Growing up in Bristol

So here we go, the first of our keeping in touch blog posts. This can be a space for us to share; things we don't know about each other, things we love, things we've learnt and much more.

So my first post is going to be about me! I was born in Southmead hospital in 1994.

I came into the world at 11lb and it's said that I have continued to make a big impression wherever I go.

I was born to Phillip and Caroline Warrey, an Electrical Engineer and Complaints Department Worker for a large insurance company and an older sister Theresa.

We lived in a suburb of Bristol called Hanham.

We were Methodist through and through as I was growing up, attending Hanham Methodist Church. Well how could we not be?! John Wesley famously visited the Hanham Mount on his rounds, and preached at the New Room in Bristol which we regularly visited.

Hanham Mount

Hanham Methodist Church

Some people might say I was a difficult child growing up, I would obviously disagree...

When we were growing up my Grandparents, who lived up the road in Kingswood, Jennifer and Albert looked after us for two days a week whilst my mum went back to work.

If I want to hear a proper Bristolian accent I ring my Grandma and hear her say 'Alright my love?' it warms my heart every time I hear it!

My Grandad was one of the most wonderful, brilliant and silly men I've ever known.

If he could see our belly buttons he would say 'I'll unscrew it, and your bottom will fall off!' and when we came in from school to there house there would often be a cushion on top of the a jar front door, which would inevitably fall on our heads when we pulled the door open. There were so many other things he did that made us laugh and feel loved, we were very fortunate to have such a loving Granddad, and we miss him very much.

For senior school I attended St Mary Redcliffe and Temple school, which was an amalgamation of the old boys school St Mary Redcliffe, and Temple girls. It was in Bristol City Centre and took us two busses to get to and from, though fortunately my Dad worked nearby at the time and he gave us and many others from our area a lift in each morning! I'm not sure there was a day when we didn't make him late for work!

It's hard to find photos of what it looked like when I attended as they started knocking it down and rebuilding it in our final year. Our school was a Church of England School and was attached to St Mary Redcliffe Church, which is a beautiful building that we were lucky to visit for services regularly.

I did well in school and then college. As I hit 17 we found out my Dad was being made redundant and he candidated for Ministry with the Methodist Church. In my final year of college we found out we were moving to Essex and our time in Bristol was over.

I'm very fortunate to have a wonderful family and to have had such a brilliant childhood.

My sister Theresa was both my best friend and mortal enemy! Thankfully now she is the former, not the latter! And my parents were wonderful role models in their faith and their action. My parents were and are still 'doers'! Between them they ran a Guide Unit a Boys Brigade Unit and a Youth Group, one was local preacher and the other was the church magazine editor! And although only my sister now lives in Bristol we are all very close still.

I hope you've enjoyed reading about where I grew up, do you have a similar story to tell? Old pictures you want to share? Email jessica@grangewoodmethodist.org.uk x