Summer's out at Hope Hall

Pam Rhodes

Description

'In this delightful tale of Kath Sutton and the motley bunch of characters revolving around the community hall she runs, Pam Rhodes has given us a story of warmth, humour, and hope about lives shared and burdens carried. Summers Out at Hope Hall is one of those novels that helps you hear laughter in the darkness, reminding you that the sun really will rise tomorrow.' Sheridan Voysey, BBC Radio 2 presenter and author of Reflect with SheridanHOPE HALL thrums with activity under the summer sun. Sea Cadets march in the yard and happy chatter issues from English as a Foreign Language classes while the weekly Food Bank reaches out to those in need.Kath is determined to honour the origins of Hope Hall, which was founded in memory of those lost during the two world wars. Its all hands on deck as the centenary celebrations continue, but Kaths efforts set her on a collision course with Celia Ainsworth, a descendant of the family that donated the land.Added to this, a mysterious homeless man proves tricky for Sheelagh to identify, and a handsome stranger looks set to lead Kath a merry danceSUMMERS OUT AT HOPE HALL is a fun and deeply moving story that celebrates the power of hope.

Informations

• Publié par: Lion Hudson
• Date de parution: 23 avril 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781782642886
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

In this delightful tale of Kath Sutton and the motley bunch of characters revolving around the community hall she runs, Pam Rhodes has given us a story of warmth, humour, and hope about lives shared and burdens carried . Summer s Out at Hope Hall is one of those novels that helps you hear laughter in the darkness, reminding you that the sun really will rise tomorrow.
Sheridan Voysey, BBC Radio 2 presenter and author of Reflect with Sheridan
Written in Pam s characteristic gentle and humorous manner , Summer s Out at Hope Hall appears to be just a light-hearted book, but it powerfully demonstrates the strength of community and the importance of faith.
Debbie Duncan, author of Brave: Showing Courage in All Seasons of Life
By the same author
With Hymns and Hearts and Voices
Fisher of Men
Casting the Net
If You Follow Me
Saints and Sailors
In this series
Springtime at Hope Hall

Text copyright 2021 Pam Rhodes
This edition copyright 2021 Lion Hudson IP Limited
The right of Pam Rhodes to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by
Lion Hudson Limited
Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Business Park
Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 8DR, England
www.lionhudson.com
ISBN 978 1 78264 287 9
e-ISBN 978 1 78264 288 6
First edition 2021
Cover illustration: Joanna Kerr
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Contents
Editor s note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Who s Who at Hope Hall
Editor s note
The Hope Hall series was commissioned before Covid-19 reared its ugly head, and fortunately Kath Sutton s community and its environs have been fortunate enough to escape any trace of the virus. You won t find any masks, vaccines or hand sanitizer between these pages, but you will enjoy the warmth, humour and human touch so many of us have missed since the pandemic began.
Chapter 1
T he house martins were back!
There was no mistaking those glossy blue-black wings, forked tail and the flash of white rump when the bird swooped over Kath s head as she stood on the pavement edge waiting for a chance to cross the road to Hope Hall. With aerobatic precision, the bird headed straight for the tip of the gable of the hall s roof and disappeared from sight.
Once the road was clear, Kath broke into a run, a broad grin spreading across her face as she reached the front door of the hall and looked up. The telltale signs of muddy drips down the stonework drew her eye up to the dark brown ball of mud and grass that the martins were carefully crafting into a home for their new family. There didn t seem to be any sign of chicks yet, but just the thought of those small, noisy, elegant lodgers returning to the hall for yet another year was enough to lift her spirits. Summer was here at last!
April had brought a mixed bag of weather, from flurries of snow and chill winds to glorious blue skies that promised warmth in the bright sunshine, but mostly didn t deliver. Now, as May arrived, with scarlet red tulips in flower beds, bluebells carpeting local woods, and lilac and cherry blossom hanging in swathes of pink and purple along pavements and garden paths, it was tempting to throw off coats and cardigans and turn her face to the sun. At that thought, Kath smiled to herself again as she remembered how her mum warned her every spring about the old saying Cast ne er a clout till May be out . Kath was never sure if that meant the month of May or the May blossom that now graced every hedgerow, but did it really matter? The house martins were back!
Morning, Kath! called Liz, wiping her hands on her white apron as she crossed the foyer towards the kitchen door. Maggie s not here yet, in case you wanted her. She s going to take a look round that new wholesalers first thing today, to see what sort of deals are on offer. Want a coffee?
Thanks, Liz, but I know you re busy and I ve got Muriel Baker coming in at eleven. I ll take her up to the balcony for coffee and biscuits then.
Liz frowned. Muriel Baker - I know that name
She s the unit leader for the Sea Cadets.
Oh yes, of course! My nephew Callum went to Sea Cadets for quite a while when he was a teenager. He loved it. Gosh, that was ages ago. Is Muriel still running it?
Formidable and unstoppable are words I ve heard to describe her.
Liz giggled. Oh, I ve heard her described in a few more colourful words than that. I remember Callum saying that whenever she talked to them about the sailing manoeuvres that won sea battles in Nelson s time, the lads were convinced that she was old enough to have been there!
I hope I don t bump into her, called Kevin, the work experience kitchen assistant who was sorting out the display cabinet at the other end of the serving hatch. I only went to Sea Cadets for a fortnight when I was about thirteen, but she was terrifying. I don t think I d be able to stop myself jumping to attention and saluting even now.
Why is she coming, anyway? asked Liz. We re a long way from the sea here.
Apparently, after all these years, they ve discovered asbestos in their hut roof. They ve got to find somewhere else to base themselves for about three months. We can let them have a room in the old school building to store their kit, and their meetings are held on Wednesday nights when our main hall happens to be free.
They do most of their training outdoors, if I remember rightly, said Liz. And don t some Sea Cadets have a band too?
They ve not asked about that. It would be nice if they did. I hope we can come to an arrangement to help them out. It will be interesting to have them based at Hope Hall for a while.
And they all look very smart in their uniforms, sighed Liz. I m a sucker for a brass band. The moment they strike up Hearts of Oak , it s all I can do to stop myself marching along with them. That s what happens when you have generations of military men in your family.
See you later then! laughed Kath as she opened the glasspanelled door at the end of the foyer and walked through the main hall towards a side door at the far end. That door opened on to the small corridor that linked the main building at a right angle to the old school which had stood immediately adjacent to Hope Hall for decades. Once inside the school, the first room on the left was Kath s office. In spite of the modern technology and office furniture, the room still bore a trace of the look - and, Kath often thought, the smell - created by a succession of headteachers who had been its previous occupants down the years. On the other side of the corridor were cloakrooms and a flight of stairs leading up to three classrooms on the floor above. Straight ahead were double doors leading into the assembly hall, and those doors suddenly burst open to reveal thirty under-five-year-olds squealing with excitement as they sat in ball ponds, dug up sand pits, fitted together jigsaws and scribbled with crayons, all at the top of their voices.
It was Management Assistant Shirley Wells who came storming through those double doors and into Kath s office.
Had a parking problem with a particularly inconsiderate mum delivering her little darling off in their 4x4 this morning. She couldn t think of a single reason why she shouldn t park right in front of the main gate and leave her car here while she nipped out to get her nails done in town.
Kath smothered a smile, knowing that no parent, 4x4 owner or not, would ever win an argument with Shirley. She was a force to be reckoned with, a big-hearted woman with the voice of a foghorn and a strict sense of how people should behave, especially in a community facility like Hope Hall.
Where is she now?
Shirley shrugged. Don t know. Don t care. I made it clear that she had to move her precious car, and eventually she did, but not before she came back inside to give the playgroup staff a piece of her mind.
How did they react?
They rang me straight away, and after we d had another word or two, the woman left, taking her daughter with her.
Oh dear, frowned Kath. Is she likely to come and bash my ear too? Should I have a word with her?
Nope, smiled Shirley. The playgroup staff said she s always been a pain in the neck, making demands that disrupt the experience for everyone else. Apparently, she told them she intends to remove her daughter from our playgroup and enlist her at Tiny Tots on the High Street instead. Tiny Tots has got no parking spaces at all, so that should go well!
Now, that was why the recent decision to create the new role of Management Assistant for Shirley had been such a good idea, thought Kath. Shirley had been taken on at Hope Hall at the start of the year to help caretaker Ray after his wife Sara was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Shirley attacked the role like a whirling dervish, busying away with her mop, duster, paintbrush and sewing machine until Hope Hall was gleaming from top to bottom. But it had soon become clear that her efficiency at hall maintenance was just a small part of her talents. That loud authoritative voice of hers had a way of cutting through confusion and chaos so that calm and order could quickly be restored - and that was in stark contrast to a much softer, compassionate side of Shirley that was revealed in her care for Ray and Sara, which went beyond anything that was expected of her. Her worth was truly recognized when she masterminded several imaginative and entertaining ideas to involve all age groups in the Easter Monday Fayre, which was the first event to mark