The first of the five Civic Services across Lancashire has taken place at St John’s Church in Blackpool.

It will be followed by further local services in Lancaster tonight at 6.30pm; Burnley tomorrow at 11am; Preston, also tomorrow, at 2pm and finally the County Civic Memorial Service at Blackburn Cathedral on Sunday afternoon at 2pm. More details below.

The Dean of Blackburn spoke about the Civic Services in a message to the people of Lancashire earlier this week which is still available on our YouTube channel here.

It sits alongside statements on the death of Her Late Majesty from Acting Diocesan Bishop and Bishop of Burnley, Rt Rev. Philip North and the Bishop of Lancaster, Rt Rev. Dr Jill Duff in recent days.

The service in Blackpool was led by Rev. Andy Dykes, with a sermon by Rt Rev. Dr Jill Duff, Bishop of Lancaster. After the service, Bishop Jill said: “At this time of national mourning it was valuable to come together to grieve, to pray and to give thanks for the life of Her Late Majesty. Together we prayed for King Charles and our nation; that we may go forward as a united kingdom in the years ahead.”

Tonight’s service at Lancaster will be livestreamed, as will the service in Burnley and the County service at the Cathedral. Meanwhile, additional services to remember Her Late Majesty are also taking place in our many parishes scattered across the County. To find your nearest one visit www.achurchnearyou.com

A selection of pictures from all the services will be uploaded as soon as possible after the they take place to the Diocesan flickr feed here.

The Cathedral Civic County Memorial Service will begin at 2pm on Sunday afternoon and due to the large number of attendees expected there will be ticketing. A limited number of seats are being made available to the public on a first-come first-served basis. You can book seats here (first come, first served with the booking) and the livestream will be available here. The remaining Civic Services are as follows:  

Friday: 

• Lancaster Priory (6.30pm): Livestreamed here. Open to public; first come, first served. 

Saturday: 

• St Peter’s Burnley (11am): Livestreamed here. Some ticketed invitations but also open to the public on first come, first served basis. Also being relayed on screen in school hall as an ‘overspill option’. 
• Preston Minster (2pm): Open to public; first come, first served. 

Further updates for shorter news pieces:  

• As well as the national Church of England online Book of Condolence, Lancashire’s Anglican Cathedral in Blackburn has also opened an online Book, alongside books currently available in the Cathedral to sign in person.  
• Many of our parish churches also have books of condolence and are also open for quiet reflection and private prayer.
• Resources and information for parishes to engage with across Lancashire are available 24/7 currently on our Diocesan website here, as part of ongoing coverage and support in this time of national mourning.  
• The Acting Diocesan Bishop and Bishop of Burnley, Rt Rev. Philip North, appeared twice today on BBC Radio Lancashire; first this morning to talk about Her Late Majesty, her personal faith and the impact that faith has had on others as well as his experience of meeting King Charles III when he was still Prince of Wales. You can listen here (from 1h 20m 05s). Then later he was part of a review of the past week’s events, again on BBC Radio Lancashire. Listen here from 2h 10m.    
• The recently-retired Bishop of Blackburn, Rt Rev. Julian Henderson, has also written a special prayer which is now being used daily in many parishes across the Diocese and is available here. Meanwhile Bishop Julian was also interviewed today on BBC Radio Lancashire about his memories of Her Late Majesty (he met The Queen on a number of occasions). You can listen here (from 2h 20m 40s). 

Captions for the above pictures in downward order:  

All pictures by Clive Lawrence 

Top Banner - A tribute to Her Late Majesty outside the church in the shadow of Blackpool Tower

Pic 1 - Jennie Peall, Sector Manager for the Blackpool and Fylde North West Ambulance Service signs the book of condolence.

Pic 2 - Rt Rev. Dr Jill Duff, Bishop of Lancaster, leads prayers at the Civic Service alongside Blackpool Church St John’s Vicar, Rev. Andy Dykes.

Pic 3 - A chance to reflect for those who attended the Civic Service at Blackpool Church St John’s.

Ronnie Semley
16/09/2022