the weather

Yesterday things all got a bit mad. The weather in Sheffield, and the surrounding area, was horrendous. Unfortunately, three people died as a result of the weather. Two of these deaths occurred in Sheffield, one of which was in our local park.

I didn't know the lad who died. He lived in another part of the city, went to school in another part of the city, but was passing through my area on his way home from school. When I heard on the news that an incident had happened in the area, and that a young person was involved, my mind started racing. I started picturing the many young people who come to our youth club. I went down to Millhouses Park and spoke to one of the policemen there.

Although I discovered it wasn't one of the young people I know, some youth worker friends of mine do a lot of work in the school where he was a pupil. Please pray for them and for the school, and of course for the friends and family of Ryan Parry, the boy who died aged 14.

It's all just a bit weird. I know that people die across the world every day, and I know that young people die across this country every day. But to have it happen so close to home, in a place where so many people go to have fun, where I go to have fun, it's quite a shock.

Elsewhere in Sheffield there has been lots of flooding, homes and businesses ruined, people left stranded, without electricity etc etc. At the moment there's still the potential of a reservoir breaking through a dam and flooding over villages and the M1.