Archbishop of York quizzed over rural issues (From York Press)
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Archbishop of York quizzed over rural issues
8:33am Saturday 9th March 2013 in News
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, visits Ryedale District Council offices, with, from left, the Bishop of Selby, the Rt Rev Martin Wallace, Eric Hope and Janet Waggott
RESIDENTS in Ryedale were given the chance to quiz the Archbishop of York when he paid a fact-finding visit to the district.
Dr John Sentamu and the Bishop of Selby, the Right Rev Martin Wallace, visited Ryedale District Council’s Malton HQ and Amotherby-based agricultural co-operative BATA, which supplies farmers and the rural community with goods and services and has 150 workers and 4,000 shareholder members.
He also met residents at St Peter’s Church in Norton to talk about his life and take questions at a free event.
The Archbishop said he wanted to hear about Ryedale issues. He said: “Our rural areas are facing many challenges at the moment, with financial cuts, flooding, a changing global market and Government legislation which often does not have the intended consequences on the rural economy.
“As a society, we need to support our rural areas more and pay our farmers fair prices for the food they produce.”
Council chairman Eric Hope said Dr Sentamu’s visit allowed him to see how the authority “works with local people to make a real difference to their lives”.
BATA chief executive Steven Clarke said: “The Archbishop’s interest in and concern for farming and rural communities is recognised and appreciated.”
Rev Rachel Hirst, vicar of St Peter’s, said the archbishop’s visit to the church gave people a chance to hear his “remarkable life story and ask questions they’ve always wanted to ask”.
