Poplar Corps 140th Anniversary!

“While women weep as they do now, I’ll fight; while little children go hungry as they do now, I’ll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl on the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight—I’ll fight to the very end.”

William Booth 1829-1912

Happy Birthday Poplar! Today we celebrated the birthday of the oldest Salvation Army church in existence. Joined by old faces such as commisioner Dennis Hunter who used to run our core many years ago. After a service full of memories and celebrations, we all gathered together for a faith lunch to sing happy birthday to the oldest core going!

I might not be considered a Salvationist and I may not have been at Poplar core no longer than a few years, but there are people there who have made the core what it is now:

• Robert and Martha for their amazing breakfast cafe and company.
• Christine, for her good being and hard work.
• Bram and Rhonda for their hard work and commitment.
• Roz and Emma for there brilliant youth work!
• Gordon and Kate for the terrific years we had with them.
• Patrick for his great stories.
• All the volunteers up club!
• Diane and Peter for their great commitment and freindliness!
• Thanks to: Immanuele, Daisy, Alan, Nick, Lisa, Laura, Trevor, David, Eric, Henry, Lille, Heather, Christine, Sue, Obadiah, Blessings, Dot, Ann, and everyone else who makes Polar core so special!

There was a lot of debating in how old Poplar actually is and the mystery still lingers on. But today I didn't just celebrate the people that made Poplar core what it was, but the people who make it what it is today!

Thank you Poplar and thank you William Booth. While injustice persists, I'll fight to the end!

Just something I need to record in my life...

...and seeing as I don't have anywere else to record this, the good old blog, revealed to the world, well maybe not North Korea but the rest of the world, I hope not! But hey! Here is my point or points in this case!

When baking cakes never:

• Put more sugar in than flower
• Leave the oven door open for too long because they will collapse
• Never attempt to put strawberry icing on chocolate chip cakes. 1) because it makes such as mess and means you have to throw them away when you realise it. 2) they taste digusting.
• Make them yourself, well unless you're Diane. But if you are not Diane then just buy the packs.

I have decided that you can decide yourself what the things I baked will be. Either cakes, scones or cookies. They are kinda a combination of all 3! Which obviously was my plan to do so. I wanted to accomidate a wide range of cake, scone and cookie fans of mine!

Anyone wanna buy a cake. Only 50p. Ok Ok, 10p...Come on. Fine I'll give em to the birds. Ok the birds won't even eat them. I'll think of something!

Iftar Gathering!

I went to Iftar Gathering on Thursday. A few days before, it was announced in tutorial and I said to a freind of mine that I might go to it. Strait away I wad told by someone else that I couldn't go because I wasn't a Muslim. But I replied that if i can't go then non-Christians shouldn't be allowed to eat Christmas dinner.

Seeing as the religious even was raising money for Muslim Aid I thought I would just turn up, donate some money then go home. When I arrived I was given a ticket and told to go into the assembly hall. I thought I might as well but I didn't know what I was about to walk into. It was a sermon preaching Islamic teachings. I didn't feel comfortable so I was gonna leave but it was too late. All eyes were on me "The white Christian boy". I felt very intimedated.

I wanted to go sit with the girls I know but males and females are seperate so I had to go sit with the guys. Imediate reactions were "what's he doing here", "he ain't muslim" and "he only came for the food". Incase you are wondering, I didn't go for the food!

Well I sat and I learned but then I realised I had to go. The funny thing is, I left the same time as the females which didn't go well with the guys laughing at me. I wanted to post about this the other day but didn't get the chance. I wasn't gonna post it in the end, but about an hour ago I got this email from a freind Rezwana:

heloooo thomas...i'm jus e-mailin u 2 tell u dat YOU ARE THE BEST....do u know y..well..u came 2 da iftar gathering on thursday...and seriously i thought that it was such a respectable thing 2 do. bcoz...u actually took an interst in our religion...thank you!! but u shud've stayed 2 eat sumthing! bt..thomas...ur one in a million! enjoy ur holidayz!! lv ya!! xx

Im glad I went now!

...Of us stood up against Poverty!

Over the past month there has been a number of protests against Poverty and I have tried to attend as many as possible.

I walked out of work experiance (with permission lol) on the 14th September to join Roz, Emma, Graeme and Carl in a drum for trade justice march to Whitehall.

Me, Victoria, Sarah and Roz took to the streets of Bricklane on Sunday 15th October to stand up against poverty. Guess what! So did 23,542,610 other people all across the globe.

And finally on Tuesday, to mark the end of a month long campaign against poverty, Me, Roz and Josh took to the streets of Westminster in White overalls alongside Timmy and Geoffrey (MPH sign and Banana). We were later joined by Sarah and we all headed to protest outside Downing Street. After eventually getting told to leave by the police because we didn't have a license, we decided to walk around Westminster protesting seeing as we didn't need a license for that. We made our mark that day! And I took a day off school! Come on, in the name of social justice!

Sarah, Victoria and Me!

Roz just behind Sadiq Khans sholder (wearing a yellow t-shirt)A month to remember!

Check out the site - Stand up against Poverty

The danger of fireworks...

...especially in the wrong hands. This evening I was out with my freind Kelly and the usual suspects where we live were out and about playing games with fireworks. These games consisted of them throwing and aiming fireworks at eachother, or should I just call them explosives. It got dangerous and I couldn't even go to the shops without getting a firework or two thrown at me. One boy lit up a flint on the end of a firework and because it didn't go off, he decided to aim it in his face and shake it to see what was wrong. IDIOT!

Going to Kelly's house, we both had to run because we were really close to having our faces burnt off. This is just a walk from the shop to my freinds house. Then the police turn up. Do the idiots stop throwing fireworks. NO! Do the police do anyhting. NO! I think the police could tell that we felt quite intimedated and that the police were themselves intimedated. They asked us if there was a problem. I would of told the police what the problem was hadn't the big gang of boys, many of them older than me be standing across the road staring at me. For the first time in a long time, I didn't stand up for myself. As much as I wanted to, I just didn't want the hastle in my face. The police just drove off as if there coffee was getting cold.

Once I got into Kelly's house I picked up the phone and rang the police and explained the situation. I feel as if the police could have done more about the situation without me having to say what the problem was. They could see and hear exacly what went on.

Well, here it is. Me and Sarah have both decided to start a petition to ban fireworks being sold. We both feel as if more public displays should be promoted and fireworks are banned from the shops full stop. We should have a petition ready for anyone to sign very soon!

I hope i didn't paint a bad picture of the police in this post. I personally think they are great and I did get a call from them about 2 hours ago saying they will be doing more to deal with the issue of fireworks being used as toys.

Under Pressure!

Ok here is my dilema. It's not the biggest problem in the world. Well I mean I could be half way through my life by now if i lived in Botswana so I need to stop the moaning about my life.

Last Wedesday I joined the music club after school and just like everyone else who wanted to play an instrument, I had to join this "school band". Unlike everyone else in the "band" I have only started learning. Everyone else is already taking music as a GCSE so they actually know what on earth they are doing. Last week I thought I was doing ok, well I was. But yesterday as I was still learning to play the first part of Every breath you take on guitar, everyone else was beggining to get bored so we moved on to the chorus. YAY! more work for Thomas. I swear I have the hardest part.

So here is my dilema! Not only do i have to learn Every breath you take on guitar by Wednesday, I actually have to keep in time! Who said that was a part of the deal!!

Singing behind a headscarf...

I enroled in the after school music class yesterday. I told them I wanted to learn guitar and they stuck me in this band (not a proper band but hey its better than nothing) consisting. Me and this other guy are playing electric guitars, another guy is playing bass, someone on the drums, someone on keyboard and someone singing. In a months time the "band" has to perform The Police - Every breath you take.

I strolled into music and thought I would say hello to people. I walked up to this girl and asked her what she wanted to play and she told me she wanted to sing and be a pop star. ROCK ON HER! The sad thing is that she feels as if her religion is preventing her from becoming that. She is a muslim and just like every other traditional muslim girl, she likes to wear a headscarf and practice her religion.

I personally found it really cool that she wanted to sing so I thought I'd keep on chatting to her. Then it all came pouring out. I don't if its me but when I get chatting to someone all their emotions just come out. I saw a me in her.

Why do some muslims hate Jews.
Why are people suffering in the world.
Why do people judge whats on the outside and not the inside.
Why can't I be a pop star.
Why are people judged and sterotyped.

All these questions thrown at me and all I could see in her was me saying them. This girl was in the year below me so I didn't know who she was, but she was very interesting and inspiaring. She is determined to overcome all stereotypes and become a pop star. She is determined to become a pop star and still wear her headscarf. I just hope she follows her heart! I will buy her records!

My view from a bus...

Me and Josh were on the number 15 bus heading home about 9.30 tonight. Between the space of one stop I saw 5 homeless people. They all looked under the age 0f 25 and none of them looked very happy. Well you can't blame them.

Sunday School...

I got to church at 10.30 today. I felt tired. Or could have just been saying I was tired even though I wasn't. Haven't quite worked that one out yet. I walked into an empty hall, well with about 3 other usual faces. I wanted to walk out again. But all of a sudden about 20 people fluxed into the church. 20 happy faces. A group from Greg House came stumbling in there numbers. Every week a new guy would join and just like the others who have progressed so much, you just know that they will turn their life around. Its quite insparing.

The hall is flurishing now. Everyone gets up out of their seats to greet eachother again and sing joyful songs. A guy from Greg House has a dry throat so I show him to the kitchen and get him a glass of water. We shared names and then returned to our seats.

Sue is trying to tell me something I think its a joke so although I can't here her I just smile. She calls me over and my smile colapses. Its my turn to do Sunday School. Me and Christine take the kids upstairs, there ages ranging from 16 months to about 5 years. Im now quite glad to be doing Sunday School, the kids are fun! The funny thing was though, we had no equipment. Now, now, how are we going to keep these children occupied. Christine is looking around for Bible stories and I try to keep their atention by playing patting games. 2 of the youngest kids run off screaming. This does not help. We then get them sitting up the table colouring in. Sorry Roz, I tried my best to get the pen of the tables. I think its all gone.

Well, after a long 45 minutes doing Sunday School, me and Christine are set free when it finally finishes. We were quite scared incase we were approached by parents who wanted to know what their child learned today. How to play conect four! I do enjoy Sunday School! But im free for a few weeks now!