Tom Holland becomes Bede Librarian at Durham Cathedral

THE historian and podcaster Tom Holland has been appointed the first Bede Librarian at Durham Cathedral. To inaugurate this new honorary position, he will speak on “Cuthbert, Bede, and the Renewal of Culture”, in conversation with the Dean of Durham, the Very Revd Dr Philip Plyming, at the cathedral on 26 May. Dr Plyming said: “Tom is not only an outstanding historian and communicator, but also deeply committed to the north-east, our saints and our stories. It will be wonderful to have him speaking about such a vital topic as the renewal of our culture and what we can — and must — learn from the past.”

Interfaith Commission welcomes cohesion report

THE Commission on Interfaith Relations has welcomed the report Protecting What Matters, published on Monday by the Ministry for Housing, Cohesion and Local Government. “At a time when global conflicts are shaping local relationships across the UK, a serious and sustained focus on cohesion is both timely and necessary,” the Commission said, and that careful use of language and shared responsibility will help avoid defensiveness within faith communities. The chair of the Commission, Dr Ed Kessler, said: “This report marks an important step in recognising that cohesion must be rooted in local relationships and shared civic life.”

Activists arrested after Quaker Meeting House police raid

THE Metropolitan Police raided a Quaker Meeting House and arrested 15 young activists on suspicion of “conspiring to commit a criminal act” last week. The arrests, at the Westminster Quaker Meeting House last Thursday, marked the second time the police have raided Quaker premises in a year (News, 1 April, 2025). The room had been hired by the civil resistance group Take Back Power “to hold nonviolent direct action training”, a statement from the Quakers said.

Hambling raffle brings in £22,000 for new church boiler

THE Friends of St Mary’s, Woodbridge, in Suffolk, have raised £22,300 by raffling a Maggi Hambling painting, Fireworks above the Sea. The money will go towards a new heating system for the church. The church had hoped to raise £10,000 (News, 9 January), but the congregation had quickly surpassed their target by January, when more than 1000 people bought tickets, priced at £10. The painting was won by Ellen Shears from Hampshire.

Hereditary Peers Bill passed in House of Lords

HEREDITARY peers will no longer have the right to sit and vote in the House of Lords, after the Hereditary Peers Bill which was passed in the House on Tuesday evening. The Cabinet Office described it as “one of the biggest reforms to Parliament in a generation”. Currently, there are 92 excepted hereditary peers who can vote on legislation in the Lords. The Leader of the House, Baroness Smith said: “The Lords plays a vital role within our bicameral Parliament, but nobody should sit in the House by virtue of an inherited title.” The Bill comes into effect at the end of this session of Parliament.