A POP-UP cathedral is to take to the road collecting for food banks.

The recently created Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales – which covers large parts of North Yorkshire – has launched its own mobile cathedral in a trailer. The initiative is designed to allow church workers to take their faith on the road and engage further with the community.

Today (Sunday, October 5) it set off from Wakefield Cathedral and will travel through the towns and cities of the UK’s newest Church of England diocese, collecting donations for some of its food banks.

The mobile trailer was bought with a combination of local grants and supported with further funding from the Archbishop of York's Youth Trust, to provide detached youth and outreach work at the cathedral and for other churches across the new diocese.

It is run by Wakefield Cathedral's mission and outreach team of Canon Tony Macpherson, Canon Missioner and Heidi Smith, Community Missioner, who are taking it on the road.

Heidi has been using the trailer to serve hot chocolate to the young people who use the Cathedral steps in Wakefield as a meeting point over the summer months.

She said: “This is about engaging with the community where they are. It is difficult sometimes for people to come into the cathedral, but by taking the cathedral to them, it crosses those barriers and helps them understand that we are here for them, we are here to serve.”

It is due to be blessed along the way by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, in Bishopthorpe, York on Monday afternoon (October 6) at 2.50pm before stopping to serve children in the After School Club at the Archbishop of York Junior School.

It will continue to travel through the diocese and on Saturday, October 11 will reach Ripon, serving refreshments at Holy Trinity Church between 10am and 2pm and then travel on to Ripon Cathedral later in the afternoon to serve refreshments to members of St Cecilia Orchestra during rehearsals.