Helter-skelter to come to Norwich Cathedral
VISITORS to Norwich Cathedral this summer will meet an unlikely sight in the nave: a 40-foot-tall helter-skelter, writes Paul Wilkinson. The traditional fairground attraction will be part of an installation, “Seeing It Differently”, encouraging people to view the centuries-old building in a new way and engage in conversations about faith. The Canon for Mission and Pastoral Care, Canon Andy Bryant, said: “We will be doing what cathedrals have always done: helping people see things differently and make connections with the things of God.” “Seeing It Differently”, which will run from 7 to 18 August, will feature several other experiences, including a canvas labyrinth in the north transept to offer people a new land of space in which to walk, reflect, and pray. In the south transept, a Bible Box, approximately 8ft by 8ft by 12ft, will invite people literally to sit inside the Bible and read it in a new way — all the words of the Bible will be written on the walls and ceiling. Details about tickets and opening times will be available nearer the time at www.cathedral.org.uk.
Stay quiet on politics, Archbishop Welby told
POLLING has suggested that a majority of the British public do not want to listen to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s views on politics. Of the 1660 people surveyed by YouGov for The Times, in a poll published last week, 44 per cent thought it inappropriate for the Archbishop to speak out on politics, while 35 per cent thought it appropriate; 21 per cent did not know. None the less, when shown the Archbishop’s comments on the UK economic model — that it was “broken” and had left “a widening gulf between rich and poor” — 66 per cent agreed with him. A spokeswoman for Lambeth Palace said: “If Christians do not speak out about injustice in society, then it’s tantamount to ripping out whole sections of the Old and New Testaments. To divorce God from politics is to divorce God from Christian faith.”
Compensation plan for resettled children
THOUSANDS of UK citizens who were sent abroad as children to institutions elsewhere in the Commonwealth as part of a post-war resettlement scheme are to receive compensation, it was announced last month. About 4000 children were sent abroad between 1945 and 1970. Poor organisation and lack of supervision resulted in some being beaten, raped, or forced to do manual labour. The Department of Health said that a plan would be set up as possible. A former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, apologised for the practice in 2010, calling it a “shameful episode” in Britain’s history.