SKEGNESS METHODISTS
PAST EVENTS
Christmas Offering Donated to
Derbyshire Children's Holiday Centre
Skegness Methodist Church's Candlelit Christingle Carol Service was well attended and among the 35 or so children were 19 from the Derbyshire Children's Holiday Centre who were in Skegness for a special pre-Christmas treat. One of the little girls gave an impromptu performance of a carol she had learnt at school. The children so moved our hearts that it was agreed that we would donate the collection of £300 from our combined Christmas Day service to the centre.
Pictured are the Minister,
Rev Ian Banks and one
of the Church Stewards,
Mrs Pam Haynes,
presenting the cheque to
Roger Giles,
the Centre Manager.
The centre was founded in 1891 by a Christian gentleman,
Mr Harry Sykes with the help of some Derbyshire businessmen and with the help of his sister who was a nurse. Mr Sykes felt called to provide disadvantaged children from the City of Derby with holiday breaks in Skegness. The centre has continued with charitable donations and last year was able to provide a holiday in Skegness for 465 children from the City of Derby.
While they were visiting the Childrens' Holiday Centre, Pam and Ian could not resist playing with some of the many toys and computer games that had been donated to the centre.
On January 19, 2003, Mr Davaid Harris, Managing Secretary of the Holiday Centre based in Derby, attended morning worship at Skegness Methodist Church and was able to tell us about the current work of the holiday centre in Skegness.
Our own minister, Rev Ian Banks, was able to share with the congregation and our visitors from Derby a true life storey about the work of the centre. One of our dear sisters in Christ from Seathorne Methodist Church, Phylda Isherwood lost her husband in April last year. Ernest was born in 1918. The early years of his life were hard times in the history of the nation and the family found themselves struggling in the middle of the depression years due to Ernie's father's ill health. It was at this time that Ernie was offered a holiday that was to bring him to Skegness and change the course of his life.
Ernie came to the Derbyshire Children's Home for a holiday and made such an impression that Mr Harry Sykes asked Ernie's parents if he could stay at the home in order to give him a better chance in life. So when Ernie was only 11 years of age, Mr Sykes became his guardian. He paid for him to go to Shepherd's Private School, which was then on Wainfleet Road, and then when Ernie was 14 Mr Sykes arranged an apprenticeship with a plumbing and heating firm in Skegness. Mr Sykes died at the age of 72 in 1941.
