (An over-ambitious attempt at Kiss's God Gave Rock and Roll to You should probably be filed under "It seemed like a good idea at the time".)

During the course of the evening, Alan's 50th birthday present was unveiled: a 50th Anniversary Reissue of the 1959 Gibson Les Paul, one of the most iconic electric guitars ever. (Since learning that Alan was to have the guitar for his birthday, Les Paul himself, aged 94 and knowing that his work on earth was done, has gone to that great gig in the sky.) The weekend continued with a family meal for 20 at Liverpool's Tavern Company Restaurant on the Saturday evening and, Gasp!, a leisurely Sunday morning with brunch. (Yes! Alan booked a Sunday off!) Sunday afternoon saw him joining parishioners at the Church Centre for Afternoon Tea. As many of the guests were church folk, Alan suggested that, instead of wasting their money buying him presents, they might like to make a donation to church funds. As a result, over £1,000 was raised during the weekend. Alan was said to be "thrilled" with this result (but still wonders what he might have bought had they given him the thousand quid instead...).

ALSO THIS YEAR...

Alan & Rose spent a fortnight in Tenerife – the longest holiday they have ever had without the children. Their relationship survived. Actually, they quite enjoyed it.

Chris and Matthew, both students at Liverpool University, now share a house and work long, late-night shifts in Liverpool bars. Lizzy is in her second year at Sixth Form College and is currently applying for university places: she fancies going further afield than her brothers. Rose loves her job at Sir John Deane's College in Northwich but hates queuing to get over Runcorn bridge on days when the traffic is bad. Journey time varies from 35 minutes to a gruelling 2 hours and 55 minutes. (Lane closure on the bridge.) Alan continues as Team Rector in the Halewood Ecumenical Team, having been re-licensed at Liverpool Cathedral in January. This year has also seen him take on the role of Chaplain to the Mayor of Knowsley, an arduous task that involves attending dinner dances, afternoon tea in the mayor's parlour and saying the occasional prayer. Asked to describe his role, Alan said that it was "putting the fear of God into the Mayor of Knowsley". St Nicholas' Church hosted the Mayor's inaugural Civic Service and a Carol Service. The year has provided Alan with a number of challenges, including what to do when people complain that they can't get a seat because the church is too full. It doesn't (yet!) happen every week, but it has happened on a number of occasions in the year. (“The church seats 220 people: last Sunday we had to cram in 320. It's a headache!”) Extra morning services have been added, but Alan says, "It goes against the grain to be discouraging people from attending church". Alan & Rose continue to enjoy their apartment at Gloucester Docks but find that they can’t visit it as often as they would like. They were pleased to make the acquaintance of their new (and only) niece, Ruby May, born on 4th May.

Happy Christmas!

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Ah, Saturday morning! And what kind of weather will we have for the summer fete?

Alone Again (Naturally)

Sunday afternoon! Aahh!

Untitled

Christmas Greetings from the European Capital of Culture 2008!

For the past year, the Jewells have enjoyed Liverpool's status as Capital of Culture and participated in many of the key events.

Starting with The Liverpool Nativity in December 2007. Alan & Rose stood in the freezing cold to watch the BBC TV live broadcast featuring Jennifer Ellison and that bloke who used to be Eddie Yeats in Coronation Street. We sang along to the Liverpool pop soundtrack, ably backed by local band, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

The official launch itself got mixed reviews from the Jewell family: it was visually spectacular (acrobats on cranes and actors on the top of tall buildings) but when the headline act is Ringo Starr, singing a song what he wrote specially, you just know you shouldn't have got your hopes up.

Alan & Rose went to Anfield to see Paul McCartney and were glad they did. The man has quite a back catalogue, you'll have to agree. As compère Peter Kay observed, he's a local lad who has done pretty well in the old music business.

We all made trips into the city to see La Princesse - the 50-foot mechanical spider that roamed Liverpool accompanied by musicians and French actors playing mad scientists. Local scallies nicknamed her "Princess La" - but you probably have to be a scouser to find that funny.

Rose particularly enjoyed spotting SuperLambBananas - clones of the original statue that appeared all over the city, and beyond.

Here in Halewood, we organised CultureFest 2008, a fortnight of cultural events to make sure that the fun wasn't confined to the city. Alan claims that it was his idea - he suggested at a church council meeting that we should arrange a cultural festival in Halewood (despite some wag suggesting that there was more culture in a pot of yoghurt). Another church member took up the idea with some enthusiasm and we pitched it to Halewood Town Council. The Town Council decided it was a good idea - so good that they soon forgot it was ours and organised their own festival. In the end, the two festivals merged and a whole fortnight of events was arranged in June/July. Highlights include bagging the Liverpool Phil for a concert at Halewood Leisure Centre, a performance of Trial By Jury by the Bentley Operatic Society, and having our evening service from St Nicholas' recorded and broadcast on BBC Radio Merseyside. (CDs available from Alan.)

Plans for CultureFest 2009 are already under way and we are also talking about a Winter Festival. (Alan is thinking of suggesting calling it 'Christmas'.)

Family News

For the first time in 6 years, all three of the children are in full-time education. Ta da! Regular readers of News of the Jewells will remember that each of them has had M.E. and that they have missed an awful lot of school. (The home tutor once arrived on our doorstep and reached into her handbag to find her keys, only to remember that she doesn't actually live in our house and therefore doesn't have a key to our front door.) They all seem to have come through the worst of it and are beginning to make good progress again. Chris was 21 in October (imagine that!) and is in his second year reading maths at Liverpool University. Matthew, 18 in July, has begun his anatomy course at Liverpool; and Lizzy, 16 in July, is doing A levels in English, English Literature, Psychology and History at Liverpool Community College. Haven't they done well?

The Institution (the heavy metal band in which Chris plays drums and Matt, guitar) launched an album in May this year. (It was recorded in our dining room.) They got a great crowd at the Barfly in Liverpool and rocked the joint. Sadly, their front man, Joe Maryanji, in a moment of characteristic ebullience began their last gig by wrecking his knee. He performed a few numbers lying on his back on the stage, before being taken away by ambulance. The band has been rather quiet for a while, but hopes to begin gigging again in the New Year.

Rose has a new job! She now teaches at Sir John Deane's 6th Form College in Northwich. Having said that she would never get a job that meant crossing the Runcorn Bridge every morning, she now does exactly that and describes it as "the best job ever". As well as teaching maths, she also played piano for the college's production of Little Shop of Horrors and accompanies the choir.

Alan is still Team Rector in Halewood, having been Vicar and then Rector for a total of 11 years. His Licence expired in November, which presumably means he is currently doing the job illegally, but after a review process, the Bishop has agreed to re-licence him in the New Year. Alan is pleased still to have a job and is enjoying a newly refurbished church building. He is also quietly pleased to report that on a number of occasions this year, the church has been so full that it has been standing room only. (On Remembrance Sunday - not his favourite occasion in the church year, admittedly - he was faced with over 300 people in a building that seats 220. He doesn't want to take all the credit, you understand, but feels that he must be doing something right. Or at least, not doing anything too wrong.)

Church schools traditionally exist for two purposes:

1. To educate the children of the faithful in a way that is consonant with the family's faith. (Domestic purpose)
2. To serve their community. (General purpose)

1 may be emphasised in RC schools or independent Christian schools.

2 is why Halewood CE was established. the school serves this parish by providing the best education in a Christian ethos.

National CE guidance says that CE schools are to be "distinctive and inclusive". Distinctive because everything we do is consonant with Christian faith. Inclusive means that we serve the children of this parish, irrespective of the faith of their parents.

The problem is to meet both criteria: to ensure that the school remains distinctive - otherwise it has no reason to exist - and to offer places at the school to any family in the parish who wants their children to be educated here.

Hence admissions criteria. what we need to guard against is an admissions policy that covertly selects children (or looks as if it might) on any other grounds, eg social. Eg, the distance to school criterion. Because of where the school is and the development of mostly private, owner occupier housing in Halewood Village, compared with the houses of the Torrington Estate, children from the expensive houses at the back of the school stand a better chance of getting a place than do those from the other side of the tracks (literally!). Or church involvement - a single mother on a limited budget may not be able to clean the church or someone who works shifts - class. CE Church-goers tend to be higher social class than non-church-goers, so selecting on church involvement tends to select higher social class.

Having sat in with the admissions committee for the first time, I now feel your pain! Once siblings were admitted, so few places to allocate between so many applicants. Blatant anomalies: a church-going family who live in the parish and want their child to be educated in a school with a Christian ethos, but worship somewhere other than St Nicholas' or St Mary's, are not given a place; while another family turn up at St Nicholas' a few times and then ask me to support their application. (I sign the form and explain the criteria.)

Also need to discuss the place of St Hilda's, Hunts Cross - we are linked to them as a 'cluster'. We need to protect the Church of England's role - we supports the school by providing Governors, etc. so people who support the CE do expect our school to offer places to their children. Illustration: leavers service disrupted by industrial action. School changed the day and moved it from church to school. Protests! The Church is not just a venue: people whose children are at HCEPS regard St Nicholas' as their church - even those who don't attend regularly.

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