Archbishop calls for support for local produce during Thirsk and Northallerton visit

The Deanery of Mowbray is the group of parishes around Northallerton and Thirsk, including the two towns and surrounding villages. The Deanery works closely with the Thirsk and Northallerton Circuit of the Methodist Church, and with other Christian churches in the area. The Archbishop's visit was the twenty-third in a programme taking him to each of the twenty-four Deaneries making up the Diocese of York (which extends from the Tees to the Humber and from the Yorkshire coast roughly as far west as the A1) during 2006 and the beginning of 2007.

During the morning, Archbishop Sentamu met privately with the clergy of the Mowbray Deanery to learn more about their parishes, before making a series of local visits during the afternoon accompanied by the Reverend Richard Rowling, Rural Dean of Mowbray.

At 1.45pm Dr Sentamu arrived at Thirsk Clock, which describes itself as "more than a youth club and different from a community centre". Its vision is to increase the potential of young people to play a full part in the social and economic life of Thirsk and its surrounding villages. The staff provide a range of services, including one-to-one intensive support, information, advice about jobs, training, health and housing. They also provide skills development. Thirsk Clock hosts guidance staff, a community tutor, tutors for excluded young people, a substance misuse worker and youth offending officers.

The Archbishop then visited Shepherd's Purse, the renowned maker of Yorkshire cheeses at the Bell family's Leachfield Grange, Newsham. Shepherd's Purse Cheeses Ltd is the only blue cheese maker in Yorkshire, producing a range of four speciality blue-veined cheeses along with their own Yorkshire Feta, and other critically acclaimed cheeses on the family farm. Archbishop Sentamu was greeted by Chief Executive and founder Judy Bell and saw the farm and cheesemaking operations, and was be presented with samples of Shepherd's Purse sheep and cows' milk cheeses by children from the nearby South Otterington Church of England Primary School.

At 3.30pm, Dr Sentamu arrived at Stamfrey Farm, West Rounton, to be greeted by owners Angus and Sue Gaudie. Stamfrey Farm became organic in 2001 and fortunately survived the Foot and Mouth Disease epidemic of that year unscathed. Since then it has specialised in traditionally-produced and award-winning clotted cream (Sue Gaudie is originally from Penzance, Cornwall) and yoghurts: customers include the world-famous Betty's Tearooms in York, Harrogate and Ilkley. The Archbishop will saw young stock and dairy cows in the milking parlour; the clotted cream production in an annexe of the farmhouse; and had time to sample a fresh cream tea.

Afterwards, Archbishop Sentamu visited Robert Thompson's Craftsmen Ltd at Kilburn to see the famous workshops founded by Yorkshire's "Mouse Man" Robert Thompson in the 1920s to produce high-quality, hand-made oak furniture bearing the distinctive hand-carved mouse. Dr Sentamu toured the workshops and was given a demonstration of adze work.

In the evening the Archbishop attended an open "Meet Your Archbishop" meeting for church members and the public at All Saints' Church, Northallerton . Following a short act of worship, he spoke to the meeting and then responded to questions from the floor.

Archbishop Sentamu said, "Mowbray Deanery has some superb examples of fresh thinking in rural and county market town communities. At Shepherd's Purse and Stamfrey Farm there are people successfully swimming against the commercial tide by getting back in touch with their roots, while at Thompsons you see a traditional business going from strength to strength in the modern world because it values the skill of its people.

"Surely our 2007 resolution ought to be grow, eat, drink and buy British. Why? Because it is the Best.

"Thirsk Clock shows that there are creative ways of responding to social challenges in the countryside too. The churches in Mowbray Deanery - with our good Methodist and other Christian friends - are doing a great job of encouraging people to work together in changing times."

See story in today's Northern Echo:

www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/topstories/display.var.1109944.0.archbishhop_spreads_message_of_support_for_local_businesses.php

York Press:

www.yorkpress.co.uk/display.var.1109812.0.lord_is_my_shepherds.php

Yorkshire Post:

www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=1962061

Northallerton, Thirsk and Bedale Times:

www.northallertontoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=22&ArticleID=1962486

BBC Look North:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolavconsole/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_6240000/newsid_6242800/bb_rm_6242823.stm