As well as visiting St James’ Church, where he met with the ministry and leadership teams of both churches, Bishop Michael also had a tour of Preston Primary, the local church school, with its head Claire Hodgson, followed by a tea party with children from the different school years, where they asked him lots of questions about what Bishops do.
Commenting on his visit, Bishop Michael said, “It was inspiring to visit St James’ in Yeovil and to see the tangible ways in which they are supporting their communities, in particular, as well as all the other things they are doing. Their youth work is clearly making a real difference in Westfield area of Yeovil, which has seen antisocial behaviour reduce by 60 per cent, the food pantry is offering vital support to those in need, and they are doing their bit to support the environment with the Westfield Fresh project which is reducing the amount of food going to waste. I was very proud to see all the work they are doing.”
Bishop Michael also popped into The Arrow Pub, recently crowned the winner of Marston’s pub chain best sports pub in England, for a bite to eat and a chat with the landlady. He then went to see some of the community initiatives taking place at St Peter’s Community Centre. Built in 2019 to replace the old church hall, which was falling into disrepair, it is home to a multitude of youth and community groups, a ‘warm hub, community pantry, library, talking café and toddler group, as well as many other centre users such as Brownies, fitness clubs and bingo.
Bishop Michael first visited the Thursday ‘Drop Into’ session, one of four youth groups running from the centre. Funded by the council and run by the church youth leaders and volunteers, it is a popular group for secondary school-aged children with different activities each week. Set up in 2023 in response to anti-social behaviour on the Westfield estate, since the start of youth work at the centre, anti-social behaviour has dropped by an amazing 60%. Bishop Michael joined in with the young people in a game of Nerf Wars during his visit!
Over a two-year period (from January 2025 to end 2026) the bishops and archdeacons will undertake a Benefice Visit to every benefice of our diocese. Benefice Visits normally take place over two-days and can include a service, school visits and more. The visits are an opportunity to strengthen relationships across our diocese and build an understanding of local mission and ministry.