FARMING will come under the religious spotlight this Sunday when agriculture is put at the centre of worship at Ripon Cathedral.

A tractor will be driven to the cathedral and plough parts placed on the altar to be symbolically blessed as prayers are said for the future of the rural economy.

The Plough Sunday service will begin at 2.30pm and will be led by the Bishop of Knaresborough, the Right Reverend James Bell, one of the Church’s foremost spokesman on rural issues.

The Dean of Ripon, the Very Rev Keith Jukes, said the special farming service reflected “the huge contribution made to our corporate and community life by those engaged in working on the land. It also underlines our desire, at Ripon Cathedral, to have a major focus on rural issues.”