Religious leaders in Harrogate have issued a plea for tolerance, calm and respect as the conflict in the Middle East continues.
Hasan Muhammad, the imam of the Harrogate mosque, Bernard Cohen, the president of the Harrogate synagogue, and Reverend Alan Garrow, the vicar of St Peter’s Church, met local MP Andrew Jones this morning to discuss the ongoing situation and the positions of Muslims and Jews in Harrogate and Knaresborough and nationwide.
Mr Muhammad, who is the imam of the Harrogate Islamic Association, said:
“It is good to stand together with Mr Cohen calling for peace and understanding between faiths and, specifically at this moment, between their followers.
“Harrogate people are well-known for being welcoming and accepting. These are values we should cherish as we live our lives in respect and understanding and celebrate both what makes us different and what we share. As-salamu alaykum.”
Mr Cohen, who is president of Harrogate Hebrew Congregation, said:
“The imam and I meeting today vividly demonstrates that although being of different faiths there is no difference in our humanity and our values of respect, tolerance, community and a desire for peace.
“We call on everyone in Harrogate and beyond to embrace these shared values and to exhibit them in all they do. Shalom.”
The meeting came after a weekend when hundreds of thousands of people attended a Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) demonstration in London on Saturday.
The march was marred by outbreaks of violence and intimidating behaviour, and the Metropolitan Police said that 145 people were arrested, the majority of them far-right counter-protesters.
Seven of these have since been charged with offences including possession of an offensive weapon and assault on an emergency worker.
Mr Jones said:
“I am grateful to the imam, the president of the synagogue and Rev Garrow for coming together to emphasise a message of tolerance, calm and respect. Islamophobic and antisemitic acts are unacceptable and I am pleased that we seem not to be experiencing an increase in this kind of hatred locally.
“This meeting is important because it demonstrates that whatever our beliefs we are compassionate beings sharing humanitarian values and respecting one another.”
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Anna Eltringham announced as new Bishop of Ripon
The Reverend Canon Anna Eltringham has been named as the new Bishop of Ripon this morning.
Downing Street announced at 10am the King had approved the nomination of Rev Canon Eltringham, who is currently team rector for Oxted, in the diocese of Southwark.
Rt Revd Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds introduced the new bishop immediately after the announcement to a gathering at St Peter’s Church in Harrogate.
The Bishop of Ripon is one of five episcopal area bishops in the Church of England Diocese of Leeds and has responsibility for a large area, including the Yorkshire Dales and the towns of Ripon, Harrogate, Settle, Skipton, Wetherby and Richmond.
The new bishop in Harrogate today
Revd Canon Eltringham’s consecration will take place on June 22 in York Minster. However, she will not fully take up the post until September.
She will succeed Helen-Ann Hartley, who left Ripon to become Bishop of Newcastle this year.
Before entering ministry, Revd Canon Eltringham worked in strategic marketing, including a role in Croydon Council.
Whilst increasingly involved in church, community and justice work, she discerned God’s call to ordained ministry, following in the footsteps of her father and previous generations in her family.
Revd Canon Eltringham grew up in the west country and studied business and anthropology at the University of Durham.
She plays the saxophone and is married to Nigel, with whom she has two daughters. They enjoy family trips out in her VW T25 campervan and visiting museums, galleries, arts events and the seaside. She also likes creative writing, walks in the country and trying to up-cycle furniture.
She said:
“I have felt drawn back to the north of England for a number of years and have a strong sense of God’s call to this particular role.
“God has laid a number of things on my heart in recent times, including a passion for climate-care and justice; care for the wellbeing of clergy and all God’s people; a vision for a church that serves as much beyond as within its buildings; and children and young people at the heart of it all.”
‘Important rural area’
The Rt Revd Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds said of the appointment:
“I am delighted to welcome Revd Canon Anna Eltringham as the next Bishop of Ripon and to this important rural area that includes the world famous Yorkshire Dales.
“Our parishes and communities, big and small, will greet her with great warmth as her commitment to parish ministry and the environment will be evident from the word go.
“Anna’s pastoral care for clergy and lay leaders is evident from her previous work in the Diocese of Southwark and the wider church. She will greatly support our diocesan mission to encourage Christian confidence across the Ripon episcopal area and beyond.”
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Revd Canon Eltringham was ordained Deacon in the Diocese of Southwark in 2008 and served her title at Holy Innocents in South Norwood.
She then joined the Oxted team ministry (four churches in Surrey) where since 2019 she has been team rector.
Since 2017 she has also been the Dean of Women’s Ministry, advocating for, and developing the ministry of lay and ordained women in the diocese and advising senior staff on such matters. Anna has also served as an honorary chaplain to the monarch since 2020.
The Most Revd Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York said:
“Revd Canon Anna’s enthusiasm and love for parish ministry and her ability to connect, having been an advocate for clergy well-being and serving as Dean of Women’s Ministry, will be a great blessing to the parishes and Diocese of Leeds.”
Free exhibition of historic Harrogate photos
Harrogate Photographic Society‘s free centenary exhibition has started at St Peter’s Church.
The exhibition includes about 130 photographs taken by members, including some historic images of Harrogate.
The society was founded on October 23, 1922 and was originally based at a shop on King’s Road.
The exhibition will run until Thursday next week and is open from 10am to 4pm daily, except on Sunday when it is open from noon to 4pm.
The society meets weekly on Monday nights in Harrogate.
Some of the exhibits
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