The team at Holy Trinity Church in Coalbrookdale, Shropshire are a generous local church community who have faithfully cared for the building over many centuries. The building, like many others, had an ancient heating system which barely kept visitors warm.
A group of south Shropshire faith leaders along with local school children, gathered at Craven Arms to plant a fruit tree, marking the start of Inter Faith Week 2023.
A scramble through the kitchen cupboards revealed – you’ve guessed it - five loaves of bread and two fish fingers – you couldn’t make it up for a church school! Without a miracle, the staff needed another plan to feed everyone. One of the office team took the initiative and rang a local farmer for some help.
Local people: Christian, Jewish and Muslim joined together for a silent vigil held last Saturday at the Auction Yard, Craven Arms. They came together in response to the horrors of the past two weeks to pray for peace and unity as the war between Israel and Hamas continues. The group stood together outside Craven Arms Community Centre in South Shropshire to hold 30 minutes of silence for all those who have been killed on each side of this conflict and to pray for peace in the region.
Pupils, staff and parents at Kingsland Church of England Primary School in Herefordshire proudly celebrated becoming the first local school to be credited as a School of Sanctuary. This status is a recognition of the school’s unwavering commitment to fostering a culture of warmth, welcome, and inclusion for refugees and individuals seeking asylum.
Every year a number of churches in deaneries across Hereford support young African students to train as priests as part of our linked partnership with Tanzania. As we celebrate our local ordinations, we delight in the news that four men in Africa have also felt that special call to serve God in dioceses across Tanzania.
I, along with my team, have oversight of all 78 Church of England schools across the diocese. I have loved this job.
At St Dubricius church, which is part of the Wye Reaches benefice, removing a 180-year-old tree from the churchyard created a perfect space for a stone labyrinth. Created in the summer of 2022 for an arts and crafts exhibition, the vicar, Revd Tim Starling, kept intending to tidy up the stone labyrinth until he noticed that it was still being used.
As part of Refugee Week 2023, The Diocese of Hereford has partnered with Mothers' Union Hereford to launch a clothing appeal, asking people to donate towards buying new clothes for those seeking asylum who are currently being hosted in the county.
Children in Year 6 at Christ Church CE Primary school in South Shropshire celebrated achieving their Archbishop’s Young Leader’s Award with a Community Tea party.
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