Bob Holman & Phil Evens: Affluence and position as inconsistent with Christian faith

In 1970 my father, Phil Evens, entered social-work education by becoming a lecturer in applied social studies at Oxford University. There, he discovered that he did not fit into the exclusive network of “North Oxbridge Society”, and so he moved nearer to his ideological home and working-class identity by setting up an Applied Action Research Community Work Project in 1973. It was called the Barton Project, after the council estate on which it was based.

His experiences and other contributions to the development of community work were published in Community Work: Theory and practice (1974) and The Barton Project (1976). Both books applied his Christian faith to his work, and called for the active involvement of Christians in community work and other public services.

Similarly in 1976, Bob Holman 'resigned his professorship in social administration at Bath University to become a community worker on the city’s deprived Southdown estate. He saw his affluence and position as inconsistent with his Christian faith. He and his wife, Annette, and their two children, Ruth and David, moved from a comfortable middle-class area in the city to a home next to the estate and he started the project where he then worked.'

In 1976, the Barton Project project lost funding, and my father's job was restructured away. He returned, somewhat disillusioned, to his roots in Somerset, where he became self-employed as a landscape gardener. During this mid-life crisis, he and his family began worshipping for the first time in the C of E, and he continued, as he had done for many years, to set up and run Christian youth clubs. Involvement in wider aspects of Anglican ministry led to his call to train for ordination.

At Trinity College, Bristol, he set up the Voice of the People Trust, to sponsor Christian ministry in urban priority areas through community-work projects linked to parishes. Work on the trust was carried out in conjunction with his ministry, first, as a curate at Aston Parish Church, and then as Vicar of St Edmund’s, Tyesley.

'After a decade in Bath, in 1987 [Bob Holman] went to live and work on the vast and deprived Easterhouse estate in Glasgow. He always wanted to show what could be done to motivate and involve people and bring communities together. Bob spurned any distinction between himself and other residents, calling himself a “resourceful friend”. His daily work involved filling in social security forms, accompany young people to court or helping a neighbour to raise a loan for a new cooker.'

Holman, who died on 15 June, became a regular contributor to the Guardian which published some extracts from his writing following his death:

'I will not lose my Christianity. It came before my socialism. The example and values of Jesus Christ led me to seek a societal implementation through politics. The writings of Richard Tawney and the practices of Keir Hardie and George Lansbury led me into the Labour party. But Christianity is more than politics. It will be with me to the end.'

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Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals - All That Has Grown.

Intensified Chaos

My brother Nick was in a punk band called Intensified Chaos (great name!) in his teens so was really interested to find out recently that Mike Osmond, the band's drummer, has posted memories of the band and Nick on the blog of his current band, The Painkillers. Tim Hawley, also from Intensified Chaos and The Painkillers, gave the family the link and has added some of his memories to Mike's post.

I only saw Intensified Chaos once, at The Blue Angel Islington. As a very square student with my church mates, we felt very out of place amongst the crowd of gobbing punks and only stayed to hear the band and talk to Nick but really enjoyed their set. Tim remembers the gig like this (I assume it's the same gig): "SKUNX (the Angel pub at Islington) supporting Blitz. They refused to pay us and Mackie from Blitz gave us a fiver out of pity. Nice bloke. We were waiting to see some guy from Sounds, but no one we recognised turned up….but someone must’ve been there as the following review came out “a chorus of Ooh Arrs greeted Intensified Chaos when they admitted to coming from Somerset, but apart from their silly voices they were a bland bunch”. Could’ve been worse I s’pose.."

The band's only released recording was, I think, a track called 'Waste Away' on the Wet Dreams compilation album. Tim writes that this was essentially Nick's song and says just listen to the lyrics and remember when his day job was making garage doors.

Nick went on from Intensified Chaos to become a Royal Engineer. He joined 59 Independant Squadron and Royal Marine Commandos and trained as a sports instructor and joint service mountain leader before becoming a detatched youth worker for the Aston Community Youth Project. With the Youth Project, he organised the expedition to climb Mount Elgon in Uganda which led to the formation of the charity now known as Rejuvenate Worldwide. Nick also worked for the Fire Service and The Prince's Trust before joining Tear Fund's Disaster Response Team and going to Kosovo where he lost his life. More of his story can be read by clicking here, here and here.

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The Painkillers.

Celebration concert

The Acocks Green Singers

The Acocks Green Singers with Three Men and a Lady

Jeremy Ballard

Andi Thomas

At the weekend I was at a concert held in memory of my Dad, Phil Evens, which raised money for Rejuvenate Worldwide, a charity that Dad was involved in founding. The concert was hosted by St Cyprian’s Hay Mills and the performers were Jeremy Ballard, the Acocks Green Singers and Three Men and a Lady.

Jeremy Ballard is a violinist and studied in London with Sasha Lasserson. He joined the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra as leader of the second violins and also in 1971 formed the Arioso Quartet. He played a charity concert following the death of my brother Nick and was impressed by the things my Dad said in accepting the cheque. As a result, he was very willing to again perform for charity in this concert.

At the end of the evening I said the following:


"It is, of course, entirely appropriate that this evening has been raising money for Rejuvenate Worldwide and we are particularly grateful to Andi Thomas for speaking about Dad and the work of Rejuvenate. Following Nick’s death, founding Rejuvenate (then known as Faith in Action) with Andi was one of the key ways in which Dad was able to continue the work that Nick had begun and the inspiration that he had provided to many. Dad had, of course, given Nick the opportunity to begin that work by setting up the Aston Community Youth Project along with all those who played a part in its work and development. Andi was one of those who benefited from the project and who has gone on to put into practice, through his youth work in Birmingham and through his leadership of Rejuvenate, the vision that Dad and Nick both shared.

Dad influenced many people throughout his life and it was wonderful for us as a family to hear and read many tributes to Dad from those whose lives he had influenced for good in some way around the time of his funeral. One element in coping with the loss of someone who was, for me, probably the biggest influence on my life and what I have made of it, has been the sense that there are people who continue to be influenced by Dad in the way that they live out their lives. Some of you will know that over that period I posted a number of pieces about Dad’s life on my blog and also wrote a series of poems about my response to his illness and death. I’d like to end by reading the last poem in that series. In it, I list in brief those who were influenced by Dad to serve others as church workers, social workers and youth workers. That is the legacy that he leaves behind. Some of us here tonight and others in other places around the country are that legacy. In and through the way we live our lives, his memory and inspiration live on.


Our world contracted

Our world has contracted
to a room,
a bed,
a man.
Yet the world continues to spin,
traffic flows,
people sleep, work and eat,
the world and ward continue
their nightly rounds
unaffected by his passing
on.
Progenitor of people
and projects,
inspirer
of church workers,
social workers,
youth workers.
As he lay
unconscious
and breathing
we have remembered
and celebrated
this man
that the world
does not know
but who loved,
cherished
and challenged
our lives
into being
and becoming.
He lies still,
his life gone.
His memory
and inspiration
live on."


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Mahler 2nd - Finale End - Simon Rattle/CBSO