Where we live

Wirral

UK map Where we live now is a product, in a sense, of all the places we've lived before; one lead to the other. We (Dave and Jan) were both born in London, moved 35 miles east to Essex with our families when we were young and did most of our growing up in and around the small seaside town of, Southend-on-Sea. It was at a Bible study in the neighbouring community of Leigh-on-Sea (an old fishing village) that we eventually met. Jan was 15 and Dave was 19.
We married 5 years later and 2 years after moved to a small village to the east (again) of Southend; 5 miles to Great Wakering - a traditional farming community. Yes, there is a Little Wakering as well!
Five years later we moved to Birmingham to attend full-time Bible College at The Birmingham Bible Institute. After college we stayed and worked in Birmingham, and Dave was involved with the 1984 Billy Graham Mission England campaign.

We then moved to the Isle of Wight, just of the south coast of England, to work as Warden/hosts at the Medina Valley Centre, and were there for three years.
The Isle of Wight is a glorious place - by far our favourite place to be. Jan's dad has a house there and we get to visit about once a year; delightful. If we were able, we would move back.
Isle of Wight map

Wirral map Which brings us to the Wirral, the thumb shaped peninsula across the (famous?) River Mersey from Liverpool (Beatles and all that ...) where we came in 1988 to work and have been ever since. Although once part of the rural county of Cheshire, Wirral was incorporated into the county of Merseyside, and has been fighting the 'Merseyside' stigma ever since. Our home is a rented flat (apartment) in the town of Birkenhead.
What can be said of the place? It suffers all the usual 'Inner City' problems; high unemployment, drug abuse, crime and violence on the streets. Over the last few years some Ł200 Million has been thrown at it, and apart from making certain parts look better, giving the community a long promised swimming pool, and erecting some prestige looking buildings, the place remains the same. Why? Because the real social problems have not been tackled and that is the heart of the problem. Whatever the people were like, they are still like. This might sound harsh - it is not meant to, but unless people change, there is no change.

Having mentioned the River Mersey, we must mention the Ferry, as in the song, "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey". Everyone tends to think of it as the Liverpool ferry. Well they're wrong. It's the Birkenhead Ferry, and was started by Monks at the Birkenhead Priory on the banks of the river, back in the 11th century. They used to row travellers back and forth across the river - for a small fee of course - and offered hospitality at the priory as well. The name, Birkenhead, was derived from the place with the birches on the headland - Birches head - around the 10th century. So, what's good about the Wirral?
Click 'what's good' below to go!

	Where we live now is a product, in a sense, of all the places we've lived before; one lead to the other. We (Dave and Jan) were both born in London, moved 35 miles east to Essex with our families when we were young and did most of our growing up in and around the small seaside town of, Southend-on-Sea. It was at a Bible study in the neighbouring community of Leigh-on-Sea (an old fishing village) that we eventually met. Jan was 15 and Dave was 19. We married 5 years later and 2 years after moved to a small village to the east (again) of Southend; 5 miles to Great Wakering - a traditional farming community. Yes, there is a Little Wakering as well! Five years later we moved to Birmingham to attend full-time Bible College at The Birmingham Bible Institute. After college we stayed and worked in Birmingham, and Dave was involved with the 1984 Billy Graham Mission England campaign.
We then moved to the Isle of Wight, just of the south coast of England, to work as Warden/hosts at the Medina Valley Centre, and were there for three years. The Isle of Wight is a glorious place - by far our favourite place to be. Jan's dad has a house there and we get to visit about once a year; delightful. If we were able, we would move back.
	Which brings us to the Wirral, the thumb shaped peninsula across the (famous?) River Mersey from Liverpool (Beatles and all that ...) where we came in 1988 to work and have been ever since. Although once part of the rural county of Cheshire, Wirral was incorporated into the county of Merseyside, and has been fighting the 'Merseyside' stigma ever since. Our home is a rented flat (apartment) in the town of Birkenhead. What can be said of the place? It suffers all the usual 'Inner City' problems; high unemployment, drug abuse, crime and violence on the streets. Over the last few years some Ł200 Million has been thrown at it, and apart from making certain parts look better, giving the community a long promised swimming pool, and erecting some prestige looking buildings, the place remains the same. Why? Because the real social problems have not been tackled and that is the heart of the problem. Whatever the people were like, they are still like. This might sound harsh - it is not meant to, but unless people change, there is no change.
Having mentioned the River Mersey, we must mention the Ferry, as in the song, "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey". Everyone tends to think of it as the Liverpool ferry. Well they're wrong. It's the Birkenhead Ferry, and was started by Monks at the Birkenhead Priory on the banks of the river, back in the 11th century. They used to row travellers back and forth across the river - for a small fee of course - and offered hospitality at the priory as well. The name, Birkenhead, was derived from the place with the birches on the headland - Birches head - around the 10th century.	So, what's good about the Wirral? Click 'what's good' below to go!