Lord Hope celebrates work of Children in Distress

Bishop David Hope, the former Archbishop of York, paid tribute to 21 years of the charity Children in Distress at a special service in Ely Cathedral on Saturday (29 October).

Staff, volunteers and supporters of the charity gathered to give thanks of all Children in Distress has achieved caring of infants and children across the Balkans over the last 21Years.

Lord Hope, who has been associated with the Charity throughout its life, told the congregation: “You will all know the story of the remarkable way in which Children in Distress has further grown and expanded its work to the present day – no less than ten focal points offering a huge variety of care and services to no less than eight thousand five hundred children. What an astonishing achievement by any standards!”   

The Bishop said that the charity had to overcome many difficulties early in its lifetime: “It wasn’t all plain sailing – there was a good deal of suspicion if not opposition – the Romanian Orthodox church took some persuading too I remember, though thankfully the parish priest did in the end come round to supporting the work, and the church itself fully to support our endeavours.”

Lord Hope added: “At the heart of Children in Distress is that passionate concern for human dignity, the support of the weakest and most vulnerable and those least able to help themselves.”

He added: “So – as today we give thanks for twenty one years of  Children in Distress, we pray that God’s guiding hand will continue to encourage and strengthen all our endeavours in his name that we may indeed generously and  joyfully always be ready  ‘to cure sometimes, to help often and to comfort always’".

31st October 2011