MP welcomes Second Church Estates Commissioner to Sheppey

14th November 2011
MP welcomes Second Church Estates Commissioner to Sheppey

Gordon Henderson welcomed a senior Member of Parliament to the Isle of Sheppey last week and showed him some of the beautiful churches and heritage sites the Island has to offer.

Tony Baldry MP is the Second Church Estates Commissioner, in which role he helps to manage the investment portfolio for the Church of England.

Mr Baldry was invited to visit Mr Henderson’s constituency following a letter from a constituent expressing his concern that churches on the Island were being neglected and not enough was being done to promote them to attract tourists.

The first stop on the visit was to Minster Abbey, where the Archdeacon of Maidstone, Stephen Taylor MBE, showed the two MPs the Abbey’s plans for expansion and modernisation. They were then given a tour of the Minster Abbey Gatehouse by Ken Ingleton, Chairman of Minster Parish Council, before going on the roof to take in the breathtaking view.

Mr Henderson then took Mr Baldry to visit All Saints Church in Eastchurch, where they were met by the local Parish Priest, Barry Birch. They then visited Mr Henderson’s favourite Island Church, Saint Thomas the Apostle Church in Harty.

Mr Henderson said,

“I am really proud of the Isle of Sheppey and what it has to offer, which is why I am unashamed in taking every opportunity I can to promote the Island in Parliament and beyond.

“Sheppey is steeped in history and has a fantastic heritage, including a number of beautiful Churches and Tony Baldry’s visit will help to highlight how important the Island is to the history of Christianity in Britain.

“It would be good to convince many more people to visit Sheppey and enjoy the attractions on offer and I will continue to work with groups such as the Sheppey Tourism Alliance to make sure that happens.”

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Photo (l-r): Tony Baldry MP, Stephen Taylor MBE (Archdeacon of Maidstone in Diocese of Canterbury), Julian Hills (Secretary in Diocese of Canterbury), Barry Birch and Gordon Henderson MP.