Rural Matters

Our honorary Rural Officer is Geoff Dodgson

Geoff is a Reader and a senior consultant with specialist agricultural PR agency, Chamberlain. An agricultural graduate, Geoff is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Farmers, a member of the Farmers Club, an Honorary Research Fellow at the National Centre for Ministry Development, University of Wales, Bangor and a visiting lecturer at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester.

Geoff aims to keep the diocese informed about current rural issues and is available to advise or speak on rural matters.

The diocese, which covers a large rural area that includes some of the UK’s most productive farmland ranging from intensive horticulture to commodity grain production. The diocese is famous for its leaf salad production. These crops are largely picked by labour from overseas and their welfare has been a significant issue in the Diocese recently. A major conference was held in 2006 in Wisbech on migrant workers and the Church has been involved in a number of local authority initiatives concerning travellers and migrant workers.

The area is also home to many leading agricultural supply industries as well as food packing and processing businesses which provide significant employment. British Sugar’s Wissington sugar beet factory is within the diocese, and not only processes sugar beet, but alsohas an innovative role in developing biofuels.

There is also an increasing level of rural tourism, adding further to the economy of the region. Thus, the diocese takes an extensive interest in a wide-ranging portfolio of rural affairs.

The Bishop of Ely, Dr Anthony Russell, is a Church of England spokesman on farming and countryside matters and maintains a particular interest in the socio-economic aspects of rural and farming communities.

Bishop Anthony, who comes from a farming family, has always taken a keen interest in rural affairs and the farming community. He is well known as a speaker and commentator.

In 1973 he became Chaplain, and later Director, of the Arthur Rank Centre, at Stoneleigh until 1988. He was President of the Royal Agricultural Society of England in 2004–5, and President of the East of England Agricultural Society 2007–8. He is also a member of the East of England Rural Forum.

The diocesan Church in Society commitee recently organised two major conferences on the future of farming:

• The Future of Food and Farming in the Countryside
• Cultivating Hope

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