WE REMEMBER

Memories are treasures, time cannot take away.
So may we be surrounded by happy ones today.
May all the love and tenderness of golden days and years well spent Come back today to fill our hearts with beauty and content.
And may we walk down memory lane and meet the ones we love,
For while we cannot see them, they’ll be watching from above....
So, for their sakes, be happy and show them that their love
Has proven strong and big enough to reach down from above.

David Coward had only been a member of the FREEWHEELERS for twelve months when he died on June 8. 2010. He had particularly enjoyed our art and craft activities and was making lots of friends. We miss David very much and will fondly remember him.

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
May the rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of His hand

The death of Kenneth Pass on Friday, September 7^th 2007 left a huge gap in our group. Ken had been a devoted member of the freewheelers for 25 years and had always involved himself in all the activities, including flag selling, day trips, games tournaments and Christmas parties. In recent months Ken had been very supportive to our ‘Tea Ladies’ who serve the refreshments. We know the freewheelers was very important to Ken and we are grateful for his tremendous support of our organisation. We feel privileged to have had Ken as a member for so long and we will miss him always, in so many ways.

LAST WISH

An empty room, An empty chair,
A father’s love, no longer there.
A friendly greeting, A goodnight kiss,                                               Our staunch supporter, we do so miss.                                       Broken hearts, Tear filled eyes,
Another soul to fill the sky.
The times we shared, The laughs we had,                                    Things we miss, when we think of you.                                         Many memories make us sigh,
Some we laugh over, others make us cry.
Realizing that’s all we have to hold on to now,                                Only memories, of what once was you.
This last “goodbye” leaves us with one last wish...
To have you back amongst all, here today.

On Thursday, July 12, 2007 we received the heartbreaking news that Ann Dawson had passed away. Ann had regularly attended the Freewheelers for 23 years and was an enthusiastic member. She enjoyed the group’s activities, especially the Christmas party where Ann always wore the best fancy dress outfit. Ann endured many difficulties throughout her life but she conquered each obstacle as it came along and got on with living her life. Ann’s inner strength and independent spirit pulled her through these tough times and we greatly admired her for this. She had now reached a stage in her life where she could live each day how she chose to and this was also a great accomplishment. She was enjoying her life. Ann loved to dress-up, she loved to shop, she loved to party, she loved Big Brother. She had everything to live for and we feel cheated that she has been taken away from us so young. Yet, we must be grateful that she came into our lives at all and we give thanks for knowing Ann and for loving her.

PULLING THROUGH Rebecca E. Hays. a1997 (SMA)

We are the fragile ones, Whose life stands ever poised on a precarious balance, …..But we pull through. We are the gentle ones, Who fight to hold on to life’s possibilities, hopes and truths, …..So we pull through. We are the well loved ones, Who wish the love we’re given existed in a different form, …..Yet we pull through. We are the strong ones, Who greedily grasp the life others would turn from, Saying, “i would rather die than live like you…..” …..but we pull through. We are the angry ones, Who watch other's waste their gifts of life in glorious multitude, …..Yet we pull through. We are the ones, Who have a love that is deeper, more lasting, loyal and profound, It is the love of life itself, …..So we pull through.

The news on May 9th 2007 of Wendy North’s death made us all very sad. Wendy joined the Freewheelers in 1999 and quickly immersed herself in the activities and became a firm favourite amongst the membership. Everyone loved to share a chat with Wendy and they always went away with a huge grin on their face. At only 43, Wendy was still very much a young woman and she deserved a better deal in life. Instead her time on earth was packed with difficulties, but she was determined to live life to the full and it is to her credit that she did make the very most of it. We will always remember Wendy’s humour, her strength, her love of life and her ability to persevere against all the odds.

VALIANT SPIRIT

Wendy was a fighter, Her courage outweighed her fears. Never wallowing in self pity, When others fought their tears.

We honour her valiant spirit, That came from deep within. Giving in was never considered, Her goal was to try and to win.

Wendy fought hard to stay around, The power of love was strong. Letting go was not a part of her plan, Her leaving was cruel and wrong.

One night when we are feeling lonely, We’ll look around for a starlit light. And we know there will Wendy be, Never, never too far from sight.

Many thanks are conveyed to Wendy's family for the very generous donation of £500 given in her memory

Barbara Lancett died on November 28 2006 after a long fight against cancer. When Barbara joined the FREEWHEELERS in 1999 she had not been out of the house socially for five years. Being able to regularly attend our fortnightly gatherings and go along with us to local theatres and cinemas and on an occasional day trip to Blackpool opened up a whole new way of life for her. Barbara also enjoyed contributing to our quarterly newsletter and wrote the poem below.

When your troubles are at their worst, And you think your bubble is about to burst. When all the world seems down on you, With good friends, you will pull through.

Friends are worth there weight in gold, Whether they are young or old, Whether they are disabled or not, They’re there for you, no matter what.

There is no doubt in my mind, That Freewheelers are of this kind. On their support you can depend, ‘Cause there’s nothing like true friends.

The devastating news of Walter Wain’s sudden death on Sunday, October 22, 2006 rocked our world and left us heartbroken. Just three days before Walter had been driving the minibus, bringing disabled members to and from the group meeting and was his usual cheerful self. He was the Walter we had known for twenty years. The Walter we could always rely on. The Walter who was our ‘Best Mate’. Walter was always willing to go that extra mile for us and his tremendous help and participation has meant so much. We have been lucky to have had him as a member and we will miss him always, in so many ways.

Grateful thanks are extended to Walter's partner and family for the contribution of £135 received in his memory

We can shed tears that he is gone,
Or we can smile because he has lived.

We can close our eyes and pray that he'll come back,
Or we can open our eyes and see all that he's done and left.

Our hearts can be empty because we can't see him,
Or we can be full of the friendship he shared with us.

We can remember him and only that he's gone,
Or we can cherish his memory and make sure it lives on.

We can cry and feel empty and turn our back,
Or we can do what he'd want: smile and carry on.

The dreadful news that Edward Beardmore, died suddenly on Thursday, May 18th 2006 turned our world inside out. Edward had been with the FREEWHEELERS for nineteen years and was a great able bodied volunteer; caring, committed and reliable. He was always willing to help us out whenever we had a problem and he was a good friend to every one of us. Over the years, Edward gave the FREEWHEELERS a huge amount of his time and energy by supporting the meetings and activities and escorting members on day trips and outings. He was aged only 55 and died from a heart attack. The thought that we shall never again share his company is hard to bear and knowing what a wonderful friend we have lost forever has broken our hearts.

Memories are the loveliest thing,
They last from day to day,
They can't get lost,
They don't wear out,
And can't be given away.

It was a great shock to us when we heard David Powell had passed away at the age of 55 on June 23, 2005. Dave joined the FREEWHEELERS in October 1999 and very quickly became a ‘best friend’. Our memories are of a very caring and supportive friend and we shall always remember him and are so grateful for the support he gave to our organisation. We were so lucky to have him as a member.

Although we cannot see you

You are not far away

You are in our hearts and memories

Today and every day

David Copestake had attended the FREEWHEELERS for 22 years and it was very sad for all his friends when he died after a short, but painful illness on January 31, 2005. Dave was always ready to share a laugh and he is much missed.

Restless dreams are done,

All is quiet, like some still day,

Shadows of pain all gone,

And a morning star lights the way.

With a heavy heart, and a tear in our eyes,

After all these years, we have to say our goodbyes.

It was your time to go, you deserve your rest,
You fought so long, you gave it your best.

We’ll always be thankful that fate chose to send,
Someone kind like you, someone who became a good friend.

We are grateful for all the times you lent a hand,

for sharing with us and always being there to understand.

good friends like you we hold close to our heart,

And the fine things you did for us will never come apart.

one last prayer and one last wish,

You’ll never know how much you'll be missed.

Have a safe journey through the light,

We know Heaven will cradle you nice and tight.

Let’s dream of that special day and time,

When we'll all meet again and everything will be fine. You are another good soul to fill the sky.

Just for now dear friend, we say goodbye.

Another awful sadness has overwhelmed us all today,
Heaven reached out for you, and has taken you away.

You’ve left behind you heavy hearts, and eyes red sore with tears,
And now we have only memories, that will remain with us through the years.

Each sweet memory of you will be of a very special kind,

And in quiet times we shall bring them all to mind.

You had been a part of us, for such a long time,

But for the losses we have to bear in life, there is no reason or rhyme.

The years we had with you, will always be the best,

And our love for you, will never ever be a thing of the past.

We know you have gone to a far better place, called the promised land,

And the sweetest joy of all, your Mum is there at hand.

A place where there’s no sorrow, sickness or pain,

Just warm sunlight, and never rain.

We miss you so very much, every single day,

And we know the pain won't ever dim, and just go away.

Our hearts are filled with love for you, and it’s hard to say goodbye,

But now you rest safe in an angels arms, and we are left to cry.

Tracy Roberts died on February 26^th 2001. She was 32 and had been a FREEWHEELERS member for seven years. She had recently moved in with her fiancé, David, and was planning their wedding. Her death brought us great sadness.

REMEMBER HER NAME

Remember her name, remember her face,
Remember her kiss and warm embrace. Remember the dreams still left to tell, Remember the many, I love you's, left unsaid.

Remember her laugh, Remember her smile,
Remember we loved her for such a short while. Remember her joking teasing way, Remember it seems we saw her just yesterday.

Remember her warmth, Remember her love, Remember the times that were fun and good.
Remember the love that we once shared,
remember that we truly cared.

Remember her blue eyes, Remember her brown hair,
Remember how much for her we used to care. Remember the time we spent together,
Remember now, she's gone forever.

Philip Boyle died on January 25th 2000. He was one of our original members and had been with the Freewheelers for 24 years. His sudden death has left a huge gap.

MISS ME-BUT LET ME GO

Miss me a little – but not too long,

And not with your head bowed low.

Remember the happy times that we once shared,

Miss me – but let me go.

Miss me – but not too sadly,

For this is a journey we all must take,

And each must go alone.

It is all part of the master plan,

A step on the road to home.

Miss me – but let me go.

Miss me a little – but do not grieve,

I have come to the end of the road,

And the sun has set for me.

But I want no tears in a gloom filled room,

Why cry for a soul set free.

Miss me – but let me go.

Grateful thanks are extended to Philip's family for the bequest of £100.

Joan Blood welcomed in the New Millennium just hours before she died on January 1st 2000. Her death was sudden, but painless and without months of suffering. Joan had been a member of the freewheelers for 18 years and we will always remember her fondly.

I could not stay another day,

To laugh, to share, to talk, to play

Tasks left undone must stay that way

I found my peace……at close of day.

Stephen Dawson had been a member of the freewheelers for nine years and we greatly admired his zest for life and perseverance to over come its difficulties. He died on October 14th 1998. He was just 24 and we will miss him always, in so many ways.