Long Stratton school honours new Rural Dean
A primary school in Long Stratton connected with its Church of England roots this week, as pupils hosted a special celebration in honour of their village rector’s new position.
Reverend Heather Wilcox, rector for the Long Stratton benefice, was appointed the Rural Dean for the area by the Bishop of Thetford, Alan Winton, in an event at St Mary’s Church of England Junior Academy in Swan Lane on Wednesday morning.
The celebration included an ‘Open the Book’ session, where stories from the bible were acted out, and a ‘Design a Hat for the Rural Dean’ competition, in which the winning design by Josh Fiske will be made into a real hat.
School head Alison Cullum told the Diss Express: “I think the event went brilliantly well. The children thoroughly enjoyed their first ‘Open the Book’ experience and learnt lots about the particular story enacted from the bible.
“Everyone was delighted that Heather Wilcox was being made Rural Dean. She is a special friend of St Mary’s — her work and that of her church team is essential for reinforcing all the values that children need to equip them for life.”