Christians at Work - June 2008

Edward Gillespie: "Christianity within Racing".

Edward has been the Managing Director of Cheltenham Racecourse for 28 years; it was purely coincidental that 28 of us gathered  together to listen to his resume not only of his life but also of the issues that arise from managing  an enterprise like this.  

In addition to what Roy told us in the June Parish Magazine (and website), Edward is an Honorary  Freeman of Cheltenham Boroughfor which we congratulated him.   Edward has “always” been a Christian from his upbringing in Guildford , and was greatly influenced by an ordained uncle who made a point  of befriending  people in the entertainment industry such as actors, who when not performing are often very lonely.  

Under his management Cheltenham Racecourse has expanded the range of  its activities and aims to be  egalitarian, perhaps more so than the other 13 courses in England owned by the Jockey Club.  Think of the Centaur Centre, which is a major venue for events, and, besides the race meetings,  such happenings as Greenbelt , Holy Trinity church services  and various fairs.  The place has come a long way since the Rev Francis Close caused the closure of the original course on the top of Cleeve Hill in the mid-Nineteenth Century, which resulted in the move to the present location.

Issues to think about, and on which Edward needs, in some cases,   to avoid favouring one side rather than another:  

Gambling –remember the soldiers drawing lots at the foot of the cross for Christ’s robe.  £1M is bet on each race at the Spring Festival.   One parish in Ireland   bet its steeple fund on a sure thing which came in at 66:1, to create a huge spire.  On-line gambling is a worry as there are fewer restraints on over-commitment  of money by the punters.  

Skullduggery –this ranges from pickpocketing to passing forged currency (one man caught last year had his  false Euros round his ankles in his socks), but doping horses is now difficult.  About half claims of having  one’s pockets picked are fraudulent.  

Hunting: and its relationship, particularly to steeplechasing  (a sport invented in Ireland ).  Imposition of a ban on hunting   feels wrong.  

Risks and Injuries – no jockeys have been killed at Prestbury Park , but it is always sad when horses are lost, not least because racing is a celebration of the horse.  

We really enjoyed your talk Edward; we thank you for sharing your view of your work with us.  Your Christian management style stood out.   We wish you all success in the future.  

Many thanks also to Brian Dunlop for leading the meditation and such apt readings.  

David Long

Parish Walk: Wednesday 18 June 2008

The annual parish walk, followed by a meal, has now become quite a tradition at St Peter’s.  It started out many years ago as a Christians at Work walk, but soon broadened out to include all.  Indeed the monthly Christians at Work meetings in the cottages are open to all.  You do not have to be ‘a member’ to come along.  In fact you do not have to be a member of St Peter’s. We often welcome visitors from other churches in the area.  

If my memory serves me correctly, the majority of the walks have been organised by David Long, a keen walker and a fund of knowledge about nature.  We have walked through Birdlip, Sapperton, Brockhampton, Sheepscombe to name just a few places.  This year’s walk took place on Wednesday 18^th June, and was ably led by Lesley Haddon. A select group of ten met at the top of Highland Road just off Sandy Lane .  It was one of those evenings when you didn’t know whether to walk in shirt sleeves or cover up well in case of imminent rain.  Having been soaked to the skin on a previous parish walk, some of us were a bit wary!  

We started off up the narrow footpath from Highland Road and up onto the hill.  It was a clear evening, in spite of the threatening rain, so we were able to pause for breath and look back over the view of Cheltenham .  (We always understood at Leckhampton School that the then Head Teacher, Arthur Cook, chose green and blue for the school uniform after seeing the green grass and blue sky from Leckhampton Hill)  After crossing the original Cirencester Road , which is now just a rough track, the walk continued around Lilleybrook Golf Course.  At the point where the present Cirencester Road became visible Lesley pointed out the area where the Romans had had their grape vines.  We skirted several greens, trying to avoid putting any players off their stride and then having completed a circular tour descended to Southfield Manor where Lesley gave us a brief history lesson of the farm, which is now a private residential development.  From there it was a short walk down to Highland Road followed by a drive to The Langton, where we enjoyed our evening meal.  And the rain held off until we were seated!  

Many thanks to David Long for the overall organisation, and to Forbes and Lesley Haddon for planning the walk.  If you missed it, look out for next year’s.  We haven’t done the Great Wall of China yet!  

David Webber

Back to previous page

Back to Homepage