We have a wonderful volunteer team who were essential to the 217 tonnes of good surplus food we rescued last year! Volunteer Andrew Petch recently sat down with Michael Carding to get his thoughts on the Food Hub and how he came to get involved. As you will read, he has had a special year and please make sure you read his poem ONE at the end of this piece.
For Michael 2024 was a year to remember, with at least three events sticking in his mind:
- He met the Queen
- One of his poems was set to music
- At golf he scored a hole in one
For this charismatic, popular figure these moments are in some way associated with his great loves – poetry and bell ringing- more of that later!
Michael moved to Shrewsbury in 2013 after 18 years as Head of the Bishop Heber High School in Malpas. He joined the U3A and their poetry writing group. It’s true to say that his poems show an amazing development since those early days. In fact, his poem ‘One’ is a reflection on his hole in one which reaches into philosophical realms!
Bell ringing is one of Michael’s passions and he is Tower Captain at Holy Trinity Church, Meole Brace. His poem ‘Sally’ reflects this love and taught me that the sally is the woolly coloured part of the rope used by bell ringers.
Soon after retiring Michael was persuaded to go to Kuala Lumpur; initial reluctance was overcome and he spent seven deeply satisfying months there which radically transformed the mathematics department at the school. As a maths teacher Michael was always fascinated by the connection between mathematics and poetry especially the concept of the line.
Back to the Food Hub. Michael heard a talk by Mike Haddaway and Alison Thomas which encouraged him to offer his services to this superb organisation. On Fridays, Michael is a member of Team One and harvests, sorts and delivers the many items which happen to be available. In particular, he gets great pleasure from seeing flowers as part of this bounty – a real way of spreading joy. The developing relationship between the Food Hub and food banks has been particularly satisfying to Michael. He says the nature of the Food Hub, as a non-hierarchical body, gives all its participants an equal say in its running and he regards its management as a model of good practice but, alas, can’t foresee the day when it won’t be needed.
It was a real privilege to spend a couple of hours in the company of this deeply thoughtful, committed man who is a true force of nature. May he continue to enrich the lives of many for years to come!
Andrew Petch
January 2025
ONE by Michael Carding
One tee
One ball
One 8-iron ready to swing and strike.
Elevation into a wide, clear sky
With perfect parabolic trajectory
Between magnetic branches
Over seductive water
To land softly, safely
On close-cut, manicured grass
Only to topple with destiny
Into one tiny hole.
One man
One woman
Millions of sperm ready to go.
Ejaculation into a narrow obstacle course
Where speed and strength are paramount
Avoiding wrong turnings and hidden cavities
Battling against nature’s protection
To arrive safely with just hundreds of others
Only to engage in a Darwinian battle
To be the one which
Fertilises the egg.
Improbable yet certain.
A hundred golfers stand on that tee every day
Most, like me, not even thinking about the possibility.
But there are more par-3 holes,
Hundreds of courses,
An endless supply of days.
Do the maths; it’s going to happen.
The sperm carnage is incalculable
Yet life goes on.
My lucky ball sits in its cup on my window ledge
Like an unfertilised egg.
Composed after getting a hole in one at the 143 yd 17th at Arscott, 18th July 2024