| DESPITE the unseasonal snow, he arrived in a buggy decked out in episcopal purple, surmounted by a four-foot mitre, and accompanied by fireworks and purple smoke.
The retiring Bishop of Truro, the Rt Revd Bill Ind, bade farewell to his diocese at Cornwall’s most iconic attraction, the Eden Project. All the facilities of the Project had been handed over for the occasion by its founder, Tim Smit, and nearly 4000 people came, including all the county dignitaries, to pay tribute to a popular Bishop, who has also become a television celebrity.
There was a programme of music and dance, including a gospel choir and a performance by Searchlight, a newly formed youth group from Redruth, and a specially written epic poem by Bert Biscoe “detailing much of Cornwall’s history in a splendidly robust style”, says Jeremy Dowling, one of the organisers.
The occasion was chaired by the Suffragan Bishop of St Germans, who presented “Bishop Bill” with gifts from the people and parishes of the diocese. As he is a keen ornithologist, the presents included a new set of “rustle-free” all-weather bird-watching clothing, “as worn by Bill Oddie”; a pair of professional binoculars; a camera; and a “substantial” cheque.
After all the gifts and tributes had been given, the Bishop said: “So many generous and wonderful things have been said, I feel like a man waking up in the middle of his own funeral.” He had loved every minute of his time in Cornwall, he said, and much of his heart would remain there.
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