A CLERGYMAN is challenging people to give up being busy during Lent.

The Reverend Canon Dr Stephen Cherry has drawn on ideas from his book Time Wisdom for Ministry, which advises clergy on how to manage their time, to launch the “Not Busy” campaign – which challenges people to resist busyness during Lent, the 40-day Christian period before Easter which begins on Ash Wednesday (February 13).

Canon Cherry, from Durham Cathedral, suggests people devote at least half an hour per day to prove to themselves that their lives are not out of control and discover some of the simple joy of “living without doing”.

He said: “The idea of actively trying to give up busyness in Lent struck me as a really good one. Time is so much more important than chocolate.

“Many people talk today of experiencing ‘time poverty’ when the reality is that there is plenty of time, we have just not learnt how to live well with its limits.”

To support the challenge, a website has been set up: at notbusy.co.uk