Wakefield Cathedral’s has just unveiled this year’s winning Christmas card – and the surprised victor is one of its own vergers.
Rich Wainwright, 28, is more comfortable behind a video camera, and regularly films the cathedral’s services for the cathedral’s own You Tube channel, so it was a shock to discover his photograph - taken in the midst of last March’s winter weather – had been chosen as this year’s Cathedral Christmas card.
He said: “It was a very last minute entry. I’d wanted to enter a photograph for years but was never able to come up with anything.
“It was a blizzardly bad night in March; any reasonable person would have gone home but I went out to take photographs; it was just a spur of the moment.
“I wanted the snow, the cross, the west door and as much of the tower as I could and I’m really pleased with it,” he added.
Rich has been volunteering at the cathedral for almost twenty years. He was asked to be a server first, and has been working on the team as a verger for the last five years.
“I love the job, there’s always something different to do," said Rick. “My favourite times of the year are Easter and Christmas and the weeks leading up to these two, especially all that’s involved in Holy Week."
The Dean of Wakefield, the Very Revd Simon Cowling, said, “This year’s Christmas card competition produced some very striking images, and we’re particularly pleased with Richard’s winning entry.
“The Saxon cross is a reminder of just how long the Cathedral has been at the heart of our city, and the snow adds an appropriately seasonal touch.”
Rich’s winning Christmas card is available in a pack of ten and is on sale now in the Cathedral Shop as part of a range of gifts, cards, advent calendars and books especially for Christmas.