Bishop leads volunteers to clear up Southend estate (From Southend Standard)

Bishop leads volunteers to clear up Southend estate

6:00pm Wednesday 27th February 2013 in News

PEOPLE were greeted with the unusual sight of a Bishop litter-picking as he led a team of volunteer churchgoers on an estate clear-up.

Reverend John Wraw, the Bishop of Bradwell, joined 12 volunteers from Christ Church, in Southchurch as they attempted to spruce up the Kursaal ward on Saturday morning.

The initiative is part of a call by the Bishop, to help out communities during lent, and he and other hardy volunteers carried out the clearup despite morning snowfall.

Rev Wraw, whose Bradwell diocese includes south Essex, said: “Lent is about becoming more Christ like and Jesus got out and about his whole life so I decided to challenge churches to get out their communities.

“Christ Church has picked up that challenge with a vengeance and we’ve got a lot of volunteers here today that will hopefully help support the estate.

“We are not doing this to gain anything out of it, it is just an act of caring.”