Eight people from across our diocese have been recipients of royal Maundy gifts this year.
Individuals have been nominated from within the diocese who have served their churches and areas faithfully for many years.
The recipients from our diocese are:
- Jean Thurman, former president of the Mothers’ Union in the diocese
- Derrick Potter, Churchwarden at St Michael’s Kirklington
- Liz Bramall, founder of the Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation
- Ronald Carbutt OBE, former Chair of the Bishop of Wakefield Development Fund, and active member of Cawthorne Church
- The Revd Malcolm Hanson, former chaplain, and now great supporter of Ripon Cathedral
- The Revd Elizabeth Lee, a self-supporting minister from the Huddersfield area who has served faithfully for decades
- Mike De Villiers, who has worked on youth engagement in the Bradford area for many years
- Christine Haigh, longstanding supporter and volunteer at Wakefield Cathedral
Speaking about becoming a royal Maundy recipient, Christine Haigh said: “The first thing I said when I read the letter notifying me of the news was ‘Why Me!?’
“I feel incredibly honoured to have been nominated; when I received my letter from Buckingham Palace it came as a great shock, but I am really proud and humbled by the whole situation.”
The distribution of the royal Maundy gifts is in two parts and each recipient will receive two purses.
This year the Red Purse contains a £5 coin and a 50p coin portraying The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Both coins have been minted in 2022.
The White Purse contains uniquely minted Maundy Money.
This takes the form of one, two, three and four silver penny pieces, the sum of which equals the number of years of the Monarch’s age.
This year, ninety-six pennies of silver coins (9 sets of 10p per set and two threepences) will be distributed.