Hundreds celebrate Rutland in the county service at Peterborough Cathedral.
As Rutland is in the diocese of Peterborough, the cathedral hosts the service of Thanksgiving every two years. The Lord Lieutenant and High Sheriff would like as many people as possible to attend. The cathedral has a seating capacity of 2,000. There's currently a campaign to protect Rutland's county status, as a merger is likely to take place with neighbouring authorities in local government reorganisation by the end of the year. The service begins at half past three. High Sheriff Richard Cole is looking forward to an uplifting afternoon.
"Absolutely. The more people that come, the better. A genuine opportunity to celebrate everything that's good about Rutland. And right now, you know, we need to celebrate. We need to look at good things, kind acts that people do, and coming together as a community to celebrate where we live is a real opportunity. And the weather's fantastic, so please come along."
Hundreds of people went along to celebrate yesterday. Rutland has been in the Peterborough Diocese since the time of Henry VIII, and the service included readings from primary and secondary schools, as well as the High Sheriff, Lord Lieutenant, and the Bishop of Peterborough, the Right Reverend Debbie Sellin.
"As we gather here today to celebrate this beautiful county and to give thanks to God, let's spend a moment or two just reflecting on what is good. There is still much. But amongst those good things, we have this history. Evidence of settlement in Rutland from Roman times. It goes back a long way. In medieval times, it was a major provider of wool and gained prosperity through trade.
There have been many battles, not least during the War of the Roses and the Civil War, taking place in this very place. And then having been absorbed into Leicestershire in 1974, regaining its independence in 1997, continuing to be proud to be a ceremonial county."
Members of the Rutland Ukrainian community were guests at the Cathedral as well as representatives from many voluntary organisations in Rutland: Rutland County Council, Oakham, Uppingham and Stamford Town Councils, Military Working Dogs and Emergency Services. The campaign to save Rutland's ceremonial status was also mentioned, as we've just heard. Our signatures are being collected in support of the initiative, and merger talks continue for local government reorganisation.
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