A windy weekend! Vicar battles weather to bless machinery at Thaxted’s Plough Sunday

The Very Revd Nicholas Henshall was very nearly blown off his feet when he blessed the agricultural machinery for the annual Plough Sunday in Thaxted.

At one point, he was hanging onto the side of a tractor, while holding a sheet of paper and looked as if he might just take off.

Visitors came from as far away as London for the ceremony on January 13 at Thaxted Church.

An enthusiatic gathering of some 200 people joined the traditional service in the hope of a good harvest for the year. The event included Morris dancers and represented were the National Farmers’ Union, The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution and the Farming Community Network.

The Revd Janet Nichols, diocese agricultural chaplain, said: “We bless the plough and the people who work on the land. People brought soil in to be blessed and took it back to the farm. I have been working hard to revive this tradition. It is a delightful part of the chuurch and agricultural calendar. People came along from other counties and from London.”