Hundreds attend service in support of Ukraine at Cathedral

Hundreds of people packed inside St Edmundsbury Cathedral, in Bury St Edmunds, last night for “An Evening of Solidarity for Ukraine”.

A collection was made for the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal with the expectation that hundreds of pounds was raised.

The service, which ran for over 90 minutes, included poetry, prayers for peace and music from an array of schools, groups and organisations.

The Cathedral Choir and Cathedral Youth Choir participated in the service and the Bury Bach Choir sung excerpts from “St John Passion” while Connaught Brass played Benjamin Britten’s “Fanfare for St Edmundsbury” and “A Fanfare for Ukraine”.

Three members of the Suffolk Philharmonic Orchestra, Anna Noakes (flute), Roger Chase (viola) and Hugh Webb (harp), performed Claude Debussy’s “Sonate” while students from the Abbeygate Sixth Form College played “Shum”, which was based on melodies from folk songs originating in the north of Ukraine, and read poignant poetic pieces along with students from County Upper School.

The clergy were also fully involved in the event, which was arranged at short notice, including the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich Martin Seeley, the Dean of St Edmundsbury Joe Hawes, the Canon Presenter Philip Banks, the Sub Dean and Canon Pastor Matthew Vernon, Father David Bagstaff from St Edmund Catholic Church, and Rev Jason Vineyard, the Methodist Superintendent of the Bury St Edmunds Circuit.

At the conclusion of the service, attended by over 450 people, the congregation was invited to light candles to remember those involved in the conflict and a solemn queue lined up along the main aisle of the Cathedral to show their moral and spiritual support.