ZELLA COMPTON: He could almost have made me a believer

Not because of the couple themselves but because of the uproar caused by the minister Michael Curry.

I’d scoffed at watching the wedding live with my mother and had told more than one person that it wasn’t on the cards.

But, as I was sorting out the laundry, the TV was on, and there it was, the wedding in all its glory.

And it caught me, quite unexpectedly. It caught me with the wonderful mixed congregation, it caught me as Meghan walked up to the church alone, it caught me that there was a gospel choir, but what caught me most of all, and the rest of the country, was the preacher.

And the way that he preached.

Wow. Who could ever have imagined that such a fiery passionate sermon could get past the gatekeepers and make it into a royal wedding, yet alone an event televised around the world and watched by millions.

At first it was excruciating. Who talks like that? Who dares believe like that? Who admits a real belief?

And then it was funny as the faces in the congregation were aghast at the notion of love, then it became wonderful in its audacity and then, without a doubt, every person outside that chapel was cheering on this man and his love of life and fire and whatever else he was going to go onto next.

He could almost make me a believer, if not in god then in church and the holy redemptive moments of love for one another.

It was sublime. Those 13 minutes made it all worthwhile for me, those moments in which we squirmed as a nation and then went ‘yes, he could be onto something here’.

Of course we’ll all have forgotten his words and passion quicker than the bunting’s taken down, but for a glorious moment, I felt the pulse of the nation and believed we could be something more.

Good luck to the newlyweds. I hope they’re very happy.

THE CREEPING FEAR THAT YOUR SCHOOL IS NEXT

How truly shocking to read that there are now, seemingly, more deaths in classrooms this year in the USA than there have been in combat (again among USA military).

I cannot and do not want to imagine the pain that these statistics spread across affected communities, and the division that must be seeded in schools across the nation.

Which student wouldn’t be looking around and wondering if their school is next, or what a particular kid who might not fit in so well, might be thinking about doing?

And what parent is wondering, every day, if their child is safe?

It’s shocking and terrifying and to me an absolute farce that nothing happens, that laws and attitudes don’t change, that gun culture is so entrenched nothing is done for control.

FREE-RIDING REBELS WITH MOBILITY SCOOTERS

I’ve been having a bit of an issue lately with mobility scooters and their owners’ rights on the roads, pavements and elsewhere.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all in favour of mobility bikes to help people get around, whether that’s in a supermarket or on a street, but it bothers me that they drive along the roads, sometimes in the middle, without a care in the world.

Surely they should be caring about not having a helmet, slowing down lorries etc and generally being unroadworthy.

And don’t get me started on those that cheerfully flout one-way systems and zoom toward me, looking shocked that I’m driving my car in the correct direction.

If you’re gonna be a free rider, please make sure that you know the rules of freedom.