Ruth & Matthew to feature in new six part BBC Documentary

Camera crews spent six months capturing the life and times of parishes stretching from the beautiful small market town of Much Wenlock in the north of the diocese, to Breinton and the west of Hereford and up into the Black Mountains.

However, this series is no Vicar of Dibley as their modern day rural ministry sees them tackle pressing social problems of today including, homelessness, dementia, farm sell offs and supporting refugees.

Commenting on her involvement in the progamme, Team Vicar for West Hereford Team Ministry, Revd Ruth Hulse said: “As clergy we are all about the people God has called us to serve and support.

“By taking part in this series I hope to show how God’s love touches people’s lives and how as a Church we help people to grow in their faith.”

Listen to Father Matthew talk about why he wanted to be involved in the filming on BBC Hereford & Worcester on Sunday 7th January on Kate Justice’s show.

Assistant Curate in West Hereford, Father Matthew Cashmore said: “Being part of this documentary has allowed me to show people the breadth of the action and love that the Church of England offers.

“Practically and spiritually the Church is at the heart of rural communities and any opportunity to let people share in that love is to be taken by the horns!”

How rural vicars became the last social workers in the countryside

The Observer interviewed Ruth, Matthew and Nicholas about rural poverty and isolation for their Sunday 7th January edition.

Rural Britain is facing unprecedented challenges of isolation, homelessness, poverty and cuts to public services and, like medieval England, it is the church that has become the welfare organisation picking up the pieces, a new documentary series will argue. Read the full article. 

You can watch the TV series from January 12th on BBC Two at 8:30pm or on the BBC iPlayer here.