The Nidderdale Show is not taking place this year, but churches in the area are making sure their flock know they are still being prayed for thanks to a new virtual video service.
The agricultural show, due to take place in Pateley Bridge and cancelled in June for the second year running due to COVID-19, has traditionally been proceeded by an open-air service on the Sunday before the show.
This could not happen this year, so an ecumenical team from Church in the Dale has put together a ‘No Show Service’ to share with those who would normally attend the show.
The 15-minute video service was recorded in St Michael and All Angels, Wilsill with the Revd Daryl Hall, Vicar of Upper Nidderdale Parish, the Revd Mike Poole, the local Methodist minister, Mrs Jean Marshall, representing Dacre URC chapel and the Revd Alastair Ferneley, Vicar of the Mid Nidderdale Parish.
The Revd Alastair said: “It’s a sadness that the show can’t happen again for all the local community and the farming community in particular.
“The open-air service is probably the best attended thing we do as Church in the Dale – the local ecumenical partnership in Nidderdale – we usually get over 100 people.
“We did look at holding the service physically, but it seemed best in the end to do what we did last year, which was to release a video of a much-shortened service to let the local community know we were praying for them still and thinking of them.
“The service includes the Nidderdale Hymn by Frank Dean extolling the beauties of Nidderdale to the tune of Blessed Assurance, and the Townend version of The Lord’s My Shepherd, and prayers for our area and farming community.
“It has been released by as many local platforms as we could get it on!”
Launched in 2007, Church in the Dale is an alliance of churches of different denominations across Nidderdale, including the Pateley Bridge Methodist Circuit, the Anglican parish of Upper Nidderdale, the Anglican parish of Dacre with Hartwith and Darley with Thornthwaite, Providence United Reformed Church, the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady Immaculate, and Holy Family RC parish at RAF Menwith Hill.
To see the service, please click here.