TO ALL

Easter time has always been a pleasant time of year for me, and I remember as a child following the Salvation Army and the Easter Parades, Jazz-bands and marchers, to the Public Bandstand at the local Park. I spent some time marching too as a Boy bugler in the Boys Brigade and later as an Army Cadet, where we'd all meet to hear the 'Sally Bash' play their Oompah Oompah, their Drums and Tambourines, and there was a feeling of love and happiness in our community when each and every year we would gather to remember Jesus.

After a couple of hours the kids were given oranges and it was off to the fair with our brand new Easter shoes and clothes, which Mam and Dad had bought especially so we'd look our best on Easter Sunday, and Dad would often exclaim; "You've got a duck's arse son" as mam would be licking her hand and dab the clot of hair which was sticking up on the top of my head like a "duck's arse". Later, Dad would come further to the rescue by applying a jot of Vaseline to it after he'd finished telling me how to professionally polish my shoes so they shone as was customary in the days before 'trainers'.

Happy Easter and happy childhood memories

Chocolate Easter Eggs were not generally forthcoming in those days in our house. I came from a family of 5 kids with 2 years between each of us and there wasn't the money to buy luxuries.

Instead, we would all set about with a dozen hard boiled eggs and an old paintbox from Christmas between us, as we took what colours were left, to paint faces on the eggs and shouting "That's you dad, hasn't he got a funny moustache", as we all took delight in sharing fun together as a familiy.

Like many will remember, whether we were Christians, non-Christians, or non-practising Christians, we were taught that the true message of Easter is one of love and remembrance.

A time for thinking and a time for peace

So it was in our house, when Dad would often use this special time to say the Lords Prayer over dinner because it was the Lords "special day", and because it was customary in those days to respect our Christian heritage.

My wish today is to bring love and peace to all our brothers and sisters, along with a thought for them and for the message of Jesus Christ, who gave a message which only truly belongs to him, that we should live in peace.

It should be remembered that the message Jesus gave us was not one of divine command, but rather one of hope that we could one day live in peace if we continued to carry his message of love and share it with others.

Hoping together, that with love and peace, and with a thought for yesterday and with a desire in our hearts to remember and to keep our heritage sacred, that we would continue to live in peace and would continue to hand these memories on to our children so that they could continue to share our heritage.

Whether we believe or do not believe, we are the British people, and we are bound together in one glorious divine sovereignty.

Our heritage, our memories, our mutual respect for one another, and the love we share for our people and our way of life, can be the greatest thing imaginable to win the Battle we face today to rescue our country from the hands of those who have forgotten or disrespect our message, and on this day, the day after Easter Sunday, my hope is that we continue to fight the good fight with all our might and that like Jesus Christ, we continue to do it peacefully until right has won the day.

Happy Easter to all