Church goers kept from Sunday services by half-marathon street closures (From Essex County Standard)

Why try and put a negative spin on a positive event? The times were well advertised and I can't see any reason why any services couldn't be moved to later in the day.

Frankly get over it, the UK is now a secular society, the churches should move the services later and stop trying to dictate how people should live.

Sick and tired of all the negativity that emanates from the righteous, religious zealots of all denominations / religions.

Bah, humbug, Sally Army! If this had been well-advertised as stated then you should have made alternative arrangements. Religious groups do NOT own Sundays!

It's these sorts of occasions that put Colchester on the map. It's only the third year and already the Colchester Half Marathon has a reputation as being the best running event in Essex.
I think it was a really excellent day. It was well-supported and a really good advertisement for Colchester.
Marathons and Half Marathons traditionally run on Sundays. This event started at 9am which is quite early for a big race.

Before the race all competitors were told over the tannoy system that the roads along the route would be closed for 11 minutes, from when the lead car came through, and after that slower runners should take care and use the pavements, where possible, as the roads would then be re opened to traffic.

Perhaps the advanced road closure warning signs were not adequate or road closure times weren't made clear enough. Or maybe they closed the roads for much longer than they planned for! If these points are not raised how will it improve but making direct contact with the organisers would have been much better than going to the Gazette.

So maybe the positive in this is there is a lesson to be learnt for everyone.

Surely it couldn't have taken that much time for participants in the marathon to get past East Hill and let the churchgoers through? Or maybe they weren't running - the participants, that is, not the churchgoers :)

Why have a go at the Sally Army?
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They are good hearted, sincere people who help and don't ask questions. This country and many others would be a worse place without them.
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They should have been advised in advance, and not treated as a non-Church, if that is indeed what happened.
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As to this being a "secular society", you may not know what you're talking about. So, the majority don't now go to Church, but take it away and you would find out the true allegiances of the population.

"CHURCH goers have slammed marathon marshalls for blocking their route to Sunday service."

Whatever happened to forgiveness, turning the other cheek, not casting the first stone etc....?

Doesn't seem very Christian.
Maybe they should practice what they preach.

Im_Like_HELLO wrote:
Surely it couldn't have taken that much time for participants in the marathon to get past East Hill and let the churchgoers through? Or maybe they weren't running - the participants, that is, not the churchgoers :)

East Hill was a few miles in after a run up North Hill, which a fair few people struggled with (it *is* pretty steep), not to mention that there were around 2000 runners, it's understandable if it took a bit of time for them all to pass, everyone runs at different paces and all that...

Also I kind of agree with Catflap1, but didn't want to be so blunt :) It's pretty true though, the church doesn't own Sunday, and Sunday *is* the best day of the week to host medium to long runs. The event was incredibly well organised anyway, I must say. I was impressed.

rhetoric wrote:
Why have a go at the Sally Army?
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They are good hearted, sincere people who help and don't ask questions. This country and many others would be a worse place without them.
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They should have been advised in advance, and not treated as a non-Church, if that is indeed what happened.
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As to this being a "secular society", you may not know what you're talking about. So, the majority don't now go to Church, but take it away and you would find out the true allegiances of the population.

I agree, but then many of the commenters like to have a 'pop' at easy targets. I wonder if they (the 'angry' commenters) give their time so freely to the neediest in society?

The Sally-Anne' always gets my respect; as does any true religious group.

Secularism on the other hand has been turned (by some) into a form of nouveaux 'quasi-religious' mania - occasionally imbued with all the hallmarks of fanaticism.

Slammed? Sounds a bit like typical local 'hack' hyperbole to me.

Seriously ,, Exactly how much notice do you want to make alternate arrangements. Is every story in the Gazette dedicated to moaning.

I would guess that as the Sally Army probably has a larger congregation than most churches these days, they would need a fair amount of time to advise their service attendees of the alternative proposed routes.
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Courtesy costs nothing except a bit of effort, as does thoughtfulness.
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I doubt very much that the SA "slammed" anyone or anything. As mentioned above, it's just a bit of careless journalese. There's nothing sensational happening this afternoon, we've heard the SA got missed out and someone was disgruntled and said so, so now we'll phone the organiser and slightly misquote her.
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Probably all stems from the SA asking politely not be be omitted from those advised of alternative arrangements, the next time.
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How many of their attendees are vulnerable people depending on this once a week contact with someone who will listen and help, someone for the lonely to talk to?
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We all have the right to our beliefs and disbeliefs, such is our supposed tolerant society, so be careful who you revile and ridicule. Unlike some other countries, we don't have to worship along with the majority, nor do we have to conform to the official govt religion, nor do we get the threat of death for so-called "blasphemy".
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Enjoy that freedom, and also allow it to others.
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In the case of the Sally Army they do an enormous amount of good and carry out so many acts of kindness without question, it is daft in the extreme to knock them in any way.

What's the issue - it was clearly God's intention...

I have always respected the Salvation Army. But not now. They have just become selfish whingers. Bet there were more runners than people in their normal congregation. Missing one Sunday praying to someone whose not there won't hurt.

Can Reginald47 please give an example of how the SA have become "selfish whingers"?
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If he is solely using the headlines to this article, I doubt very much if anyone "slammed" anyone else.
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If Reginald47 uses just this example of journalism to condemn a worthy and much loved/needed organisation, then he needs to ask around and keep his eyes open.
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The whole of life is not lived online on the Gazette website.

There were signs up all round town warning of the road closures for at least 4 weeks before the race. There will always be whiners! You can't please everyone. The race was well organised with plenty of marshalls and only limited disruption. Bring on next years colchester half marathon, and maybe relocate the church ;-)

Reginald47 wrote:
I have always respected the Salvation Army. But not now. They have just become selfish whingers. Bet there were more runners than people in their normal congregation. Missing one Sunday praying to someone whose not there won't hurt.

What an insensitive and fatuous remark.
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Why should the majority always win? You know very well, Reggie, that the majority wanted the bus station to stay where it was, but you have several times expressed contempt for that preference. But let's suppose you are right, that the minority should rule. In that case, the Salvation Army should dictate the route and timing of the marathon.
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Anyway, back to the story. What were the Salvation Army worshippers doing on East Hill? Their Citadel (place of worship) is on Butt Road, corner of Southway, opposite the police station.
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More to the point, I would suggest, the Salvation Army should not pick on the marathon to object to. Why don't they picket the supermarkets and other temples of Mammon on Sunday mornings? They are far more inimical to worship than a friendly sporting event.

I would think that the SA live and let live to a large extent. They would therefore not picket those Temples of Mammon mentioned above. So far as I am aware their main target for protest used to be the public houses, where the breadwinners spent their money on alcoholic drinks rather than feed their family, and then went home to beat up their "nearest and dearest". Those were sad times when the workers drowned their dreadful lives by drinking and the families (and the workers eventually) suffered.
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Nowadays the Sally Army seems to dedicate its funds and energies to helping the homeless and hopeless. More power to them. From what I have heard, they help without asking questions. That also used to be the creed of the better type of Social Worker, but I guess these days all that has gone by the board.
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I still suspect that someone who, as we are allowed to do, comes to worship from the far flung Eastern reaches of Colchester via East Hill, and maybe doesn't live near to the billboards advertising marathon-induced closures of the Hill, tried to get to the Citadel on a Sunday and found their way blocked. Their bewilderment and protest has been picked up, the Gazette has asked the SA for a comment, and they have had an answer which they have labelled "slamming".
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It is a great shame, and I mean shame, on those who criticise the SA. One incident seems to have brought down a huge load of criticism on a Church which does not pick on others. It's just an excuse for bullying, and we all know how you posters feel about that, don't we? or do we?

This is a one-off event, and I don´t suppose for a moment that the SA "slammed" the organisers. Whether you´re religious or not, I think you have to respect the way the SA conducts itself and the work it does.

It´s an imperfect world, and quite possibly they did just get overlooked when the organisers were contacting other places of worship. I´m sure the lesson will be learned for next time. But I´m also sure the SA people are not making nearly such a big deal of this as is implied by the article.

I saw the signs weeks ago and even remarked to Mrs Scoot that I wouldn't go near Colchester last Sunday because of the half marathon so if the SA is saying they weren't given any warnings then maybe Stanway traffic should have a word as they have obviously been driving around without due care and attention....The SA should have turned Sunday into a runner support day and been out supporting those taking part. I've been blessed by a Catholic priest in Blackheath and heard church choir after choir when running the London Marathon and as far as I'm aware none of the churches on the route complain.

wormshero wrote:

Im_Like_HELLO wrote:
Surely it couldn't have taken that much time for participants in the marathon to get past East Hill and let the churchgoers through? Or maybe they weren't running - the participants, that is, not the churchgoers :)

East Hill was a few miles in after a run up North Hill, which a fair few people struggled with (it *is* pretty steep), not to mention that there were around 2000 runners, it's understandable if it took a bit of time for them all to pass, everyone runs at different paces and all that...

Also I kind of agree with Catflap1, but didn't want to be so blunt :) It's pretty true though, the church doesn't own Sunday, and Sunday *is* the best day of the week to host medium to long runs. The event was incredibly well organised anyway, I must say. I was impressed.

There's a lot of entertainment in this thread. This is my personal favourite. ...The church doesn't own Sunday, but it is the best day to host... Could that be because of the restricted trading laws on Sunday that are, hm let me think, a result of the church? Ho, ho, ho.

I reckon the council should've paid the Church to complain about the High Street car ban... then all the moaners on here would've been right in favour of it.

I am one of the organisers of the Colchester Half Marathon and I would like to clear up some confusion that people have had on here:

- Over 200 hundred people volunteered on the day to support the event and over 1,700 completed the very hard and rewarding task of the 13.1 miles which has really boosted their spirit. Many of the participants raised their own sponsorship money for hundreds of local and national good causes. We estimate this will run into many tens of thousands.
- The race committee has worked selflessly all year to put this event on and has worked with all necessary parties during the course of our preparation including the Council and safety advisory groups.
- The Colchester Town Churches were advised of the event back in October 2012. We received their full support and will continue to work closely with them.
- The event will raise about £20,000 which will be given to The Invicta Foundation, a Colchester based chairty raising money for wounded soilders.
- The event has been promoted by road signs, newspapers, leaflets, radio, a social media campaign, village magazines and even the electronic traffic warning signs, well in advance of the event. (what more could we have done?).

The Salvation Army could have offered to help at this important Colchester event but instead did this ^.

Next year we will be raising the same amount of money (or hopefully more) for St Helena Hospice or would the lady pictured above rather that we didn't bother?

So much in the news about communities being lost and people not being healthy and yet when you work so very hard to put this sort of event on and recieve this sort of feedback from people who should know better, then it is clear to see why people don't bother anymore.

I refer this group to their own website highlighting the importance of sport with spiritual development http://www.salvation
army.org.uk/uki/Chur
chandSport

DonaldWorth wrote:
I am one of the organisers of the Colchester Half Marathon and I would like to clear up some confusion that people have had on here:

- Over 200 hundred people volunteered on the day to support the event and over 1,700 completed the very hard and rewarding task of the 13.1 miles which has really boosted their spirit. Many of the participants raised their own sponsorship money for hundreds of local and national good causes. We estimate this will run into many tens of thousands.
- The race committee has worked selflessly all year to put this event on and has worked with all necessary parties during the course of our preparation including the Council and safety advisory groups.
- The Colchester Town Churches were advised of the event back in October 2012. We received their full support and will continue to work closely with them.
- The event will raise about £20,000 which will be given to The Invicta Foundation, a Colchester based chairty raising money for wounded soilders.
- The event has been promoted by road signs, newspapers, leaflets, radio, a social media campaign, village magazines and even the electronic traffic warning signs, well in advance of the event. (what more could we have done?).

The Salvation Army could have offered to help at this important Colchester event but instead did this ^.

Next year we will be raising the same amount of money (or hopefully more) for St Helena Hospice or would the lady pictured above rather that we didn't bother?

So much in the news about communities being lost and people not being healthy and yet when you work so very hard to put this sort of event on and recieve this sort of feedback from people who should know better, then it is clear to see why people don't bother anymore.

I refer this group to their own website highlighting the importance of sport with spiritual development http://www.salvation

army.org.uk/uki/Chur

chandSport

Fair points, Donald, although I still suspect that this is the Gazette exaggerating things to make the story bigger than it really is. The SA do good work, and I am sure would be fully supportive of the good deeds done by so many people in running this half-marathon.

I may be wrong on this, but I suspect that a couple of people couldn´t get to their service on Sunday and mentioned it in passing to somebody who knew somebody on the Gazette. They decided it would be a good little story because it ties in with the general theme of road closures. The photographer turns up and says "look glum", so the SA lady does so. Chuck in the word "slamming" instead of "slightly frustrated" and hey presto, there´s your story.

It doesn´t mean that the SA is somehow anti-sport or anti-charity. You have to take on board how the papers can sometimes create a story from almost nothing.

What a ridiculous new story.

Not a mention of how well organised the run was.
How much money it raised.
What great PR for the town it is.

The Gazette concentrates on a minority group who were delayed a few minutes getting to church.

Frankly embarrassing reporting.

The gazette proves yet again, it's real talent is reporting on cats stuck in trees.

I was rather rude because I was angry that the SA seemed to want to put their wish to worship above the wishes of those who wished to raise money for charity by running. I apologise for going over the top, If you are all correct that it's the Gazette overegging the story and the SA didn't really mean to come over in what to me was an unChristian way then I look forward to seeing a letter from the lady putting matters right as she must be equally as annoyed as others are.

Use your legs to get to church as God intended!

If the Gazette is overexaggerating then why hasn't someone from the SA said so........??

Why is gazette over-representing the rights of religious lunatics, almost no one in Colchester attends church. It would have been absurd had the church blocked or hindered this event.

zt00013 wrote:
Why is gazette over-representing the rights of religious lunatics, almost no one in Colchester attends church. It would have been absurd had the church blocked or hindered this event.

A religious lunatic is a suicide bomber, or a crazed American survivalist murderer. The Salvation Army are kindly and good people. As romantic rightly says, the whole story has been exaggerated, and few of us believe that the SA would object to an event like the half-marathon. True, very few of us attend church, it is a minority interest like stamp collecting or supporting Colchester United.But there is no need for OTT language.

Captain SpaceAce wrote:

wormshero wrote:

Im_Like_HELLO wrote:
Surely it couldn't have taken that much time for participants in the marathon to get past East Hill and let the churchgoers through? Or maybe they weren't running - the participants, that is, not the churchgoers :)

East Hill was a few miles in after a run up North Hill, which a fair few people struggled with (it *is* pretty steep), not to mention that there were around 2000 runners, it's understandable if it took a bit of time for them all to pass, everyone runs at different paces and all that...

Also I kind of agree with Catflap1, but didn't want to be so blunt :) It's pretty true though, the church doesn't own Sunday, and Sunday *is* the best day of the week to host medium to long runs. The event was incredibly well organised anyway, I must say. I was impressed.

There's a lot of entertainment in this thread. This is my personal favourite. ...The church doesn't own Sunday, but it is the best day to host... Could that be because of the restricted trading laws on Sunday that are, hm let me think, a result of the church? Ho, ho, ho.

I reckon the council should've paid the Church to complain about the High Street car ban... then all the moaners on here would've been right in favour of it.

No, in terms of entertainment, you're probably the best. A shorter working day, holidays, and kids not working, are all thanks to trade unions. So I'm guessing by your comment that you devote all your non-working time to trade unionism?!

Boris wrote:

zt00013 wrote: Why is gazette over-representing the rights of religious lunatics, almost no one in Colchester attends church. It would have been absurd had the church blocked or hindered this event.

A religious lunatic is a suicide bomber, or a crazed American survivalist murderer. The Salvation Army are kindly and good people. As romantic rightly says, the whole story has been exaggerated, and few of us believe that the SA would object to an event like the half-marathon. True, very few of us attend church, it is a minority interest like stamp collecting or supporting Colchester United.But there is no need for OTT language.

Sadly this story has not been exaggerated and I can assure you the lady in question objected quite forceably to the volunteers on the day and refused to listen to any reasoning (which is why I guess she felt the need to take her complaint direct to the papers).

Like many of you I am shocked this is true because as an organiser of the event it really does make my job that much harder when you don't receive the support from groups that you would assume would be desperate to help (or at the very least not hinder), but unfortunately for our community this story is true. Hopefully we will recieve an apology for her outburst in due course so we can all move on with making next year even better.

DonaldWorth wrote:

Boris wrote:

zt00013 wrote: Why is gazette over-representing the rights of religious lunatics, almost no one in Colchester attends church. It would have been absurd had the church blocked or hindered this event.

A religious lunatic is a suicide bomber, or a crazed American survivalist murderer. The Salvation Army are kindly and good people. As romantic rightly says, the whole story has been exaggerated, and few of us believe that the SA would object to an event like the half-marathon. True, very few of us attend church, it is a minority interest like stamp collecting or supporting Colchester United.But there is no need for OTT language.

Sadly this story has not been exaggerated and I can assure you the lady in question objected quite forceably to the volunteers on the day and refused to listen to any reasoning (which is why I guess she felt the need to take her complaint direct to the papers).

Like many of you I am shocked this is true because as an organiser of the event it really does make my job that much harder when you don't receive the support from groups that you would assume would be desperate to help (or at the very least not hinder), but unfortunately for our community this story is true. Hopefully we will recieve an apology for her outburst in due course so we can all move on with making next year even better.

This certainly makes for an interesting debate on the meaning of lunacy. If I stated I believed in the tooth fairy, or the Easter bunny, I would be labelled a lunatic. But there is of course no more evidence for the existence of god, than the tooth fairy, or the Easter bunny, so it seems the only thing that gets the Sally Army of the hook, is that lots of people share their lunacy. You've mistaken lunacy with extremism.

As for the Sally Army being 'good people', don't make me laugh. If you've ever spoken to down and outs about them, you'll find the SA to be an extremely pompous and judgemental bunch, who won't give so much as a cup of tea, if you're a few pennies short. And now we're finding them involved in the government's forced labour scheme, forcing the unemployed to work for meagre benefits, meaning they'll never have the time to find a proper, paying, job. The Sally Army represent the most backward, reactionary, Victorian ideas of philanthropy.

6079 Smith W wrote:

DonaldWorth wrote:

Boris wrote:

zt00013 wrote: Why is gazette over-representing the rights of religious lunatics, almost no one in Colchester attends church. It would have been absurd had the church blocked or hindered this event.

A religious lunatic is a suicide bomber, or a crazed American survivalist murderer. The Salvation Army are kindly and good people. As romantic rightly says, the whole story has been exaggerated, and few of us believe that the SA would object to an event like the half-marathon. True, very few of us attend church, it is a minority interest like stamp collecting or supporting Colchester United.But there is no need for OTT language.

Sadly this story has not been exaggerated and I can assure you the lady in question objected quite forceably to the volunteers on the day and refused to listen to any reasoning (which is why I guess she felt the need to take her complaint direct to the papers).

Like many of you I am shocked this is true because as an organiser of the event it really does make my job that much harder when you don't receive the support from groups that you would assume would be desperate to help (or at the very least not hinder), but unfortunately for our community this story is true. Hopefully we will recieve an apology for her outburst in due course so we can all move on with making next year even better.

This certainly makes for an interesting debate on the meaning of lunacy. If I stated I believed in the tooth fairy, or the Easter bunny, I would be labelled a lunatic. But there is of course no more evidence for the existence of god, than the tooth fairy, or the Easter bunny, so it seems the only thing that gets the Sally Army of the hook, is that lots of people share their lunacy. You've mistaken lunacy with extremism.

As for the Sally Army being 'good people', don't make me laugh. If you've ever spoken to down and outs about them, you'll find the SA to be an extremely pompous and judgemental bunch, who won't give so much as a cup of tea, if you're a few pennies short. And now we're finding them involved in the government's forced labour scheme, forcing the unemployed to work for meagre benefits, meaning they'll never have the time to find a proper, paying, job. The Sally Army represent the most backward, reactionary, Victorian ideas of philanthropy.

Sorry, this quote was aimed at Boris, not yourself, who's sadly having one of his less enlightened moments.

6079 Smith W wrote:

Captain SpaceAce wrote:

wormshero wrote:

Im_Like_HELLO wrote:
Surely it couldn't have taken that much time for participants in the marathon to get past East Hill and let the churchgoers through? Or maybe they weren't running - the participants, that is, not the churchgoers :)

East Hill was a few miles in after a run up North Hill, which a fair few people struggled with (it *is* pretty steep), not to mention that there were around 2000 runners, it's understandable if it took a bit of time for them all to pass, everyone runs at different paces and all that...

Also I kind of agree with Catflap1, but didn't want to be so blunt :) It's pretty true though, the church doesn't own Sunday, and Sunday *is* the best day of the week to host medium to long runs. The event was incredibly well organised anyway, I must say. I was impressed.

There's a lot of entertainment in this thread. This is my personal favourite. ...The church doesn't own Sunday, but it is the best day to host... Could that be because of the restricted trading laws on Sunday that are, hm let me think, a result of the church? Ho, ho, ho.

I reckon the council should've paid the Church to complain about the High Street car ban... then all the moaners on here would've been right in favour of it.

No, in terms of entertainment, you're probably the best. A shorter working day, holidays, and kids not working, are all thanks to trade unions. So I'm guessing by your comment that you devote all your non-working time to trade unionism?!

Oh, Anna Key, are you really saying that the fact that there is restricted opening hours on Sundays is nothing to do with religion? Even if you are right (I’m not in a position to argue with you – when did the unions decide not to work on Sunday s?) is it just a coincidence that they picked Sundays not to work on and not a different day of the week? Please explain. Whilst we’re here, what do you mean you assume I spend a lot of time working for trade unions based on my post? How can you get anything about me personally from that post? Again, please explain.