Kath Davis and Eileen Tomlin recently attended a reception with the Archbishop of York to celebrate 100 years of the Central Readers' Board. Eileen writes about their day:
On Saturday 16 July, Kath Davis (Co-Warden of Readers) and I, Eileen Tomlin (Secretary of the Reader Board) travelled to York to attend a Garden Party at Bishopthorpe, the Palace of the Archbishop of York. We felt very privileged to represent Worcester Diocesan Readers on this special occasion, which was held to celebrate 100 years of the Central Readers’ Board.
We were welcomed with iced water, by Archbishop Stephen Cottrell and his wife Rebecca, to their lovely garden. They were warm (in more ways than one, as it was a hot day!) and friendly, speaking to most people individually and recounting some memory of each person’s local area. Archbishop Stephen opened the event by speaking enthusiastically to us all, emphasising the importance and relevance of all Lay Ministry, including that of Readers (LLMs), and thanking us all for our work on behalf of our parishes and dioceses.
Tea was served, with large cheese scones, and sweet scones with jam and cream, with tea or coffee. Our table shared out the spare scones at half each, and later I was glad of the extra half, as my train was very late getting back to Malvern!
The foundations of the Palace date from the 13th century, but further rooms and wings have been added over the years and the building in its present form was completed in 1900. The Archbishop and Mrs. Cottrell had opened part of the Palace for us to go inside and see the rooms.
On the walls of the drawing room were portraits of all the Archbishops of York, going back many centuries. We felt very old when we realized how many of them we actually remembered being Archbishop during our life-time! It was interesting to note that several of them had gone on to be Archbishops of Canterbury. We also agreed that we would not wish to get on the wrong side of some of these gentlemen! The Chapel is the oldest part of the Palace, dating from 1241. It is very attractive and peaceful, without being over-decorated, but with stained glass by Kempe and panelling installed by a craftsman from Oberammergau.
We could also wander around the garden, through the ‘woodland’ (a small copse), amongst some ancient trees, along an avenue planted during the millennium, and beside the river. Sadly, in order to catch our train, we had to leave during Evening Prayer led by the Archbishop, but the sound of singing drifted across the grass and we felt part of some greater worship, as I’m sure we all are.
We both enjoyed our day very much, and felt how fortunate we were to be invited to take part in this special occasion. It was well worth the long journey!
