Norwich

The Archbishop was hugely impressed by what he saw calling it "A Cathedral of Learning". He told the five hundred students and local dignitaries that "Everyone is of unique worth, has great creativity and has a gift to contribute to the common good. You are gifted, gorgeous and wonderful!"

The Archbishop welcomed the name choice of the school saying "Academies were always meant to help raise educational standards for those in need, rather than be elitist - let's keep them open to all!"

He added: "Live in hope, have faith, live in the presence of God, be involved in the delivery of your own learning and be ready for transforming yourselves, your families, your community and our world."

The Bishop of Norwich is the co-sponsor of the academy. The Bishop (the Rt Revd Graham James) spoke of the academy's achievements and his partnership with Graham Dacre when he said "The Archbishop's visit was a great celebration for our new Academy. It offers a host of opportunities for young people of the area and it's been both a challenge and a privilege for Graham and I to serve them"

At the Open Youth Venue

Later, the Archbishop was shown around the Open Youth Venue, a multi-million pound, state-of-the-art centre for young people and he was greatly impressed by what had been achieved. The centre allows local youngsters to take part in positive activities while helping them to make constructive changes to their lives.

The Chairman of the Trustees, Mr Graham Dacre said of the Archbishop's visit:

"There are few I have met who have what Archbishop Sentamu has and there are even less who have ever impacted me as much as he did. Before he had left, I'd made a decision – I too wanted to be a carrier of the presence and fragrance of Christ.

"His gracing the City of Norwich was an honour. Meeting him for a matter of minutes was far more far reaching than I ever anticipated."

Celebrating the opening of Pregnancy Choices Norfolk

There was time for the Archbishop to help a Norfolk charity celebrate the opening of its new premises. Pregnancy Choices Norfolk, a Christian based charity, provides support for women and their partners dealing with an unplanned pregnancy or a pregnancy loss. The Archbishop and the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Rev Graham James who is the Patron of the charity, spent time with the volunteers and Dr Sentamu offered prayers of support for the vital work carried out by the 35 volunteers from different churches.

Over the last year, the charity has helped with 300 clients and the new building will provide a confidential environment for the specialist counselling to take place.

Following his attendance at Evensong at the Cathedral, the Archbishop was interviewed by the Bishop of Norwich at a private reception and answered questions from the audience.