Archbishop Justin Welby has visited Nansledan, the community development pioneered by HRH The Prince of Wales on Duchy of Cornwall land at Newquay in Cornwall, to look at examples of best practice in housing. This follows the publication last year of the landmark ‘Coming Home’ report on the housing crisis, commissioned by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. During his visit, the Archbishop saw Newquay Community Orchard, where he heard about their environmental education and social impact programmes, before touring Nansledan and The Hub, a Methodist community space for activities including a faith-based youth group. The Archbishop also visited Pras Trewolek, local Duchy-owned farmland which has been transformed into wildflower meadows and wetland areas now managed for biodiversity and for the local community to enjoy. In February 2021, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York published ‘Coming Home: Tackling the Housing Crisis Together’. The report urged the Church of England to lead by example, including delivering more truly affordable homes on its own land. The report called for a collective effort at all levels of society including Government, local authorities, landowners and property developers as well as the Church is needed to help tackle the housing crisis. It said good housing should be sustainable, safe, stable, sociable and satisfying. This work is now embedded within a team led by a new Bishop for Housing, the Bishop of Chelmsford Guli-Francis Dehqani, as part of the Church’s commitment to using its land well and building strong communities. Archbishop Justin Welby said: “It’s been wonderful to visit Nansledan today and see not just new housing, but homes that provide jobs, build strong community and work in harmony with the natural environment. I’m deeply impressed by the work the Duchy of Cornwall have achieved, their engagement with the local community and commitment to biodiversity.“The necessity of staying at home during the Covid-19 pandemic has shown us just how important our homes are to our lives. Where we live is so vital to our health, wellbeing, opportunities and flourishing. Following the publication of the ‘Coming Home: Tackling the Housing Crisis Together’ report last year, I hope the Church can be inspired by what’s been achieved at Nansledan - and use its land and resources to build homes that encourage neighbourliness, commitment to place and sustainable futures.“It is the poorest and most marginalised people who are suffering the burden of our housing crisis. That will only change if we take collective responsibility and action. My prayer is that together we reclaim the very purpose of housing – as the basis for community, and a foundation for human flourishing.’Nick Pollock, Head of Planning for the Duchy of Cornwall and executive team lead for the Archbishop’s initiatives on housing and community, said: “Nansledan is an example of how the Duchy of Cornwall is using its land to create a sustainable and inclusive community for social and environmental benefit. By embracing sustainable land stewardship, major landowners like the Duchy of Cornwall and the Church of England can play a vital role in delivering the vision outlined in the ‘Coming Home’ report.”Ben Murphy, Estate Director at the Duchy of Cornwall, added: “We were delighted to welcome Archbishop Justin and show him the strength of community at Nansledan and the role landowners can play in building mixed use, mixed income communities that meet local housing need, create jobs and help improve people’s quality of life and opportunities. We hope that what we are learning at Nansledan and at other Duchy of Cornwall developments can inform the housing debate in the UK and help create vibrant and inclusive communities.”
More than 100 members of the medical profession met recently at Holy Trinity Church in Leeds, for an inaugural carol service of a local Christian Medical Fellowship network.The networks are now being established across the country and offer those working in the medical profession to support each other in the workplace, and carry their faith into their work.Organiser, Dr Karen Flood (see photo) a vascular radiologist at Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust, said: "The carol service was fantastic. There was such a sense of community. There was such a mix of people pulling together."The network in Leeds has burgeoned from just 10 members to 113 during the pandemic. New groups are being established in the north of England, with the aim to see networks started across the whole of the UK in time. "The need for the network has been all the more clear during the pandemic," said Dr Flood. "It’s been a really, really hard time."Within the medical profession, we are all fairly exhausted and have been for a few months."There is a greater vulnerability of all of us through the last year. We are suddenly aware that we are mere mortals. It hits home. Eighteen months ago, none of us knew what would happen. We were all worried and scared, if we are honest."There was an increased awareness of our need for God and each other and to look out for each other."She added that prayer had been a particular focus of the fledgling networks. "At the end of a prayer meeting you feel filled-up and ready to work again," she said. Churches are helping encourage members of their congregations to join the networks, raising awareness of their existence and the benefits to those who work in health care.
