The Hot Seat: Cheryl Rimmer

The latest in a series of interviews with assorted church stalwarts by Claire Chabeaux.

In the Hot Seat this month is Cheryl Rimmer.

Where were you born and where did you grow up?
"I was born in Liverpool. At the time of my birth my parents lived in Kingsway and I started my life there but then my parents went to America when I was three. I had six years in America and then came back to the UK again."

What is your earliest childhood memory?
"I think the earliest memory would be when I was in America. I remember going into school one day on Valentine’s day wearing a red dress trimmed with white lace."

What were your best and worst subjects at school?
"Oh maths was easily my worst, I always struggled with maths and my best was English."

As a teenager what pop star poster did you have on your bedroom wall?
"I liked the Beatles and also liked Simon & Garfunkel, I loved the Bridge over Troubled Water album."

What job do you have?
"I am a teacher but about to launch into the retail trade because I have a post at M&S which I’m excited about."

What first decided you to become a Christian?
"I don’t think I actually made the decision, I was always raised in a family that went to church. I can remember when I lived in America always going shopping for new outfits to go to church at Easter and Christmas. So I think I was just raised in that tradition and I followed it."

What brought you to worship at Court Hey?
"I moved house. I was living in Broadgreen and went to Oakfield Methodist. Then when I moved first to Tarbock Road I looked for the nearest Methodist Church and Court Hey was that."

What roles do you have at church?
"I’m the Lady of the Lighthouse, Countess of the crèche, Queen of the shoe-box appeal and serve on the church council. So as you can see I’m very involved."

What is your favourite hymn and why?
"My favourite hymn is, ‘What a friend we have in Jesus,’ because there’s been quite a number of times in my life when I’ve gone through really difficult situations, and one time I really used to lay awake and worry and fret about things. Then eventually I realised there was absolutely no need for me to do that, because if I simply listened to the words of this hymn and heard what God was saying to me, I didn’t need to carry all these burdens and worries on my own shoulders. I just needed to share it with God so that’s my philosophy really for getting through my life with God’s help."

Do you have a favourite passage in the bible and if so why?
"My favourite passage is, 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verses 1- 13, which is the passage about love. It talks about how you can speak in the tongues of men and angels but if you don’t have love you are just like a clanging gong, you’re completely empty and again I kind of make this my mantra for life. I go to church on a Sunday but people don’t see that except the others in the congregation. I think you show your Christianity, your belief in Jesus, in the way you live your life and Jesus said that we should love one another as he loved us and that’s what I try to do. A sort of outreach by demonstrating my love through the way I live my life and I think those verses say everything about that."

Do you have a favourite television programme or series?
"I like Downton Abbey, CSI, anything detective or murders, but I really enjoy Frozen Planet at the moment."

Food Indian or Chinese?
"Indian."

Wine Red or White?
"White."

TV X factor or Strictly?
"Strictly, I never watch X Factor."

If you were asked to appear on any television programme which one would you choose?
"If you were asked to appear on Frozen Planet you’d get to travel which would be an experience you’d never had before, but if say it was Downton (Abbey) that would be really interesting seeing all behind the scenes. I’d like to do both."

What has been your favourite holiday destination?
"I suppose it was a small island off the coast of Thailand. I liked it because it was so different to anywhere I’d been before. You could only reach it by boat, and the rooms were not so much rooms as they were like little huts with an upstairs and a downstairs with a thatched roof. The food was so very different and the people there really lovely."

What would you class as your proudest achievement?
"I think just getting to where I am now. I think I’m a survivor of situations. Stuff sort of happened to me in the past which I just managed to overcome and keep going, so I think that is my proudest achievement and also my greatest blessing that whenever I have had those times of adversity God has always been there and pulled me through, its team work."

What interests and hobbies do you have?
"I like walking but not Fell walking, just like to go out and walk for an hour. I do the Zumba classes at church and I like to go swimming at the local leisure centre. I also enjoy film and theatre and going to the Philharmonic for concerts. I like music."

Many thanks to Cheryl for taking time out for this interview

Claire Chabeaux