Justin Welby, Bishop of Durham, today (April 10th) commented on the excellent news of Nissans announcement of further expansion plans to produce its new hatchback at its Sunderland plant expressing his delight and support for this important milestone in the regeneration of the North East economy.  

In his statement Bishop Justin said: "I was very pleased to learn of this great piece of news this morning, this is a very positive affirmation of the skills and abilities of the people and economy of the North East to compete on a world stage and to be truly World Class. 

More than 200 people took part in a Passion Play today (Good Friday) as a 19th Century graveyard in a North East quarry was transformed into Jerusalem at the time of the Crucifixion. The Houghton le Spring Passion Play will be staged at Houghton Hillside Cemetery in the Wearside town at 11am on Good Friday (April 6) and the audience will be encouraged to make up the crowd, jostling for a view of Jesus as he drags the Cross.

The Houghton le Spring Passion was staged at Houghton Hillside Cemetery in the Wearside town at 11am with local people in the key roles, supported by a rock band and with the audience playing the part of the crowd.

Easter is a time of great renewal for all Christians and I feel that more strongly than ever this year. This is my first Easter as Bishop of Durham and I am thoroughly enjoying the challenges that come with the job and finding myself inspired by the people I meet. 

Perhaps the thing that has encouraged me most is the impact of the prayer campaign that I launched just after becoming Bishop. The idea behind Prayer for the People was to invite people to join me in sharing their hopes and dreams and prayers for the region. 

The Right Revd. Justin Welby, Bishop of Durham confirmed today (March 29th) that he will be the Patron of the North East Call to Action on Global Poverty and Climate Change (NE-CAP).

 Speaking about the announcement Bishop Justin said: " I am delighted to have been asked to continue to support this worthy initiative as was the case with the previous Bishop of Durham The Right Revd Tom Wright. 

A veteran flower arranger from Tow Law, in County Durham, has been honoured for his community service by being invited to the Royal Maundy Service is at York Minster.
Norman Deacon, 79, has been invited to represent the Diocese of Durham when the Queen distributes Maundy Money at the Minister on Thursday April 5.

Norman, who has always lived in Tow Law, is being rewarded for many years of service to the local community. A former stonemason who became a builder, and built the house in which he and wife Betty MBE, live, he has a number of passions, including flower arranging.

He became interested in the pastime when the then vicar of St Philip and St James in Tow Law, The Reverend Anthony Driver, asked him to organise a flower festival in the church in the mid-1980s. The event coincided with a conference in Durham which celebrated the church’s most famous vicar, the Reverend Thomas Henry Espinell Compton Espin, a noted astronomer who was born in 1858 and died in 1934, aged 76. The conference coincided with the visit of some of the world’s leading stargazers to Durham.

Norman said: “I had always enjoyed growing flowers. I showed the likes of Chrysanthemums and won some prizes - you have joy and sorrow when it comes to entering shows. However, I had never taken part in flower arranging, although I had seen the work that some of the women did and admired the skills they showed. When I was asked to organise the flower festival, I set out to learn.”

He did that by attending classes at Bishop Auckland Technical College and went on to to teach flower arranging classes both at the College and all over the County.

Norman said: “I like the creative element of flower arranging. It’s a challenge each time. You have to come up with something new and original with each arrangement.”

He is looking forward to the Maundy Thursday event, where he will be accompanied by Betty, who was awarded the MBE in 1997 for 51 years’ of service to the Post Office.

Norman, who has been a church warden at St Philip and St James for 18 years, said: “It was a real surprise to hear I had been invited to the service and I am looking forward to it.”
* Norman also has a long association with Tow Law Football Club, including 35 years on the Committee.

A 19th Century graveyard in a North East quarry is to stage a dramatic open-air Passion Play in which the audience will be able to play a part as Jesus is led towards the Cross for his crucifixion.

The Houghton le Spring Passion Play will be staged at Houghton Hillside Cemetery in the Wearside town at 11am on Good Friday (April 6) and the audience will be encouraged to make up the crowd, jostling for a view of Jesus as he drags the Cross.

The Cemetery is in an 18th Century limestone quarry and the first graves date back to the 19th Century, with burials having stopped in the early 1970s. Today, it is a closed cemetery, which is part of St Michael’s Church in the town, part of the Diocese of Durham.

The Passion Play, which is its tenth year and was written locally, is usually performed in the church and this is the first year it will be staged in the open-air. The music is written by Stuart Clappison and the lyrics by Andy Slater; a group of musicians will accompany the event with instruments including guitars. Jesus will be played by the Reverend James Menzies, the Assistant Curator of neighbouring Hetton Lyons.

The Reverend Canon Sue Pinnington, the Rector of Houghton le Spring and the producer of the Play, said: “The Passion Play has been successfully produced in the church in recent years, but this year we are taking it outdoors for the first time. The cemetery, with its back-drop of cliffs, is a terrific ampitheatre and will create a great atmosphere. “There will be a lot of movement during the Play. The narrator and members of the cast will move around the quarry and the audience will be able to follow the story, exactly as happened when Jesus was crucified. There will be guards in modern military dress, complete with guns, who will move people away if they go too near, to give it a realistic feel.

“The whole idea is to show that the story may be 2,000 years old but it is still relevant and contemporary. People will be able to experience what it was like for those people watching the crucifixion of Jesus. There will be an edginess to the show. People will be able to accompany Jesus on his last journey. It will be a living play.”

The crucifixion scene itself will provide a reminder of the area’s historic links with quarrying and mining because it will take place in front of the Miners’ Monument, a cross which commemorates the many miners whose bodies lie in the cemetery. They include some of those who lost their lives in the Houghton Colliery Disaster of 1850 when firedamp and coal dust were accidentally ignited by a safety lamp, killing 27 miners.

The Passion Play is supported by a number of local community groups, including the Friends of Hillside Cemetery who have worked tirelessly to restore the site over recent years. Local businesses and the local council have also supported the event. More information can be obtained from www.stmichaels.hls.org.uk

A Cross made from centuries-old timber and celebrating the life of the northern Saint Cuthbert was blessed during a ceremony held at St Aidan’s Church of England Academy in Darlington. A team of students from Cuthbert House have worked with staff at the Academy in Hundens Lane to create the Cross from the wood they selected during a visit to the timber store at Durham Cathedral.

Students chose a piece of 16th Century oak that was removed from the fabric of the Cathedral in 1982, then worked with Academy staff to come up with designs for the Cross.
The Academy has plans for each of its four Houses to have a Cross made from historic timbers and Cuthbert is the first to have completed their project.

The Cross was blessed at a service in the Academy attended by guests including Father David Sudron, from Durham Cathedral, and Academy governor the Venerable Granville Gibson, whose idea the crosses were.

Granville Gibson said: “We plan to have four crosses made from historic timber, one for each house. Bede will have timber from Jarrow, Hilda from Hartlepool and Wilfrid from Ripon. The Cuthbert cross is the first one to have been completed.
“It’s fantastic to think that the oak tree from which it is made was hewn many centuries ago.”

Father Sudron said: “The cross establishes a tangible link between the Cathedral and the Academy and with the past. The wood is centuries old.”

Canon Sheila Bamber is leaving her position at St Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle to take on a new challenge - and it represents a homecoming as she returns to the Diocese of Durham. 

 Sheila has been appointed Canon Provost at Sunderland Minster, the only Minster to have such a post. It means she will oversee all the Minster’s activities. 

A school chaplain has been licensed by the Bishop of Durham to administer to the spiritual life of students and staff at a Stockton on Tees secondary school in a formal service of recognition and authority.

The Reverend Paul Johnson 55 originally from Middlesbrough was licensed as a School Chaplain in a service held at Ian Ramsey Secondary School by the Bishop of Durham, the Right Rev Justin Welby.

A service at a Durham Church proved to be a big hit for 22 couples renewing their wedding vows on Sunday 19th February.

The service at St Giles Church, Durham lead by the Bishop of Jarrow, The Right Reverend Mark Bryant was a massive hit with couples renewing their wedding vows thanks to the media attention of one couple taking part.