Every year, the Sefton North clergy go away together for a night, and it’s become a little tradition that I write a few thoughts about it. Here we go!

By my reckoning, this was my fifth time away with the clergy at Whalley Abbey up near Blackburn. We went in March 2020, and they literally locked the doors behind us as the pandemic began. I came back to the Deanery at the end of 2022, so that means I’ve done 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. I really enjoy it!

Last year, we took both Aidan and Sophia with us. But as Soph is now in school, she stayed in Aintree with my Mum and Dad, making Aidan the solo baby of the trip this time.

Just like last year, we set up the play mat in the corner of the room. We spread out lots of relatively quiet toys, but Aidan was more taken with the window than anything else! As you’ll see at the top, the windows are so low, and yet the room is on the first floor. Aidan is not used to having such a good view of things!

Our speaker this year was the resident chaplain at Whalley. She led some gentle reflections and I appreciated how she held the space for us, encouraging us to use this time to let God speak to us however he would like to.

For me, this was the phrase ‘Can you leave it with me?’. Not in the way that I promise to get to a task in a few days time, like a bit of photocopying or reading over a policy. But much deeper than that. I have seen the biggest transformations in my life when I have fully handed a situation over to God. The problem is that I’m not very good at doing it, and I tend to need to be at the end of my tether to even try! So I felt a pull to place things into God’s care more readily and easily, even the most precious things, like my children.

The rest of the trip involved lots of delicious food, a trip to the pub, a walk to the playpark, communion and some great conversations with my colleagues. The Abeey has recently opened a cafe in the old dining hall space and it seems to be doing very well. Lots of tables were occupied most of the time, even though it’s only been open three weeks. I love to see places like this thriving!

One highlight was an afternoon trip for coffee and cake. I left Nathan chatting and took Aidan on a walk around the cafe as he was getting restless. This place was positioned next to a junction and also had huge windows. We spent a very happy 15 minutes or so waving at cars, and some of the drivers even waving back! When we got home, Aidan was very disappointed to discover that none of the windows in our house have such a good view of a road! I’ve been trying to think of somewhere nearby where we could go and ‘car watch’ together, but I’ve drawn a blank so far. Perhaps he’ll have to make do with a picnic in his pram while I sit on a bench…

Anyway, we had a great time away. It’s always nice to go away together, and I really believe that it’s time and money well spent because it helps us rub along well together the rest of the time.

Until next time, Whalley Abbey!