John Ashton, former Special Representative on Climate Change at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, was the first speaker in a series of talks on public issues organised by Holy Cross Church, Gilling East near Helmsley.

Speaking on 'Climate Change' in Gilling village hall on the 21st March, he was joined by a panel including Professor Emeritus Nick Cowern of Newcastle University (a researcher in atmosphere and climate) and Bishop Graham Cray.

"By our choices that we make in this generation about climate change, we will say whether we accept being held to account for all the consequences for everybody and for our single blessed earth, of our accumulated choices about climate change."

This was the first of a series of talks or lectures with a Christian perspective on public issues organised by Vicar the Revd Catherine Reid.

The next one takes place on the 27th July about criminal justice, with speaker the Revd Dr Michael Banner, Dean of Chapel at Trinity College, Cambridge, which is a patron of Holy Cross Church in Gilling East.

Catherine is working with Dr Banner to organise an annual lecture from a Trinity scholar to take place in Gilling.

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