Sale Moor Methodist Church
May 2021 saw our return to the yoga room, after another long period of teaching online due to the lockdown. It was truly wonderful to be back in the church for my Thursday evening classes (and for the moment on Tuesdays too) as well as some other venues in Sale.
It felt familiar and grounding to be back, after all the uncertainty and challenges of the past year. The smell of the church, the familiarity of the space - like the bricks and mortar were welcoming us all back.
I've taught yoga here for over 10 years and as many people know I have strong connections to this church which date back generations. My Mum attended Sunday school there and my Grandparents were members of the congregation. I went to playgroup there in the 1970s and still remember the polka dotted milk beakers we were given. I attended Brownies there in the 1980s and even had my 10th birthday party in the cellar with my Dad as DJ (this was 1983)! See the photos below - for a good laugh!!
Me and my big sister - yes that is me with a scarf round my head, I always did like to experiment with interesting 'fashion' choices.
Dancing in the cellar at the church. My Dad was blasting out some 80s bangers!
Then my own children attended playgroup there, and my eldest went to Paintbox - the childrens art club run by the church. My eldest also attended Friday night youth club where he played table tennis in the same cellar I'd had my party all those years before.
I've been teaching my yoga classes there every week for years and holding many Saturday morning workshops, which are always well attended. They are really social events and the yoga is just a part of it - the gathering together is the main focus.
Interestingly, some contacts I have are researching the history of the church. They have found documents relating to the building, which include someone with a surname of Darbyshire (my Mum's maiden name) There is also mention of a dwelling in Sale Moor where we know my Great Grandparents lived, near the boundary of Manchester and not far from the church, and apparently meetings were held at this house before the church itself (as we know it now) was built. We are still trying to find out who the person is as we only have an initial so far. But it seems they may have been a significant figure in the setting up of the very church that I teach yoga in and have had so many connections to! No doubt there will be a part 2 of this blog once we find out more.No wonder I feel so at home there. It really is a great hub for the community of Sale Moor - with all the groups that meet there and all the events that have been held there over the years.
I am hoping that next year things will be more like they used to be, with craft fairs, the May fair and Christmas Fair all going ahead again. Not to mention some more of my yoga workshops and my continuing classes. These community buldings are so important to everyone who use them regularly.
I also think it's pretty cool that if I stick my head out of our loft window at home - I can see the roof of the church, and I did that many times over lockdown, thinking one day we will be back practicing yoga there - and thankfully, now we are!
