As Net Zero Week 2025 approaches (5-11 July), Church of England schools across Hereford Diocese are leading the way, showing how to tackle climate change and reduce our carbon footprint. With nearly 50% of schools already committed to the Let's Go Zero campaign, the diocese is seeking to build momentum and transform environmental action in Church of England schools.
Following their visit to Uganda earlier this year, Bishop Richard and Deborah are seeking support to help fund the vital work of Archbishop Janani Luwum Theological College in northern Uganda. Many of the diocese will know and remember the CMS mission partners Simon and Sarah Cawdell who are leading ministerial training and community development initiatives at the college.
The transformative power of completing a Christian pilgrimage is well documented amongst those of other faiths or none —For a growing group of believers from St Mary’s The Virgin Church in Bishop’s Frome, the season is punctuated with visits to a very special Marian shrine in Little Walsingham, Norfolk.
When the four parishes of Apedale committed themselves to prayer in response to Bishop Richard's Day of Prayer for Generosity, they could hardly have anticipated how powerful their faithful witness might prove. What began as a day of prayer resulted in an unexpected windfall of £1,700 of donations and, more significantly, a series of unexpected conversations with people beyond the church walls.
Church music has been at the heart of Christian worship for centuries, lifting hearts and souls in praise to God and enriching our faith through sacred song. So we were delighted to see Dr Andrew Padmore BEM, a regular organist at St Laurence's Church, Ludlow, receive the Fellowship of the Royal School of Church Music – one of the highest honours in church music, recognised for his outstanding contribution to our Christian heritage.
A finding from the report into the wellbeing of women's ministry in Hereford Diocese suggests potential barriers, lack of confidence in processes, or lack of clarity on how to report. The Senior Bishop’s Staff group heard how action was needed to improve support systems for those experiencing bullying, harassment or inappropriate behaviours which do not fall within a safeguarding context.
Death remains one of our most difficult conversations. Despite it being a universal human experience, many of us struggle to discuss dying and death openly, leaving families unprepared and overwhelmed when faced with making funeral arrangements during their time of grief.
As the Church of England dashes towards the ambitious target of Net Zero Carbon by 2030, parishes across Hereford Diocese are encouraged to explore the Energy Footprint tool to help identify the change required to transform historic buildings into energy-efficient spaces for worship and community use.
The vicarage in Tupsley has had an energy retro-fit as part of a national church pilot project
This week, we're delighted to celebrate news of two people from the parish of Sutton Hill which is made up of two churches one in Sutton and the other in Woodside, located on the edge of Telford, the most northerly point of our diocese. The individuals received a very special award from the local Mayor for their service to the community.
