Another side to Clayton

It may have been months since I last blogged, but right now I feel the need to share a few things following the murder of two Greater Manchester Police Officers in Mottram, and the subsequent media coverage.

Clayton Methodist Church - one of those I am currently the Minister of - is within a few hundred yards of the place where, back in August, David Short was murdered - which in turn triggered the manhunt for Dale Cregan, who, it appears, has then lured two Police Officers to their deaths. To say that the initial attack was shocking is an understatement - you don't expect incidents with grenades to be happening close by. That it was then followed by the deaths of PCs Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes is nothing less than horrific.

The media coverage has been extensive, but at the same time I don't think it is always helpful. To read some of the pieces, one might think that currently Clayton and Droylsden are War Zones, with gangs armed to the teeth around every corner waiting to shoot each other, and anyone who gets in their way - with Armed Police on every street to try and prevent them.

The reality, as with most things, is not exactly as it has been painted. People have been shocked by the murders, and I don't doubt that there is fear. At the same time, the majority of people who live in the area are ordinary folk trying to go about their everyday lives. Most have no links to the people involved, and no desire to carry weapons - I don't know about them, but in many ways for me there's a sense of unreality that this is happening so close by. Maybe there are more police patrols about, but it's a long way from a patrol car on every street. And life goes on for the residents, and the church - there was no talk of cancelling our Coffee Morning, and on Saturday we're having an event that celebrates the diverse nature of our congregation.

What I'm trying to say is that Clayton should not be seen as the wild west, or as an area devastated by gang warfare. It's a fairly normal part of East Manchester where a few people have been involved in some horrendous incidents - and while I would never want to defend those who have been involved in those incidents, I also don't want the area to be demonised for their actions.

Following the killing of David Short, I addressed this issue in the Clayton Church Magazine. I quote the final paragraph of my letter here:

"The community though remains, and we are part of it. We play an active role in it – there are many groups that come and use our premises, and there are things that we as church do that help others in our local community. We offer people a safe space to come to, a warm welcome, and we offer it out of a desire to show God's love in practical ways to those around us. It's a story that may not make any newspaper, but it is a far more positive one than the one that has made Clayton front page news over the last few weeks; let's make sure that our work and our witness to the love of Christ continue to bring the Good News to our area."