Archbishop of York meets bankers, asylum seekers, students and schools in two day visit to Ripon and Leeds

The Archbishop of York spent  two days in the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds on May 24th and 25th, visiting pioneering youth and children’s projects and meeting a wide variety of local people in both North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire from students to clergy and from business leaders and bankers to asylum seekers.

Lunch with pupils at Middleham School, North Yorkshire

More pictures from Day One - in the Archdeaconry of Richmond

More pictures from Day Two - in the Archdeaconry of Leeds

Media reports of the visit

• Yorkshire Post report - Business Lunch in Leeds

• Yorkshire Evening Post report - Meeting with Asylym Seekers in Leeds

• BBC Radio Leeds report - Tuesday Drivetime (May 25) - 41 minutes in

New initiatives

New initiatives among young people and  the work of church schools were the focus of day one of the Archbishop’s visit which began at  St Francis Xavier joint Roman Catholic and Anglican school in Richmond. There he addressed the school before touring classrooms and meeting students and staff. He then moved on to Middleham and Masham church primary schools – having lunch with newly confirmed pupils at Middleham and then fielding questions pupils would like to put to God at Masham primary school.  At Ripon Cathedral the Archbishop met choristers and prached in Evensong, before travelling to St Peter’s Harrogate where he met with with representatives of Fresh Expressions and Youth ministry in the area.  

Meeting Students at Leeds University

After an overnight stay at Hollin House the home of Bishop John and Barbara Packer, a packed schedule of visits on day two around Leeds included a breakfast meeting with chaplains and clergy, followed by a visit to St Aidan’s  Church Leeds to visit PAFRAS, a day centre for asylum seekers.

The Archbishop of York’s comments and criticisms of the banking community in the wake of the banking crisis were heavily reported at the time. Over lunch he came face to face with some of those involved in business and banking in the city of Leeds and found out more about a new business chaplaincy set up by the church in the city. In the afternoon Dr Sentamu went  Leeds University to meet students and hear about a ‘Café church’ run at the University Chaplaincy. And it was on a lively note that the Archbishop ended  his two day visit on a lively note, meeting children at ‘Kidz Klub’ in Beeston, and joining in with their games and worship activities.

The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds said he was delighted the Archbishop had been able to see some of the pioneering initiatives taking place in the region. “This was a good opportunity for the Archbishop to see all the exciting and varied ventures in which Christians are involved in the cause of the Gospel throughout our diverse diocese."