A statement from Bishop Peter regarding the flooding and the story of how one local community has been pulling together and the role the church has been playing.

From the Bishop of Worcester, the Rt Revd Dr Peter Selby:

“The pictures of floods are awful to watch, and the experience of them must be terrible. It is rare for a disaster of this kind to affect so much of the country, and indeed so many of our parishes at once, and my prayers are with everyone in the affected places at this difficult time. I know that many members of the clergy and their congregations have been offering all sorts of practical help throughout the weekend and I know this will continue for as long as it’s needed. This is a time not for comment but for compassion, and my heart goes out to all those who are suffering so much.”

From one of the parishioners of Broadway:

In Broadway, St Michael's church was opened at about 10.30pm on Friday to travellers who were arriving. They’d been directed off the motorway and other main roads and were trying to find their ways across country.  The church stayed open all night, manned by volunteers who gave out hot drinks, bread and soup. Makeshift beds were provided in between the pews for around 40 - 50 people.  A Broadway restaurant, Russells, brought an enormous cauldron of watercress soup and lots of bread, and a rep. who'd found a bed at The Lygon, brought a freezer bag of individual desserts destined for Waitrose!

Our brand-new curate and his wife, who had flood damage themselves, mucked in brilliantly and the vicar, his wife and daughter (who herself lives in Tewkesbury and hasn't been able to reach her own home yet) were also here. We had all sorts of people - some en route to Bristol airport to go on holiday; some on their way home; an 85 year old, a baby in arms and a Jack Russell. Everyone was so grateful and people were so quiet, kind and considerate.  They arrived in shock and some of them completely lost - not even knowing where they were. They were amazed and thankful that the church was open.

Our next-door neighbours, who have a B&B, had a bulging houseful, but still took in extra bodies to sleep on floors and we've heard of many other instances of people in the village taking in stranded people and giving them beds for the night. 

ENDS

The Diocese of Worcester is one of 44 dioceses in the Church of England. It covers an area of 671 square miles and includes parishes in the County of Worcestershire, the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, and a few parishes in northern Gloucestershire, south east Wolverhampton and Sandwell.