Environmental and Social Justice Newsletter

Environmental and Social Justice December 2022 - February 2023

Welcome

St Albans Cathedral, home to Britain’s first saint, is the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in Britain.

Key to the Cathedral’s mission and values is Environmental and Social Justice. Discover what the Cathedral community is doing to stand with St Alban in truth and justice to make our world a better place, and find out how to get involved.

Contents

Message from the Dean pg 4

Introducing Will pg 5

Social Justice Group pg 6

Mission Giving and Social Justice pg 7

Centre 33 pg 10

Winter Beds Project pg 11

St Albans Contact Centre pg 13

Traidcraft pg 14

Asylum Seekers pg 15

Cathedral Transport pg 17

Calendar pg 18

Message from the Dean

Warm greetings and welcome to the winter edition of the St Albans Cathedral Environmental and Social Justice newsletter. As together we face the growing cost of living crisis, which includes the challenge for many in the months ahead of paying not only the heating bills but also the supermarket bills, there is much for us to do as a Cathedral to respond to the needs in our communities, city and diocese. That response of care is at the heart of the call of the Gospel and is clearly expressed in our Cathedral’s priorities. There is much to read in the following pages of many of the ways in which our response of care is being brought to life. This call is to each of us, and to us together, as best we are able to be the hands and feet, heart and mind, voice and choices of God’s kingdom of care. You can read of the work of our Social Justice Group, Environmental Strategy Group and Eco Team all of which warmly welcome new members and new ideas of what we could be doing as a Cathedral community. Our action is always informed and undergirded by our prayer. Let us pray together for all who are anxious about their ability to support themselves and those who depend on them this winter, ready always to be part of the answer to our prayers.

Jo Kelly-Moore, Dean of St Albans

Introducing Will

As I write this, I am six weeks in post as Canon for Mission and Pastoral Care. It has been great to hit the ground running and to have already met a good number of people involved in the busy life of our Cathedral and community. The role of Canon for Mission and Pastoral Care is about looking in (at least) two directions at the same time. The Pastoral Care element of the title is about leading the team in terms of the care and support we offer to our regular worshipping congregation and also being the first port of call for baptisms, weddings and funerals. The Mission part is about looking out beyond the Cathedral to how we live out our core values and relate to local charities and organisations in our community and globally. It is of little use to have a faith that is not matched by our actions.

I have been appointed as the lead member of staff on the Environment, driving change and striving for us to become Net Carbon Zero by 2030. It is a daunting challenge but one we are firmly committed to. It will be about looking honestly at the ways we can reduce consumption, recycle and reuse our resources where possible, both as an organisation but also in our households as well. The task can feel enormous but small changes really can make a very considerable difference. Care for God’s creation is a Gospel imperative and not just a desirable extra. And alongside this, I will be working with our Social Justice Group and Mission Giving teams to look at how we can make a tangible difference to the lives of those in St Albans and beyond, especially the most vulnerable and needy. I am so excited to be in this role and look forward to being able to share news and progress regularly though our website and our publications. And do get in touch if these issues matter to you as well – I would love it if you got involved and helped us to take this Kingdom work forward.

Will Gibbs Canon for Mission and Pastoral Care

Social Justice

The third mark of mission of the Anglican Communion is ‘to respond to human need by loving service’, and the fourth ‘to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation.’ Part of the Cathedral’s Mission Statement is to ‘stand with St Alban for truth and justice.’

St Albans Cathedral Social Justice Group Advent Calendar 2022

As we know, Advent is a time of preparation for the birth of Jesus and such preparation includes acts of service, mediation, and prayer. This year, the Social Justice Group is introducing an initiative to provide the Cathedral community with guidance through Advent, in the form of an Advent Calendar.

For each day, from 1 December until 24 December, the Advent Calendar will have an action or a prayer/ meditation aimed at encouraging members of the Cathedral community to make social justice an integral part of our Advent season. To create the actions included in the Advent Calendar, we approached a number of local charities and community groups and asked them to suggest actions that members of the Cathedral community could undertake during Advent that would assist those they support.

We hope that, with the assistance of the Calendar, members of the Cathedral community will take up the opportunity to perform some, or all of the acts of service, whether big or small. “Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in truth and in action.” (1 John 3:18)

In addition, prayers and meditations will be specially written for the Calendar. We hope that these will be useful in guiding people in their preparations during the Advent period. The Calendar will be available in digital form on the Cathedral website and there will be some hard copies for those who would prefer it.

Social Justice Group

Mission Giving and Social Justice

During Advent, guided by the Social Justice Advent Calendar, the Cathedral community will reflect on challenges to our society and our Christian response. Part of that response is financial support; this article introduces some of the charities which we support through Mission Giving which operate in the fields of homelessness, isolation, food poverty, refugees and asylum seekers.

Homelessness

Shelter reports 274,000 homeless people in England in December 2021 - 2,700 sleeping rough, 15,000 in hostels and 250,000 in temporary accommodation. Most of these are families. The Cathedral supports local charities providing temporary accommodation, food, healthcare and counselling support, including Centre 33, Herts Young Homeless, New Hope and Open Door St Albans.

Take action Centre 33 | www.centre33.org.uk Herts Young Homeless | www.hyh.org.uk New Hope | www.newhope.org.uk Open Door St Albans | www.opendoorstalbans.org

Isolation

Isolation and loneliness have increased dramatically during the pandemic, particularly for those more at risk such as the elderly or people with medical concerns. Cathedral support includes The Armoral Hill Day Centre, who provide a weekly facility to provide care and company for elderly and disabled people, and Carers in Hertfordshire. They provide support and advice to 4,989 carers within St Albans and the local area, 38% of whom have lost touch with family and friends and 41% have lost relationships as a result of their role.

Take action

The Armoral Hill Day Centre | www.communities1st.org. uk/member/7877

Herts Young Carers | www.carersinherts.org.uk

Food Poverty

The inability to afford, or have access to food as part of a healthy diet is an increasing concern in the UK and in 2022 affected 15.5% of all UK households (YouGov survey April 2022). There are now over 2,500 food banks in the UK. We support St Albans and District Foodbank based in Redbourn who provided 10,211 food parcels in 2021. The donations are put towards the rent for the warehouse and insurance costs. We also support The Vineyard Care Centre REFUEL Programme, which provides free lunches during the school holidays to some of the 40% of St Albans children who receive free school meals. In 2020 they provided 5,791 meals with demand growing during COVID due to school closure.

Take action St Albans and District Foodbank www.stalbansdistrict.foodbank.org.uk

The Vineyard Care Centre www.thevineyardchurch.co.uk

Refugee Support

Refugees are arriving in the UK from many countries, leaving behind their whole lives and possessions to start a new life. For the year ending June 2022 some 63,089 people applied for asylum in the UK, whilst 117,945 are waiting for an initial decision on their asylum claim (www.refugeecouncil.org.uk).

The Cathedral supports charities including Herts for Refugees, which raises money to fund projects across Europe and beyond. It supports new arrivals in Hertfordshire, providing initial accommodation, clothes, food and hygiene products. We also support Beyond Detention which provides support to refugees detained within Yarls Wood Detention Centre through visits, weekly drop-in sessions, clothing, shoes and phone credit to help detainees stay in touch with family.

Take action

Thank you to all who support the Cathedral financially, since this is also facing significant financial pressures. Whilst most of your giving helps support the Cathedral, one-tenth is used to support charities providing vital support and advice to those in need. For further information on the Mission Giving Team and the charities supported please email giving@stalbanscathedral.org.

David Kemp

Centre 33

Centre 33 is a local St Albans charity, run entirely by volunteers. Several members of the Cathedral Community volunteer, and we support it through our Mission Giving.

Over 40 years ago, Centre 33 started to provide somewhere for socially deprived people with nowhere to go during the day. It began with coffee, tea and biscuits for visitors. This grew over the years, and in 1991 we moved to Spicer Street, where greater space meant that meals and hot drinks could be offered as well as somewhere to get off the streets. By the mid-1990s, Centre 33 opened every weekday morning, Sunday to Thursday evenings and Saturday lunchtime.

Centre 33 aims to be welcoming to all; visitors do not have to justify using the service. Rough sleepers and those in precarious accommodation were always welcome, and we still see a steady number of exrough sleepers who value the comradeship. We do not keep hard data but the demographic of visitors has changed over the years. In the 1980s to early 2000s a significant number of visitors were former psychiatric hospital patients who had been moved into ‘Care in the Community’. Their ability to care for themselves was often very limited and Centre 33 provided both meals and somewhere where they were known and supported. We also had a significant number of older visitors (mainly male) who had serious alcohol problems and who lived largely on the streets. Now the age profile is younger and includes more non-UK citizens, with their own problems concerning residency status etc. Until the pandemic, each year we provided around 9,000 meals, and between 250 and 300 visitors used the Centre.

Since Covid we have been unable to use Spicer Street. We are immensely grateful to the Salvation Army who enabled us to provide a take-away evening meal service from their Citadel in Victoria Street. Since December 2020 we have provided a hot meal to around 20 visitors for 5 evenings each week. An important feature is the friendly chat between visitors and volunteers as people collect their food and drink: this has become something

of a social occasion for the visitors who may not have any other place to go to interact with others.

As the weather turns colder we are hoping to offer dine-in meals: breakfast at Spicer Street and an evening meal from the Citadel. Operating from two venues provides logistical challenges, and we are discussing with St Albans District Council a possible future permanent home. There is a continuing need in St Albans for a daytime centre, where people can feel warmly welcomed and access a meal, shower facilities, clean clothes, and receive advice on how to get further support. We hope that it will not be too long before such a facility can be established.

Should you wish to support our work, you may like to consider volunteering on the meal rota. Otherwise, financial donations continue to be most welcome. Please see www.centre33.org for details.

Peter Graham, Centre 33

The Open Door’s Winter Beds Project

Open Door is one of the recipients of the Cathedral Mission Giving. For the past five years it has operated an additional ‘Winter Beds’ project, for which a number of members of the Cathedral community have volunteered.

For the past five years the Open Door Charity has provided safe, warm beds for people who would otherwise be rough sleeping in St Albans over winter. The Open Door night shelter on Bricket Road accommodates 12 people experiencing homelessness all year round, but over the bitter winter months extra bed spaces are needed to ensure no one has to sleep on the streets in St Albans. The Winter Beds Project works to prevent people dying on the streets when the temperatures plummet by providing them with self contained accommodation and access to support services that address their housing and support needs.

Last year the project provided accommodation every night from December through to April and accommodated 17 people who would otherwise slept rough. Our guests are given accommodation in selfcontained sleeper cabins. Each cabin provides secure, Covid safe accommodation with heating, electricity and en-suite facilities. Guests are provided with toiletries and given breakfast each morning. Guests of the project are supported to find secure accommodation to move on to by the rough sleeper outreach team.

Guests last year commented that “the pods feel safe, secure and peaceful away from the town centre” and that they “really appreciated being able to be on their own in a pod” that provided “all the warmth, comfort, peace and safety needed”.

The Winter Beds Project is run entirely by a team of volunteers overseen by the Project Coordinator. Last year 77 volunteers helped run the service. Volunteers support the project by welcoming guests in the evening, checking them out of cabins in the morning and helping to organise supplies and laundry. Guests take comfort in the support of volunteers and have praised the “friendliness of all the volunteers and the kindness encountered”.

Take action

This year the Winter Beds Project will run from December to March and all volunteers are given full training. We are looking for more volunteers, so if you would like to be involved or find out more about the project please contact Lucy Gaygusuz at winterbedsproject@opendoorstalbans.org. For more information about Open Door visit www.opendoorstalbans.org

Lucy Gaygusuz, Open Door

St Albans Contact Centre

When family life is turned upside down through separation, finding a way to maintain parenting can be a huge problem, particularly as sometimes, for a variety of reasons, the parents are unable to agree that the non-resident parent can see the children independently; this is frequently against the background of a loss of trust. In such circumstances, the non-resident parent is faced with the challenge of maintaining a relationship with their children and finding a safe, neutral environment to see them.

This is where St Albans Child Contact Centre (SACC) steps in to support families. We were set up by St Albans Cathedral Mothers’ Union 14 years ago. We are accredited and supported by the National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACC), which is the leading UK charity in the field of child contact. The mission of NACC is to ensure that “parenting doesn’t end when relationships do” and the work of the SACC is committed to that mission. We provide a place where the non-resident parent and children can regularly meet.

It is run exclusively by volunteers, all of whom undergo an enhanced DBS and complete a full training programme, including an annual Safeguarding Course.

What do we do?

• We offer a free service.

• We put the children first – their needs are paramount.

• We are impartial to each family’s situation and confidentiality is essential.

• We provide a variety of toys/games for all ages, including an Arts & Crafts table for parents to engage and bond with their children.

• We supply free refreshments in a relaxed atmosphere.

Jenny Mackenzie

Fair Trade is not just for Christmas!

How often do we think that we can do little to help those whose lives are very different from our own, particularly when they live thousands of miles away? By our fair trade purchases, we can all make a difference and help in transforming the lives of the farmers and producers who benefit from them. As Christians, we are called to give to those less fortunate than us and support those in need. Through fair trade, we enable them to live with dignity and be self-sufficient, improving the quality of life both for individuals and communities.

Here in the UK we are undergoing a cost of living crisis where inflation now stands at more than 10%, which inevitably means that some people will need to rethink their purchasing choices and may therefore have to look for the cheapest, rather than the fairest, goods to buy. However, this does not mean that fair trade is no longer an option, as there are some good value products available in budget chains including Greggs, Lidl and Aldi. Supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and the Co-op often have discounts on fair trade goods such as coffee and tea. Even the more ‘upmarket’ stores, Waitrose and M&S, have own brand lower cost fair trade items.

If the cost of living increases are feeling onerous here, it is easy to see how much worse it must be for those already living at subsistence levels, where the cost of production is also rising steeply. Soaring costs combined with the damage caused by climate change threatens not only the future of food, but also the communities already facing extreme hardship due to the deeply unfair global trade system.

At this time of year, we all make choices about what to buy as presents for friends and family. By buying fairly traded gifts, we benefit those who produce them not just for Christmas, but throughout the year. Skilled artisans and growers around the world report huge positive changes in their lives. Traditional skills and expertise can only continue to be passed on through

generations by our purchases. The Traidcraft catalogue, available online, displays a wide range of good quality items – as well as the tea, coffee, chocolate etc. familiar to everyone (I hope!). On my regular stall, held on the second Sunday of each month, I carry a more limited range (for obvious reasons) but I am happy to take orders.

Do come to browse and buy what is on offer, whether it be for yourself or others. The good value Christmas card collection has something to suit all tastes and there are plenty of seasonal treats. Do not forget that delicious Palestinian goods produced by Zaytoun – olive oil, almonds, dates and couscous - are also available. The December stall, the last of the year, is on Sunday 11 December in the Welcome Centre between the 9.30am and 11.15am services. New customers are always welcome and regulars are encouraged.

Hope to see you there!

Linda Waller

Asylum Seekers

The Cathedral English conversation group has been meeting since January 2022 and continues to offer support to asylum seekers at the Noke, our local Home Office-run hostel.

As many residents have been here six months or more, they are permitted to go to college to learn English and other subjects; we have helped them discover information about this and to enrol. Many are now going to either Oaklands or South West Herts College several times a week and receive help with transport costs. This is a big step forward and is so important for their health and well-being. They are still not allowed to do paid work.

A group of about ten of the Noke residents come to the 9.30am service every Sunday and enjoy friendship and relaxation over coffee after morning service. The

contacts with the congregation and offers of hospitality are much appreciated. Over the summer, we enjoyed a picnic at Ashridge and a bbq at the Deanery; more plans are in the pipeline. As confidence and trust in us have grown, a few have begun to volunteer to help in the Catheddral e.g. one now helps with coffee on Sundays and another helps in the garden. Some helped with the Light Show stewarding at the end of October. One has led prayers for Iran at morning service.

From the beginning, we have worked in partnership with Nick and Teresa Clarke and the team at St Bartholomew’s church, Anna Barrett, and the team at Greenwood URC; it is wonderful to see how this cooperation has developed. The bike scheme organised by the Clarkes continues to be important, as is the walk and football organised by Greenwood. STAR organises clothing, shoes and toiletries. Warm clothes are very much needed now as the weather gets colder. Many thanks to several of the congregation who have donated warm coats. More initiatives are being offered by an increasing circle of organisations and charities in St Albans and neighbouring districts.

This is an ongoing situation with no easy solution. We cannot change the big issues but we continue to help where possible. A big thank you to all those in the Cathedral community who offer friendship, support and hospitality in the Abbey tradition.

Helen Bishop

Cathedral transport

The Environmental Strategy Group has recently been working on the Cathedral’s application for a Silver Eco Church award. Some of the criteria are how we and our visitors reach the Cathedral, and we are asked whether we promote low carbon transport. So how do we reach the Cathedral? In Summer I conducted a survey to find out just how people do travel here. The people who responded were around 50:50 men and women, of most age groups. Most of the responses were from worshippers (30%), followed by Cathedral employees (29%) and visitors (21%). The most frequently reported means of transport was walking (41%), followed by single-occupancy car driving (37%) and car sharing added a further (11%). Public transport (bus and train) only totalled 4%, and bicycle only 2%. The cathedral’s own car parks were the most frequent destination of those arriving by car (53%) followed by local public car parks (24%).

Those using a private car were asked what might encourage them to change this. The most commonly chosen option was ‘more reliable public transport’ (40%) (‘more affordable public transport’ was chosen by 16%). Some people were interested in the establishment of an organised car share scheme (9%) but fewer in the provision of electric vehicle charging facilities (4%). All respondents were asked whether they ever used any of the other means of travel. Car sharing was most often frequently cited (22%), followed by walking (21%), bicycle (11%), bus (10%) and train (5%).

Overall, it did seem from the survey that people travelling to the Cathedral do think about how they get here, and a good number are walking. There is a clear need for transport planners in St Albans to improve the reliability of public transport modes on city streets which are frequently brought to a standstill by the current weight of traffic. There are ambitious proposals for a tram or other mass rapid transit system to be built in the St Albans area, and 20% of respondents thought it a potentially viable option for their journey to the Cathedral.

As we head towards colder weather there will be a temptation for many of us to switch from walking to driving, and may be a challenge for those of us who walk or cycle to keep doing this. Maybe now Is a good time to talk to your neighbours about car sharing?

Geoff McMahon

Environmental and Social Justice Calendar

Over the next three months there are a number of events and days of observance that you may want to get involved in or pray for. Here are some dates to remember.

Friday 2 December

International Day for the Abolition of Slavery Today reminds us that more than 40 million people worldwide are victims of modern slavery. www.un.org/en/observances/slaveryabolition-day

Saturday 3 December

International Day of People with Disabilities This year we reflect on fighting for rights in a post-covid era. www.un.org/en/observances/day-ofpersons-with-disabilities

Monday 5 December

International Volunteer Day Today offers an opportunity to promote volunteerism, and recognise volunteer contributions to the achievement of the Sustainable Devel opment Goals (SDGs) at local, national and international levels. www.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_ Volunteer_Day

Monday 5 December World Soil Day Give thought to soil erosion and the need for people to have safe and nutritious food without endangering essential ecosystems services. www.fao.org/world-soil-day/en/

Saturday 10 December

Human Rights Day Mark the anniversary of the Universal Declara tion of Human Rights in 1948. www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day

Sunday 11 December

International Mountains Day Mountains are home to 15% of the world´s population and a quarter of the world’s land animals and plants. www.un.org/en/observances/mountain-day

Wednesday 18 - Wednesday 25 January

Week of prayer for Christian Unity

We seek to explore how the work of Christian unity can contribute to the promotion of racial justice across all levels of society. www.ctbi.org.uk/week-of-prayer-for-christianunity-2023/

Friday 27 January Holocaust Memorial Day Annual International Day of Commemoration

In memory of the victims of the Holocaust. www.hmd.org.uk/what-is-holocaustmemorial-day/

Thursday 2 February World Wetlands Day

Raising global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and our planet. www.worldwetlandsday.org/

Sunday 12 February Racial Justice Sunday

Today is a call for all Christians to engage in the righteous struggle for racial justice. www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/ worship-texts-and-resources/liturgical-resourc es-racial-justice-sunday

Sunday 19 February Church Action on Poverty Sunday

Join with other churches across the UK in giving, action, and prayer. www.church-poverty.org.uk/sunday/

Monday 20 February World Day of Social Justice Today we remember that social justice is necessary for peace, security, and development around the world. www.worlddayofsocialjustice.com/

Monday 27 February International Polar Bear Day

Today draws attention to the challenges polar bears face in a warming Arctic, and how we each can help. www.polarbearsinternational.org/act-now/ awareness-events/international-polar-bear-day/

Monday 27 February - Sunday 12 March

Fairtrade Fortnight

Thousands of individuals, companies and groups across the UK come together to share the stories of the people who grow our food and drinks, mine our gold and who grow the cotton in our clothes, people who are often exploited and underpaid. www.fairtrade.org.uk/Get-Involved/Currentcampaigns/Fairtrade-Fortnight/