Christians from churches across Leeds have once again been offering a safe place, a Christian presence, practical help and a listening ear at this year’s Leeds Festival held over August Bank Holiday weekend at Bramham Park.
With no Glastonbury this year, Leeds and Reading were the biggest music festivals of 2018 and a team of 190 Christians, many from local churches, came to serve across the Bank Holiday weekend.
Their central hub, the Prayer Café was always busy, sometimes serving a hot drinks day and night to grateful visitors wanting a warm, dry and welcoming place.
It all began in 2011 when churches in Thorner set up a Prayer Tent at the Leeds Festival, started by the vision of local Methodist minister and now led by the local Anglican vicar, Revd Andy Nicholson (pictured top right) . Festival Angels has grown to offer a prayer cafe, detached teams, lost property and left luggage as well as safe place hubs in teepees across the camp sites.
Micky, was typical of many grateful festival-goers. “Would just like to say a big thank you to Marcus and all of the lovely people at the festival angels tent at Leeds festival, I had all of my property stolen during the night from my tent whilst myself and my 16 year old son were asleep, … [the] Festival Angels pulled out all the stops and I'm so grateful for their kindness.”
