Dear Prime Time member,

Well, the school summer holidays have started and with a certain air of inevitability, the weather has taken a distinct turn for the worse…  I must admit that the intense heat of last week I did find a little much, but even when I was looking forward to things cooling down a bit; I wasn’t imagining that we’d fast forward into something that feels more like autumn!  I hope you’ve managed to avoid going out in the worst of the weather this week.  As the school holidays are now upon us, I’ve temporarily returned to being a full-time mum.  Just as well really as I seem to have spent a large part of this week trying to dry out wet kit!  Harry has spent the last fortnight undertaking the National Citizen Service scheme.  His NCS experience started when temperatures were hitting 30 degrees and it ended yesterday playing a charity football tournament in the pouring rain, with temperatures at least ten degrees cooler than when he started the programme!

When the rain really deluged on Wednesday afternoon, Harry was involved in a charity awareness-raising exercise outside the Spectrum Leisure Centre in Guildford.  Less than 20 minutes after the storm started I got an SOS asking if I could go and pick him up as the weather had forced them to stop activities for the day.  Not before he and everything he had taken with him had been well and truly soaked though.  His shoes had to be stuffed with newspaper and put in the airing cupboard to dry out and when I opened out the folding chair he had taken with him, there was a visible puddle sitting in the middle of the seat!  I’m not sure that the chair will ever be quite the same again…

Everything was just about dry in time for yesterday’s football tournament.  We knew what to expect in terms of the weather, so I was prepared that he would return home wet again yesterday (and muddy this time too) but very unfortunately, the team Harry was part of had been drawn to play in white.  You can imagine how I spent yesterday evening…!

When I haven’t been operating a home-based laundry this week, I have managed to watch some of the Olympic action.  It’s been a nice feeling waking up each day and hearing of Team GBs overnight successes on the news.  I’ve enjoyed watching some sports that I don’t normally take that much of an interest in; much to my surprise, I found myself quite enthralled by the surfing competition. (Not enough to make me want to try it out for myself though!)

The TV coverage of the Olympic Games has included some fascinating articles and interviews, but one in particular caught my interest; a feature about pole vaulter Mike Bull.  Born in 1946, Mike Bull competed for Team GB in the Summer Olympics of 1968 and 1972. Maybe you have a memory from that time of watching him compete?  Now aged 74, Mike has come out of retirement and has his sights set on competing once again in a Masters Pole Vault competition.  He credits last year’s Lock Down as his motivation for re-starting his involvement in the sport. As I watched the feature, it really resonated with me as it chimes with my focus as Prime Time Co-Ordinator; getting the message out there, not just to people of Prime Time age – but across all generations, that older age can be fulfilling and that one’s ability to contribute does not stop with retirement.

In the coverage of the Olympics, much is made of the potential for current competitors to inspire the younger generations who are watching at home; fuelling a passion in them to take sport seriously and in so doing bringing on the next generation of sports men and women.  Maybe a child might have seen the feature about Mike Bull and be inspired to try the Pole Vault as a result; but as I was watching this item, I realised that Mike’s continuing contribution is as an inspiring role model for the Prime Time generation.  Please don’t for an instant think that I am suggesting that you should go out and try Pole Vaulting -  I would not wish to have the inevitable injuries on my conscience!  However, what I found so inspirational was that Mike was returning to activity he assumed that due to advancing age was lost to him.  I wonder what hobbies or past times you might be prompted to pick up again? If you are feeling a little doubtful about this, your words of encouragement this week, once again come from St Paul the Apostle in his letter to the Philippians; ‘I can do all things through him who strengthens me’ (Philippians Chapter 4; Verse 13).  Sage advice for people of any age.  If you’d like to view the BBC feature that inspired the content of this week’s Prime Time email , you can see it by clicking on the following link:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-northern-ireland-58017671

As I’m on leave, I’ll be handing over the Prime Time weekly email to some guest contributors during the coming weeks.  I’m sure you’ll enjoy the greater variety of ideas than is possible when just one person is responsible for the content.  So my appreciation goes out in advance to Di, Shelagh and Olwen who have offered to take on the mantle while my brain has a few weeks off to recharge itself!

It is my prayer that we all have a happy and healthy summer and that those who wish to, are able to reconvene in person when Prime Time events re-start in September.

With every blessing,

Penny x

Penny Naylor

Primetime Befriending Co-ordinator