The Lindisfarne Gospel Train

Love this - to mark a 3 month display of the Lindsfarne Gospels at Durham Cathedral, a train has been christened 'Durham Cathedral' and decorated with images from the Gospels. 

"It’s especially fitting that at this special time, with the Lindisfarne Gospels attracting thousands of visitors, that we name the train in honour of this iconic building.

"We’re expecting to bring thousands of visitors to Durham during the three months when the Gospels are displayed. This eye-catching train will promote the city, Cathedral and Gospels along the East Coast Main Line all the way from London to Edinburgh."

Apparently 23,000 people have already booked to visit the exhibition. I'm reminded both of Bill Bryson and David Goodhew:

Bryson, because he spoke of Durham as his favourite place in the UK (and it's hard to disagree, it also has the best chocolate cake, if Vennels is still in business). Durham returned the favour, making him the first foreigner to have the freedom of the city.

Goodhew is a church growth researcher based in the NE, and I heard him speak recently about how church plants and new ventures often seemed to cluster around main trade routes. I'm sure he'd be tickled by the idea of a gospel train retracing the steps of some of Britains most influential saints - Cuthbert, Aidan, from Scotland, past Lindsfarne, into NE England and beyond. It's certainly an improvement on the agnostibus.

Press statement in response to Durham Cathedral eviction of the Brewers

The following statement was issued yesterday by a group (which I'm part of) which keeps an eye on the former SPCK bookshop chain, and the questionable management practices of J Mark Brewer and Phil Brewer, the owners.

We welcome the statement today from the Dean and Chapter of Durham Cathedral that notice has been served on the current operators and occupiers of Durham Cathedral Shop requiring them to vacate the premises on 30th April 2010. Bearing in mind that a petiton of almost 400 signatures was submitted to the Dean and Chapter in Autumn 2008, we would, have preferred action to have been taken far sooner.

The Durham Cathedral Bookshop has been the flagship shop in the chain, supplying much of the turnover and most of the profit, which has enabled the whole chain to stay afloat for the last three years.

Therefore this action - subject to any legal challenges or actions issued by J Mark and Phil Brewer through their management company - will, we hope, be the beginning of the end of the saga of serious mismanagement of the SPCK Bookshop chain from October 2006 to the present.

We are concerned that the time window until April 2010 will give the Brewers an opportunity to manipulate the business further for their personal benefit.

The Durham Shop continues to use the SPCK logo and materials, permission for which were withdrawn a long time ago, to trade with incorrect Employers' Liability Insurance, and to ignore obligations in the shop lease to stock a wide range of books. It has been an stain on the reputation of Durham Cathedral.

We have documented how sums in excess of $700,000 had been removed from the finances of the Durham Cathedral Bookshop under questionable circumstances to other businesses and charities controlled by the Brewers. Other monies from the Bookshop Chain had been spent in unusual ways for a charity, including the maintenance of an aeroplane owned by Phil Brewer, who was responsible for management of the Durham Cathedral Shop.

A large number of questions remain open for the former-SPCK bookshop chain:
* Instruction of staff - including staff at Durham - to lie to suppliers.
* Violations of the lease at Durham.
* The transfer - mentioned above - of at least $700,000 of assets out of the Durham shop.
* More than 30 employment tribunal claims.
* An attempt to take the organisation into Bankruptcy in the USA, which was "dismissed with prejudice", and the $1.6m which was declared as owing to suppliers. Significant property assets, viz. Freehold Bookshops, were not declared to the Bankruptcy Court, despite declarations made by J Mark Brewer under oath. To date the suppliers remain unpaid.
* Unpaid pensions and National Insurance contributions for staff,
* Bullying of staff.

Some of these issues, and others, require proper investigation by the authorities, resolution, and action where necessary.

Former SPCK staff have shown considerable success in reopening independent bookshops in towns where former-SPCK shops have closed. These locations include Lincoln, Cardiff and Norwich. As the debacle comes to an end, we look forward to this pattern continuing.

Finally, we would quote a comment left by Bishop Alan Wilson on our News Blog this week:
"The whole Brewer thing has been a learning experience for us all about the dangers in selling off bits of the family silver without checking that the people to whom it goes have the character or competence to handle it. These things call for light, not a conspiracy of darkness and silence".

For more information visit: http://spckssg.wordpress.com/
Matt Wardman
Phil Groom

There is more on the Wardman Wire, which seems to be a bit slow loading at the moment.

Breaking News: Brewers to be evicted from Durham Cathedral bookshop

The following statement was issued by Durham Cathedral this morning:

The following statement has been made today (1st May 2009) by the Chapter of Durham Cathedral

"Durham Cathedral has today served notice under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 on the current operators and occupiers of Durham Cathedral Shop requiring them to vacate the premises on 30th April 2010.

A new Cathedral Shop under the Cathedral's management will open on 1st May 2010 opposite the Undercroft Restaurant where, with the restaurant, it will provide a focus for visitor facilities.To enable the necessary work for the relocation of the shop, the exhibition in the Treasures will close at the end of 2009.

A new exhibition will reopen in the Claustral buildings at a date to be announced."

Background Information:The Chapter of Durham Cathedral has announced plans for the first phase of a programme of improvements to its facilities for visitors. This was included as a commitment in the Cathedral's Development Plan which was launched last year. In the first phase, the Cathedral Shop will be relocated from the Great Kitchen to the area presently occupied by the Treasures where, with the Undercroft Restaurant, it will provide a focus for visitor facilities and can include space for the Friends of Durham Cathedral and the Durham Cathedral Choir Association.

The new shop will open, under the Cathedral's management, on 1st May 2010.

To enable the necessary work for the relocation of the shop, the Treasures will close at the end of 2009. The Cathedral is working with the University on a feasibility study for their respective visitor facilities in the Cathedral and University buildings on the Durham peninsula. This will also take account of other visitor initiatives in the World Heritage Site. This project has a high priority in the Cathedral's Development Plan and includes a review of all the Cathedral's existing visitor attractions. Details of the new exhibition, which will focus on Cuthbert, Bede and the Cathedral's Benedictine heritage, will be announced later. Public access to the Great Kitchen will continue whilst the new initiatives are developed so that its historical architecture can be appreciated.

The Chapter will make further announcements as the plans progress but no further statement will be made at present.

Yes!

and quite canny of the Cathedral to make the repossession of the shop look like part of the plans for redeveloping the Cathedral. We all know that the Brewers are really being thrown out for unethical business practices, and dragging the name of Durham Cathedral through the mud. Well done to Phil Groom, and to the staff and supporters of the Cathedral bookshop who have campaigned to get these charlatans booted out.

for all the background, see SPCK news notes and info, including a link to the petition to Durham Cathedral.

Updates: Twitter on Durham Cathedral, Matt Wardman has also posted, expect something in the Northern Echo tomorrow.