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Bishop goes to Market

 

Livestock Markets can be a real lifeline for farmers working on their own.  Bishop John recently visited Knighton Auction Market not just to see what goes on there but also to show the farming community that the Church is anxious to affirm and support rural, farming communities.

 

The Revd Richard Kirlew, Rural life Adviser for the Diocese will accompanied the Bishop on his visit.  He said, “farmers, by the very nature of their work, are predominantly solitary creatures. In my role as chaplain to eight livestock markets in mid-Wales, I regularly see farmers who suffer anxiety, loneliness and depression as a direct result of working in isolation.  Markets, and the opportunity to talk to others, are a superb way of combating those issues”.  Richard visits markets throughout the Diocese on a regular basis and believes very firmly that the church should be where people are.  He spends a lot of his time listening to the joys and sorrows of farming life.  Richard said, “hopefully farmers see me as a friend and someone they can relate to with ease”.

The Bishop believes it is important for him to visit places such as the markets so that he can meet people where they are and support Chaplains such as Richard in their work. Bishop John who is Chairman of the Church & Society Division of the Church in Wales, said, “I think one of our main functions is to connect with people and be seen to be an ‘honest broker’ in all that we do within farming and the countryside”.