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Our
Prayers are with the People of Cumbria |
With my eldest
son Nicholas, living and working near Whitehaven in Cumbria,
the events of the last few days have been extremely
worrying. Until we heard that he was safe we were very
concerned, and then our prayers moved to all those who have
been affected by the tragedy.
Having only
recently walked down Whitehaven High Street toward the
harbour, as well as visiting most of the areas affected by
the massacre by Derrick Bird, one can only imagine the
horror and shock of the local people. As a very close
neighbourhood, with generations having lived and worked in
the area, it is impossible to understand the feelings of the
local people.
Following the
floods in Whitehaven, Keswick and Cockermouth, and the
recent coach crash in Keswick, the people of west Cumbria
have suffered so much in recent months. This tragedy in one
of the beautiful and peaceful parts of Britain is so sad.
20 years ago I
was Rector of Herne Bay in Kent, when the ferry the ‘Herald
of Free Enterprise’ sank killing 192 people.
Many of the staff on board lived in Herne Bay and I was
given a list of 18 families to visit. Some of the relatives
had died; others had been rescued and could tell of seeing
floating bodies of children in the sea as the ferry turn
upside down. Many would need months, and in some cases years
of pastoral support. Few returned to work on ferries.
I mention this because immediately
the massacre in Whitehaven happened the local clergy were
interviewed and then as survivors were taken to hospital
then chaplains were there comforting the families. It was
the local Vicar of Whitehaven that the BBC interviewed about
the tragedy because he knew the local people. There has been
much discussion regarding the usefulness of having parish
clergy as chaplains in prisons and also chaplains in
hospitals as costs rise. In some area the chaplaincy service
has been completely cut back. If this trend continued this
would be a great shame because it is at times of local or
national emergencies that people need the support and care
which the clergy offer so well.
It will take years for the people
of Cumbria to return to their normal lives, and I am sure
that many of those affected life will never be the same.
Personally I shall be writing to the local church there and
also will be visiting Cumbria in July. I hope that everyone
hoping to visit that area continues with their plans because
the economy of the Lake District is so vital to so many
families, and if tourists stay away this will add to the
misery of a hardworking people who have put up with so much
in recent days.
Adrian Bell
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