2017-02

My Love Of Letter-Writing
I’ve had a love-affair with
letter writing most of my life.
It began when I was 11 years
old.
My teacher asked the
whole class to open their atlases
at random, close their eyes and
make a small pencil mark on the
page, then write to the Mayor
of the nearest town and ask for
someone there of our own age who
would be happy to be a penfriend.
Before long Martha and I began
our friendship. That was over 60
years ago and we are still writing.
We’re continually finding out about
how similar, and different, life is
on opposite sides of ‘The Pond’ as
well as sharing recipes, favourite
authors and just about anything
and everything (not a good idea to
mention Trump though!).
It’s been fascinating writing to
the two boys whom I’ve sponsored
through World Vision – at first I
knew very little about their country,
Mozambique, but from their letters
I receive I now know much more –
and I hope they’re learning a little
about life in the UK from me, too.
I may never meet Abel and Joao,
but I cherish their messages and
their drawings and it’s wonderful
knowing that, although we’re
thousands of miles apart, we care
about each other.
I’ve also found it very humbling
being involved with Amnesty
International – they welcome
people who are prepared to write
to prisoners, offering support and
comfort. Back in the mid ‘80s, I
couldn’t stop thinking about the
plight of the Beirut hostages so I
wrote to them all, not knowing if
my letters would ever reach them
but, amazingly, I had a wonderful
reply from John McCarthy which
I treasure. I’ve also written to
Archbishop John Sentamu on
several occasions – he always
sends a gracious response
though, regrettably but quite
understandably, he declined our
invitation to write an article for
Impact due to his heavy workload.
Recently I’ve become an avid
supporter of www.change.org, a
website challenging injustice.
Writing letters is a part of being
able to speak out – they say that
“the pen is mightier than the sword”
and that certainly appears to be the
case. It’s very humbling and, when
the outcome is a positive one,
it’s heart-warming knowing that,
in a small way, you have helped
someone. Years ago, my car broke
down on a wet, windy night on the
A38. The lovely AA man who came
to my rescue not only fixed the
problem but followed me for some
distance to make sure I was safe.
I wrote to the AA’s Head Office to
extol the virtues of this unknown
“guardian angel” and later heard
that, as a result, he was awarded a
commendation – so I had returned
the favour and was I “chuffed”!
I may be a dinosaur in this
technological age and I’m aware
that emails and texts are quick
and easy, but they can also be
deleted at the touch of a button and
maybe lost for ever. The response
I have from authors who’ve moved
me, actors whose performances
I’ve admired, programme makers
who’ve inspired me, not to mention
correspondence shared world-wide
with many friends, show they all
genuinely appreciate letters. It’s
proof that letter-writing is something
which brings tangible and lasting
pleasure to writer and recipient
alike as letters can be read, stored
and re-read time and time again.
Let’s hope that we dinosaurs never
become extinct!
Chris Laude
St Chad’s Church, Linden Avenue, Woodseats
Church Office: Linden Avenue, Sheffield S8 0GA
Tel: (0114) 274 5086
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email: office@stchads.org
website: www.stchads.org