Cathedrals Open their Doors to Hustings ahead of the General Election.

“It is our prayer that, even in the heat of the debate, we will treat each other with respect and kindness,”

Archbishops of Canterbury and York on the announcement of General Election.

Cathedrals open their doors to hustings ahead of the General Election.

Cathedrals are opening their doors to host hustings and invite their communities to come and hear all the political parties ahead of the General Election on July 4.

All cathedrals have signed up to the Church of England’s #PrayYourPart campaign – a call to put prayer and participation in the life of our nation and communities, both as voters and as citizens.

Archbishops Justin Welby and Stephen Cottrell urged people to set aside time amid the heat of the coming campaign to reflect and pray for our nation and our world and issued a plea to everyone to put “good grace and a commitment to truth and integrity” at the heart of the campaign.

Ripon Cathedral will host a Question Time and Election Hustings this Thursday (June 20) with candidates for the Parliamentary Constituency of Skipton and Ripon. Questions have been submitted for the candidates – who include representatives of all the major parties. Refreshments will be served from 6.30pm.

Chester Cathedral is welcoming those in the Chester North and Neston constituency to attend public hustings at 6.30pm on Monday (June 24). This free event will see candidates standing in the Chester North and Neston constituency set out their aims for the area and answer questions submitted by attendees. All standing candidates have been invited to take part in the event. Any candidates unable to attend will be invited to provide a short statement to be read on the night.

This is an Assemble at Chester Cathedral event. Assemble is an invitation to come and hear engaging speakers on topics relevant in our modern world.

It is essential to book a free ticket here.  Attendees should note that bag searches will be in operation for this event.

Durham Cathedral will host its General Election hustings on Wednesday (June 26). The event is a joint event by the Durham Cathedral Institute and Durham Churches Together and it will be chaired by the Dean of Durham, Philip Plyming.

Free entry. No tickets are required.

More info here.

Norwich Cathedral will hosting a hustings for the Norwich North constituency on Friday (June 21).

All of the prospective parliamentary candidates for Norwich North have been invited to the event which will start at 7.30pm.

The Dean of Norwich, the Very Revd Dr Andrew Braddock, said:

“Election hustings play a vital role in local democracy, giving an opportunity to question the candidates who wish to represent us in Parliament.

“Norwich Cathedral is pleased to host such public debate and so contribute to the election process.”

Southwell is hosting a hustings for the Newark constituency on Thursday  (June 20). The two-hour debate will be chaired by Quentin Rayner, a former presenter and chief reporter on BBC East Midlands Today.

Constituents are invited to submit questions to the panel in advance of the debate, which has been organised by Churches Together.

Find out more here.

Ely Cathedral will host candidates competing to be Member of Parliament for Ely and East Cambridgeshire in a General Election Hustings on June 30.

Candidates will answer questions submitted by the public and the evening will be chaired by Lord Wilson of Dinton whom, as a crossbench member of the House of Lords, is not aligned to any political party and will ensure that all candidates get a fair hearing, the audience has the opportunity to ask appropriate questions and the evening runs efficiently.

Questions should be submitted to: hustings@elycathedral.org no later than Monday (June 24).

The hustings will be livestreamed.

Tickets are free but please reserve a place via the booking link here.

Gloucester Cathedral will host a hustings on Monday (June 24) at 7.30pm.

All parties and independent candidates standing in the Gloucester constituency have been invited to participate.

The hustings will be co-chaired by the Very Reverend Andrew Zihni, Dean of Gloucester and Reverend Canon Nikki Arthy, the City Rector. The community is invited to come and share in this opportunity to help decide the future of the constituency of Gloucester.

The Very Reverend Andrew Zihni, Dean of Gloucester said: 

“Gloucester Cathedral is an important space for public debate. We welcome this opportunity to offer this sacred space as a platform for democratic engagement.

“We encourage people from all sections of the community to attend and to participate in this event, which will be a wonderful opportunity to hear diverse perspectives and engage with the issues that matter most to the community. We look forward to a lively and respectful debate.” 

Those who would like to submit a question should gather at Gloucester Cathedral by 6.45pm. Questions will be read out by the chairs during the debate.

Seating will be allocated on a first-come, first served basis.

Lichfield Cathedral in partnership with Churches Together in Lichfield, will host a hustings on Friday (June 28).

Local candidates from the Lichfield constituency have been invited to present their Party’s political campaign and answer questions posed by the audience.

It will be chaired by the Interim Dean of Lichfield, Bishop Jan McFarlane.

Audience members will have the opportunity to submit written questions at the beginning of the hustings.

Canon Gregory Platten, Canon Chancellor at Lichfield Cathedral said:

“As a cathedral at the heart of our community we are pleased to offer this historic venue, having been a place of meeting for generations, that has seen many debates and disagreements over the centuries. 

“We hope that the hustings on 28 June gives opportunity for everyone’s voices to be heard in a fair and proper manner. We trust that when 4 July comes and we prepare to cast our votes, that the hustings has helped to inform voters’ decision-making.

 “As we sit in this ancient place of worship, may we pray for all those standing to lead our country and for guidance and wisdom for each person posting their ballot paper.”

More information about parking, bag restrictions and code of conduct on the evening can be found on the Cathedral’s website.

The treasurer at Salisbury Cathedral has been part of the team organising a hustings for the city centre churches which will be held on Sunday June 23.

The hustings will be held in St Thomas’s church and hosted by Elinor Goodman, former political editor of Channel 4.  Candidates for the Salisbury constituency will answer and debate questions.

There will be a General Election hustings hosted at Wakefield Cathedral at lunchtime on Thursday 27^th June.

And on Monday 1 July a General election hustings hosted by Transform Lincoln Churches & Lincoln Cathedral will be held in the Chapter House at Lincoln Cathedral.

Constituents are invited to submit questions to the panel in advance by e-mailing rowena.king@lincolncathedral.com.

The deadline for submissions is Thursday 27 June.

Tickets are free, but should be booked in advance here as numbers are limited.