Pilots

TRINITY HALE PILOTS

For further details contact the church office on 0161 929 9747

The Pilots at Hale continue to meet on Tuesdays in term-time. We are affiliated to the national Pilots organisation. Our official name is “S.S. Enterprise,” although we have never seen it used!

We have over 30 children at present aged between 7 and 12, divided into four watches which are named after lighthouses: Beachy Head, Eddystone, The Needles and South Stack.

We have a number of regular activities, including our annual coach trip to the beach and the nature reserves at Freshfield, Formby. The children put their dramatic talents to good use before Christmas when they presented King Arthur and raised over £900 for Self-Help Africa, and again in March when they offered The Call at morning service in Trinity Hale church.

Our next planned activity is fund-raising, this year for the Dar Al Kalima School in Bethlehem. The Pilots hope to have stalls selling knick-knacks and delicious goodies—and to offer a car washing service!

We have lots of children, including younger siblings waiting to be old enough to come and join Pilots. What we do NOT have is enough LEADERS.

We have been very glad to have Linda Meredih join us as Assistant Leader this year, and we are grateful to all the Mums and Dads who have helped out in all sorts of capacities. If we are to continue there is an urgent need for one or more adults to come forward as committed leaders to take the work forward.
So if anybody is interested in helping, in any way at all, please let us know.

Q.: Can you point to all the lighthouses on the map ???

Susan Stratton, 12th June 2010

TRINITY HALE PILOTS

Fundraising Event –Tuesday, 22nd June 2010
This year we are hoping to raise funds for the Dar Al Kalima School, which is an Evangelical Lutheran School located in Jordan and the Holy Land.
For further details please take a look at http://www.dar-alkalima.sch.ps/
Please come and join us at our Pilots fundraising evening from 18.00 until 19.15 on Tuesday 22nd June in the Trinity Hale Church car park.
• There will be a motivated team of Pilots and Dads armed and ready to wash your car.
Also there will be stalls selling
• delicious homemade cakes
• knick-knacks
• and a selection of quality second-hand books.
This will be the first time the Pilots have held this type of fund raising event, so please come and support us!
Any donations for the cake, book and knick-knack stall would be very welcome.
Looking forward to seeing you all then!

HALE PILOTS’ VISIT TO FORMBY 2010

On Sunday the 26th of September I woke up with a feeling of excitement, as I remembered that I was going to Formby for the day with Pilots. I had my breakfast and my dad took me to Church, where all the Pilots met in the Round Room. We all went to the Family Service and took part in the Harvest Festival, and made a paper windmill with Reverend Jolly, which was fun.
After the service we boarded the coach and set off to Formby. The coach journey took about 45 minutes. When we arrived we had to walk the rest of the way until we got to Formby beach. On the way we stopped at a forest and had some lunch, and then played in the trees. After ten minutes we set off again and we had to cross a railway line and a golf course and then we were at the beach!! WHOOPEE!!!!
After Mrs Stratton had explained the safety issues we could do anything - some chose to do their sand sculptures, some went in the sea and the adults sat under the warm sun.
Hours passed and people had finished on the sand dunes and started on the sand sculptures. Unfortunately we couldn’t stay any longer, so we set off to the red squirrels. We had ten minutes to look for them and play. Time flew and it was time to go. We had a great time.
The Pilots day out in Formby
Thanks to all the helpers, Mrs Stratton and Linda.             Phoebe

"All Things Bright and Beautiful"

Pilots made these 10 beautiful banners to decorate the pillars in the Church.
They represent the lines of the hymn.


The normal Pilots’ work consists of working for badges in the following subjects:

SUSAN STRATTON

I was born in Dunham Massey, the youngest of three in an Anglican family. My mother ran Sunday School and Cubs. After I married David in 1970, we ran the Youth Fellowship at St Mary’s Bowdon, for seventeen years. We also helped with Junior Church at Hale (where David was a member) at this time. Later I transferred my membership to the URC.
Our two sons went to Bowdon Church Primary School, and I have taught there on a supply basis for some years.
One day in 1987 the Revd Jeff Yates asked Ann Ash and me if we’d start a Pilot Company at Hale. “Just an hour a week” were his immortal words—yes, and the rest!
Pilots are supposedly limited to 24 children, but the enthusiasm has always been enormous and we soon outgrew that. The secret is to have plenty of adult helpers and to involve the parents. “Draw through the child / The parents nearer Thee…”
I ran Junior Church as well for a number of years, until I had to spend more time looking after my mother.
I also enjoy bell-ringing, bird-watching and gardening.

Sue Stratton - "Captain"