Bishop says project could make Big Contribution to Big Society
Bishop Alan with students from Lammas School, London
A conference centre described as a place of rest and retreat in Bedfordshire for young people, especially those suffering disability or disadvantage, could make a vital contribution to the aspirations of the Big Society, the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Dr Alan Smith said during his visit to the Chellington Centre, near Felmersham, North Bedfordshire, today, 30 November 2010.
The facility, started by the Diocese, now run by the charity ReachOut Plus, is aiming to double visitor numbers by 2015 by attracting more groups to visit during the week rather than just at weekends. Many of the current visitors come from inner London schools to enjoy the atmosphere in the deeply rural former Church which houses the Chellington Centre, recently refurbished as a youth and conference facility and which sleeps 30 and seats 80 people. The Centre is set in stunning countryside adjacent to Harrold country park and lake. Reach Out Plus is aiming to bring more people in, (including those with disadvantage and special needs) not just from London and other major cities but from other areas closer to Chellington, such as Bedford and Northampton.
Young people staying at Chellington on the London and Urban Schools Programme spend four or five days there enjoying facilities which are recreational, educational and support their personal development ; they benefit enormously from the peace and tranquillity of the countryside - which some are experiencing for the first time.
The Bishop of St Albans has recently spoken out about the need to ensure that the countryside remains open to everyone. He said “It is vital that young people have a stake in the countryside. That makes for a really Big Society, one that includes everyone. Projects like Chellington and the London and Urban Schools Programme mean that urban young people need not feel alienated from a rural community. However, with the severe shortage of affordable rural housing fewer young people are going to be able to live in the countryside in the future.”
While he was there, Bishop Alan met children from Lammas School, Leyton, London, a specialist sports college overlooking the Olympic site, who were spending four days at Chellington. They engaged readily with him, asking him if he was ‘like a priest’ (“yes”) and if he had a church (“No, because my job is to go round all our 400 churches in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire”). Do you visit many churches that have been closed? (“The vast majority of our churches are used for worship but round here there would have been loads more people living here, rurally. What you don’t realise is that the Church of England opens a new church every fortnight”).
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