Plough Service blessings for farming families at Ripon Cathedral

Farmers’ perseverance, dedication and enduring community spirit will be celebrated this weekend at Ripon Cathedral’s Plough Sunday Service, supported by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

All are welcome at the service at Ripon Cathedral on Sunday 12th January 2025 which will offer blessings for the year ahead to farming families. It will also offer a poignant sense of solidarity in recognition of the vital role that farming families across Yorkshire play in producing food and managing the landscape.

Allister Nixon, chief executive of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society said: “The Society is acutely aware of the strains that farming families operate under, whether that’s because of weather extremes, political decision-making, Bluetongue disease or other factors, and I sincerely hope that 2025 brings greater stability and new opportunities.

“The hard work of farmers in this great county and beyond should be a source of national pride, and the Plough Sunday Service offers a welcome chance for us all to reflect on why we should value what British agriculture delivers for our plates, rural communities, precious landscapes and the economy.”

This year, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society will hold the 166th Great Yorkshire Show on Tuesday 8th to Friday 11th July and its work to support farming continues, with events, training, bursary places and grants on offer as part of a rolling programme to further the professional development, knowledge exchange and wellbeing of those who work in the industry.

This week, four bursary recipients of Future Farmers of Yorkshire, a network funded and supported by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, are attending the Oxford farming conferences. The Society will then be at The Ripon Show, held by Ripon Farm Services, at the Great Yorkshire Showground on Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd January.

In the early part of the year, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society will also be holding events that will look at practical approaches to adapting to the changes announced in the Government’s Autumn Budget. More details will be announced soon.

The Plough Sunday Service, taking place on 12th January, is an ancient festival which was revived by the Victorians. Traditionally it is celebrated on the first Sunday after Epiphany. In the Medieval period, when there was only one plough in each village, the village plough was brought into church for a blessing before ploughing began on Plough Monday, the first working day after the 12 days of Christmas. In days when work was scarce in winter, the observance looked forward to the time of sowing with the promise of a harvest to come.

The Dean of Ripon, the Very Rev John Dobson, who will lead the service said: “Plough Sunday is one of those points in the year when we are reminded not to take God’s providence for granted and to celebrate his help and support in every season. Here at Ripon Cathedral, we are also keen to use this occasion to thank God for the farming and rural communities, praying for them as they continue to face sustained challenges and an uncertain future.”

An address will be given by The Right Reverend John Inge who recently retired as Bishop of Worcester, a ploughshare will be presented at the service by members of the Yorkshire Federation of Young Farmers Clubs for a blessing by the Very Rev Dobson, and a reading will be given by a member of Future Farmers of Yorkshire.

Outside the Cathedral will be a tractor provided by Ripon Farm Services. Local representatives of farming charities will also be in attendance and a share of the proceeds from a collection will go towards the invaluable work of FCN (Farming Community Network).

Anyone wishing to attend the Plough Service at Ripon Cathedral on Sunday 12th January 2025 is invited to gather from 2.30pm for hot pork rolls courtesy of Angela Hullah of Tancred Farm Shop, and hot drinks kindly provided by Ripon Cathedral, before the service gets underway an hour later at 3.30pm.