Bishop abseils down Guildford Cathedral for charity
A Surrey bishop has abseiled down a cathedral wall to raise money for charity. The Right Reverend Andrew Watson scaled nearly 50 metres (160ft) down the tower of Guildford Cathedral, along with staff, bell ringers, members of the congregation and local community. "I can't pretend that the abseiling was anything other than terrifying," he said. "But it was wonderful to be cheered on by such a great bunch of people, including my fellow abseilers."
The bishop, who was the first to abseil down, added that he was "really glad" to have done it.
The 27 abseilers have so far raised more than £10,000 for Guildford Cathedral and the Bishop of Guildford's Communities Fund, which supports grassroots projects helping vulnerable people. "It was a day full of joy, community spirit and no small amount of bravery," Nicola Pratt, head of development at Guildford Cathedral, said. "We are incredibly grateful to everyone who took part and supported this event."Guildford Cathedral, which sits on Stag Hill, costs about £3,500 a day to keep its building and outreach, education and cultural programmes running.
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Times
20 minutes ago
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We inherited our run-down family seat in 2002. It's still not finished
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But you get on with it.' • Read more expert advice on property, interiors and home improvement This resolve would see John virtually rebuild the main structures of Marston over 20 years — prising up floorboards, stripping back plaster to the bones of the house, dodging falling ceilings and hoisting roof timbers. Perhaps it was ancestral spirit. The Thorolds trace their line back to Vikings from southern Sweden; some settled in eastern England and others in Normandy. They even make a cameo appearance in the Bayeux Tapestry. The family have lived at Marston, in Grantham — the Lincolnshire town famous as the birthplace of Margaret Thatcher — since 1380 when Richard Thorold, of Yorkshire, married the local heiress Joan de Marston. There may have been a domestic building on the site as far back as the 10th century, but the present structure is later. 'The building is largely from the 1300s and the stonework is crude,' John says. 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2 hours ago
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BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Upset after Thornbury splash pad covered up
Residents are expressing disappointment at a decision by a council to cover over a popular water play facility.A splash pad had been in Mundy Playing Fields in Thornbury for 10 years and was popular with families, who could take their children to splash in shallow water during warm just as temperatures approach 30C, it has been covered over with wood chippings and park benches and turned into a picnic Town Council (TTC) said the splash pad had reached "the end of its operational life". "The splash pad has been well-used and much-loved over the years, but it has been deteriorating, despite ongoing maintenance efforts by the council," a TTC statement council added it understood the facility, near Bristol, was important and it considered creating a new one "a priority". Matt Garland, from near Stroud in Gloucestershire, said he had only visited the park for the splash pad."We thought, you know, nice day, we'll bring the kids down and have some fun, but unfortunately it's gone," he Garland said he was "disappointed" by the removal and the splash pad's replacement."It's literally just a few benches put up and some woodchippings, so it seems like a bit of a cop out," he visitor to the park said she felt the benches would be better placed elsewhere."To sit there [in the old splash pad] in a circle with everybody looking at each other, that seems really strange," she said."They'd have been better to put the picnic tables further up in the park, so that anybody that's coming in can sit there," she council said it intended to create a new and improved water facility, but when this would be done and how much it would cost is not currently clear.
