The Holy Innocents, Birch with Fallowfield

The Bishop of Manchester visited Holy Innocents Birch with Fallowfield on Ascension Day, May 21, 2009.

After the bishop prayers with church members, the children of junior church made several presentations to the bishop of their own work.

The bishop was then taken to the afterschool club at Birch Community Centre (a local charity based in the hall of the former St James' church), where he met children and leaders.

The bishop also visited the home of
Nora Rigby, who (at 85) was the oldest volunteer at the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002. Now 92, Nora is still an active church member and volunteer.

Accompanied by the Rector, Revd. Bill Raines, the bishop returned to church to meet Adela Mahoro Mugabo, a member of Holy Innocents from Rwanda, together with members of the 'Mahoro Must Stay' campaign. Adela, an asylum seeker, in the UK since 2003, was given a Manchester City Council Award in 2009 for her local and national work with HIV charities. HIV+ herself, and now dependent on retroviral drugs, Adela fled Rwanda after being imprisoned and raped following the genocide of the 1990s. The Home Office refused Adela leave to remain in the UK, though over 3000 people have signed a petition for her to remain.

Sir Gerald Kaufman was among the guests attending a community reception in church, which also included local councillors, and representatives of local schools and university halls of residence, community groups and businesses.

After a short break, guests joined with church members for a special Ascensiontide Pilgrimage Eucharist.
Churchwarden, Caroline Hewitt told

Photos from this Run the race Bishop's pilgrimage

the story of the church and neighbourhood while Linda Newton, also a churchwarden, returned the baton to the Bishop at the end of the service.

"We are delighted that the Baton is having an active retirement!" said Rector, the Revd. Bill Raines.


"The whole visit was well managed and very well done; and for some people it really hit the spot. It's hard to know what effect the bishop's visit has had, but co-incidentally or not, we have come to realise that we need to do more to engage with our local community. As a church we're really good at the "Big Issues" stuff - but Holy Innocents is gathered community in an area that has a very high population of students - so this year, we've invited every home in the parish to our Christmas services.
It's a start."