The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, spent two days in Nottinghamshire visiting projects and meeting people.

The visit began at Staythorpe Power Station, where the Archbishop was accompanied by the Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham, the Rt Revd Paul Butler, and given a tour of the plant. He was shown some of the latest technology and developments enabling it to produce energy-efficient and environmentally friendly power and met staff at the plant's control room.

Next stop for the Archbishop was a youth employment and housing project in Sutton-in-Ashfield run by Notts charity Framework, where he met with clients and young people linked with the poject. He then spent time talking with staff and young people over lunch.

 A visit to a Dairy Farm in Caunton was a chance for the Archbishop to find out about Notts rural life, where a 450 cow herd produce 3,000,000 litres annually, supply the milk for Stilton Cheese. The Archbishop heard about the cheese making and the selling process to UK supermarkets and some 40 countries worldwide. He also gained an insight into a new local support network for farmers under stress. There was also a chance to call in on milking at the farm, when the he looked at the latest milking technics.

 A highlight of the visit was a giant light celebration in Southwell Minster with hundreds of children and young people and a ‘Shine the Light’ service in the Cathedral. The Archbishop joined hundreds of children and young people in a light themed event in Nottinghamshire’s ancient cathedral. The evening included activities and crafts, with drumming, glass painting, lamp-making, shadow puppets, candle making, bubble prayers and parachute games all on offer. The Archbishop joined with a short act of worship and gave a talk about light, and in addition to a light display, local charity Pulp Friction showed the Archbishop how to make juice using pedal power.

On Tuesday, the Archbishop opened a new multi-faith Centre at Nottingham Trent University’s Clifton Campus. He was also told about developments in cancer research at the University and joined in a question and answer time with students.

Lunchtime was spent with older people at a lunch club at St Aidan’s Church in Basford, followed by a chance to meet with asylum seekers at a housing and support project run by the Arimathea Trust in Radford.

Images of the Day on Flickr