Cathedral becomes a Healthy Healing Hub

In partnership with The Guild of Health and St. Raphael, Lichfield Cathedral has become a Healthy Healing Hub, offering support for health and wellbeing to the local community and empowering other organisations within the Diocese to do the same.

The partnership will put the needs of the community and diocese in prime position, seeking to 'recover together ' following the traumatic circumstances of the last few years.

As a Gold-Tier Healthy Healing Hub, Lichfield Cathedral seeks to serve as a centre of excellence and training.

The Rev 'd Canon Dr David Primrose said: “The ministry of healing and wholeness is at the centre of our life as a Cathedral. We have recently embarked on a journey to become a Healthy Healing Hub, with training and resources from the Guild of Health and St Raphael. We are sharing this with colleagues from other local churches, looking forward to taking part in the Sanctuary Mental Health course in the autumn. ”

As part of this initiative, Lichfield Cathedral is working towards being a dementia friendly cathedral and recently offered its first dementia-friendly service. They will also be partnering with other organisations to help young people cope with periods of mental distress, building on the success of the kickstart scheme that saw Lichfield Cathedral facilitating in 30 young unemployed people finding valuable work placements.

Canon David added: “We are committed to the Cathedral itself being a place of healing, offering visitors opportunities to pray and to experience hope and peace during difficult times. Silence and beauty combine to nurture the soul. Services of worship include prayers for the wellbeing of all.

“We are in active conversation with several local partners so that we can work collaboratively together to ensure that the services we provide are part of a wider network of support for people at all stages and in all conditions of life. ”

Lichfield Cathedral has also been working with A Rocha, an international network of environmental organisations with a Christian ethos, on all aspects of how the cathedral cares for the environment, having received an Eco Church Bronze Award in 2021 and currently working towards to the Silver Award.

For more information on what Lichfield Cathedral is doing as part of the Healthy Healing Hub initiative, visit www.lichfield-cathedral.org/hhh