M3JFM.net

United Pentecostal Church GB & I. 41st General Conference & BOTT Llandudno Wales

like many people I was looking forward to a couple of weeks off work during the summer for some it might be jetting off into the summer for a week or two sat around the pool of a hotel or rented villa in sunny Spain or perhaps on one of the culture tours of Italy taking in the sights of Rome whatever your idea of holiday is it will be entirely personal based upon our own idea of how we desire to enjoy a couple of weeks of freedom from the office. For us we had chosen a week in Llandudno at the United Pentecostal Church General conference and BOTT Because of the times I agree at first sight this might not be every ones idea of a good time perhaps to some who are reading this it’s a big no way. I can fully understand were your coming from I dislike the God channels on Satellite television. Conference is a great place to meet like minded people to make new friends and to renew old friendships and to strengthen existing friendship to be physical and spiritually “Enlarged”

On Monday 2^nd August Allison and I were booked onto the train from Oxford to Birmingham and Birmingham to Llandudno I have not been to north Wales before and I was looking forward to exploring the area around Llandudno I had done a little home work and I had also taken the trouble of buying and studying the ordnance survey sheet OL 17. Our journey to Llandudno passed without any problems as our train speed from Birmingham and headed towards Wales we enjoyed watching the unfolding canvas of the English countryside and you could easy tell when we had crossed into Wales by the distinctive names in the Welsh language.

Along the way a retired man boarded the train and we soon got a conversation going he was keen to tell us some of the places that we were passing and he let on that he was a angler and fished on the river Conway he soon got on to the subject of the times of the salmon and sea trout runs places to fish times fishing beats and pools and what flies to use and when.  He himself lived in Rowen and more often than not would fish on one of the lakes for wild brown trout and of course on the Conway for its bars of silver (Salmon).  He got off the train at Llandudno junction and this left me to ponder my chances of getting on the river Conway for a day’s salmon fishing next year.

Our train arrived on time at Llandudno station and we walked the short distance from the station to our hotel on the sea front.  After checking in we unpacked our cases and went for a walk along the promenade and into Llandudno we meet up with mike in the evening we went to the Cambridge restaurant to be honest the restaurant had seen better days the staff were very friendly and the service and food was great we had a roast dinner with desert and coffee for about £10 after dinner we went for a walk on the pier and along the promenade we joined in the Beech missions open air church service before walking towards the Venue Cymru we saw the Llandudno band playing and continued up to the conference centre. We explore the restaurant and spoke with the staff but because there was no production taking place in the theatre the restaurant was going to be closed for the duration of our conference.

Up to this time all our contact with the church conference organisation was one line and here we were walking into the conference centre and we were greeted by members of the church who had our registration information packs ready for us to collect and we spent some time meeting church friends before returning to our hotel for the night.

"The view from our Hotel room"

Allison and I stayed at the Promenad Hotel This is a family run hotel and we found the owners and staff very friendly and help full The room was clean and well maintained with a flat screen television handy for keeping up to date with the news and of course the complementary tray of tea and coffee this is a very important item and the goodies on the tray were replenished daily we had the added bonus that our room had a sea view. For each day of our stay I chose for breakfast cereal and fresh orange and cooked breakfast bacon, egg, tomato, beans, mushrooms, a pot of free filter coffee and toast and marmalade. You can tell from the photograph that it was well presented and cooked properly. To be honest what more could you ask for this hotel gets the thumbs up from me. Their website is www.promenad.co.uk

"This was the view from our breakfast table"

"  Breakfast"

Our day started  with me being first up When I’m at work I don’t want to get up in the morning but as soon as I am on down time I wake before sun rise I started the day we a cup of coffee and I would be up and dressed and walking along the promenade before the sun had time to rise over the little Orme armed with my camera I was able to take advantage of an early morning  photo shoot you never know what you are going to find or come across but you will need to remain alert in order to take advantage of any photo opportunity. Each morning I would cross onto the promenade and slowly walk towards the pier except for the last morning.  Stopping to take a few shots of what ever caught my eye on my first morning I walked up the marine road into happy valley and I saw a group of people doing Tai chi exercises this looked very effective with the group with their backs to the stone circle and facing the rising sun I then walked up to the site of the camera obscurer it was from here that I took a set of images looking into the edge of the Snowdonia national park and over Llandudno bay. One morning I spotted three sheep walking on the promenade near the pier this made for an interesting photo opportunity and one morning I walked from the hotel to the pier and along the marine drive round a part of the Great Orme each day I would call into the newsagents for a copy of the times newspaper before returning to the hotel for breakfast. Breakfast was served between 08:30 and 09:30 and of course after my early morning walks I was ready for what many rightly call the most important meal of the day.

Our day started  with me being first up When I’m at work I don’t want to get up in the morning but as soon as I am on down time I wake before sun rise I started the day we a cup of coffee and I would be up and dressed and walking along the promenade before the sun had time to rise over the little Orme armed with my camera I was able to take advantage of an early morning  photo shoot you never know what you are going to find or come across but you will need to remain alert in order to take advantage of any photo opportunity. Each morning I would cross onto the promenade and slowly walk towards the pier except for the last morning.  Stopping to take a few shots of what ever caught my eye on my first morning I walked up the marine road into happy valley and I saw a group of people doing Tai chi exercises this looked very effective with the group with their backs to the stone circle and facing the rising sun I then walked up to the site of the camera obscurer it was from here that I took a set of images looking into the edge of the Snowdonia national park and over Llandudno bay. One morning I spotted three sheep walking on the promenade near the pier this made for an interesting photo opportunity and one morning I walked from the hotel to the pier and along the marine drive round a part of the Great Orme each day I would call into the newsagents for a copy of the times newspaper before returning to the hotel for breakfast. Breakfast was served between 08:30 and 09:30 and of course after my early morning walks I was ready for what many rightly call the most important meal of the day.

After breakfast Allison and I would go for a walk along the promenade perhaps walk on the pier and enjoy the view and call into the pier cafe for morning coffee before taking the open top tour bus from Llandudno over to Conway sands and Conway we sat on the top deck of the bus at the front and we enjoyed the tour  having the sights and places of note pointed out to us one day we took the tour bus round the great Orme following the toll road called marine drive this was great fun and better than the open top bus stop at the rest and be thankful.  We found that the Palladium was the best place to go and eat some times after church we would walk to a local fish and chip shop for a fish and chip supper.

On our first day after lunch we went up the great Orme on the tram we had a great time and I was able to take some photographs from the top of the Great Orme looking toward Llandudno or towards Conway and the snowdian national park Puffin Island could be clearly seen across the bay. At the top of the Great Orme is the site of a World War II radar station today there is a cafe, pub and a communication station as well as the visitor centre explaining the history of the Great Orme country park.

I really enjoyed the open space the sense of freedom that I felt on top of the Great Orme  on the way down you had to change trams very close to the 3,000 year old copper mine it was here while waiting for the tram to come up the Orme to take us down that I took the opportunity of taking a few photo’s of the tram coming up as the tram got close to us I noticed an elderly man on the tram he went to stand up and then slumped down out of my view I gave Allison my camera and bag and as the tram was pulling to a stop I ran to the side of the tram that I saw the man I founded him leaning out of one of the tram windows he was in a bad way he was doing one of two things having a heart attack or having an epileptic fit a member of staff ran up to me and asked me what did I want him to do and I asked him to call for an ambulance which he did the staff cleared the tram of its customers and I boarded the tram with a nurse who was on a day trip with her family and the man who telephoned for the ambulance – The tram slowly made its way down the great Orme I supported the man so as to prevent him from hurting himself while he was having a fit his name was Bob and he was 71 years of age as we went down the great Orme a paramedic boarded the tram with his bag and he soon had the man on oxygen  and gave him an injection.  Bob slowly started to relax and by the time he was taken off the tram by the waiting ambulance crew he seemed to have stopped fitting the poor man’s wife was very distressed. The following day we were to learn from the owners of the tram that Bob was making good progress in hospital and would soon be getting home again.

In the evening we went to the opening Church service of the 41^st General conference of the United Pentecostal church of Great Britain & Ireland. There was a congregation of 800 people before the service started I got to meet up with Rev T F Tenny it had been some years since we last met at Life tabernacle in fact Rev James Dallas was the district superintendent. Today the job title has changed to bishop.  Rev L Francis is the bishop of UPC GB&I and he preached on “Enlarge” after service I had the chance to meet up with Rev C Price he was the dean of the bible school that I went to in Elgin also Fred and James from the Independent church in Ilford we also meet Bob and jimmy from the Elgin church and an old friend of mine David just to name a few people.  After church we walked along the promenade and to the local fish and chip shop.  The following evening church services all came under the banner of BOTT (because of the times).

On the Friday afternoon the 2pm program was an open air street meeting we meet up at the conference centre and walked together down the promenade witnessing to members of the public before stopping at the war memorial for the open air service we did look quite a crowed 800 people were at the conference and I should think everyone was on the promenade. It was during this event that I took a set of photo journalist images to be used in various publications from church news letters to the Pentecostal truth magazine.

On the last morning instead of walking along the promenade towards the pier and great Orme I walked along the promenade to the little Orme. And back taking a few photo’s as I went on my way back to the hotel the heavens opened and I got soaked through  I was glad to arrive back at the hotel to change  my wet clothes.  Staying at our hotel were some of the UPCI missionaries based in Europe and brethren from London and Coventry. Allison and I had a wonderful time at Conference and we are looking forward to the 42^nd UPC GB&I General conference. We caught the train back from Llandudno to Oxford stayed the night changed our suit cases and caught to 10:30 to the Scottish Highlands.

My  photo's can be seen on flickr

The street meeting set are at  http://www.flickr.com/photos/m3jfm/sets/72157624548857573/

And my images of Llandudno are at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/m3jfm/sets/72157624753100986/