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'I think the Diocese of Bradford is unique in that, not only does it have a pressing challenge, it has multiple challenges, almost all the other challenges that exist in every other diocese are here too! And in many ways you are at the front end, at the coal face of actually ministering in Gospel in the culture that we live in today. It is unique in that it has got some of the most pressing challenges in the country. It faces them in many different kinds of areas and it faces them with very limited resources and so for me it has been a great privilege to come and see how you are facing them… I see all the potential and the possibilities of this Diocese and it makes me really, really excited'.
The more heavily populated south is composed of urban Bradford with its diverse mix of cultures. Travel north through "Bronte Land" and Ilkley to Skipton, the "Gateway to the Dales" - and you are nearly half way!
South of Skipton and Bolton Abbey, the dark Pennine millstone grit provides the soft water, which was vital for the washing of wool. This was the foundation of the woollen industry on which Bradford's wealth was made.
As you travel north, the hard gritstone gives way to the softer contours of the limestone of the Dales where the short, well-drained turf gives the grazing-land for the wool-producing sheep.
Old history and school-book geology don't make a Diocese.
The Anglicans of
Bradford Diocese engage with the reality of today's society. The people of
Bradford Diocese live in green, leafy suburbs - and they live on some of the
most socially deprived estates in the country. They live in the delightful
areas of the Dales, where they suffer house prices put beyond their
reach by the holiday home market. They enjoy a comfortable life in the newly-regenerated
areas of the city - and they struggle in the wake of the demise of manufacturing
industry and the Foot and Mouth epidemic.
The Christians of Bradford Diocese enjoy a unique opportunity and challenge to bring the Good News of Our Lord to this small corner of God's world.
