An Employment Tribunal has rejected a claim by Richard Page that he should be instated as a non-executive director at Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust.

Andrea Williams from the Christian Legal Centre, which has been supporting the 71 year old, told Premier: “Simply for holding a perfectly lawful view, a view that many people would hold up and down the country, this gentleman finds himself removed from public office.”

Mr Page brought his claim against the NHS Trust Development Authority before the Croydon Employment Tribunal in August this year after he was suspended in March 2016.

The Trust asserted to the Tribunal that comments Mr Page gave to the media last year about his views on family life “undermined” the confidence of staff.

Vowing to take his case to an Employment Appeal Tribunal, Mr Page said: “I am very disappointed by this outcome but I am determined to appeal.

“This case is much bigger than me now; it is about how ordinary folk, just like me, are becoming increasingly fearful to speak out against the homosexual agenda.”

Mr Page first attracted media attention when comments he made in a closed-door meeting while serving as a magistrate during an adoption case were picked up by a national newspaper.

Accused of being “biased and prejudiced against single sex adopters”, Mr Page was sacked from the Magistracy by the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice, for serious misconduct.

Mr Page, who fostered children for 15 years, had…

Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk arrived from Kiev on Thursday for a tour of the region to mark 60 years of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the United Kingdom.

His Eminence visited a member church and community centre in Salford on Sunday morning, before attending All Saints Ukrainian Catholic Church in Bolton.

All Saints member and head of the local Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain branch, Yaroslaw Tymchyshyn told Premier the trip marks a time for local Ukrainians to celebrate.

Explaining the significance of Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk’s visit felt particularly by older Ukrainians, he said: “From them, this will be a celebration [of] the fact that they will never, ever see another head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church coming to Bolton.

“In fact, this is only going to be the second visit ever.”

The only other trip by a leader of the Ukrainian Catholic Church to Bolton was made in 1970 by Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk’s predecessor Lubomyr Husar.

Mr Tymchyshyn continued: “There will be a high solemn Mass at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday, where there should be 70-75 bishops and 70 priests from all over Europe.”

It is estimated 30,000 Ukrainians live currently in Great Britain, a significant number of whom belong to families who left Ukraine during the 1940s.

Mr Tymchyshyn said this weekend’s commemorations come at a time when the Ukrainian community in northern England appears to be growing.

He…

Bristol, Guildford (pictured below), Liverpool, St Paul’s and St Edmundsbury are among twelve landmarks participating in the pilot scheme, due to start later this year.

Rev David Potterton from Romsey Abbey, which is also taking part, told the Sunday Telegraph: “We hope that giving everyone, particularly people who aren’t carrying cash anymore, the opportunity to donate will increase the abbey’s visitor donations substantially.”

The announcement comes after a report by UK Finance last week concluded that charities missed out on £160 million during the past twelve months because fewer people are carrying coins and notes.

Guildford Cathedral in Surrey said its 30,000 visitors annually offer donations of £10,000 per year – an average of 30p per person.

Like most other cathedral, the landmark is free to enter but secure containers, dubbed ‘honesty boxes’, encourage guests to make a suggested donation.

Matt O’Grady from Guildford Cathedral told the Sunday Telegraph: “We definitely don’t want to impose a fee; in our case, we think that would be a barrier to people coming here.”

During the summer, contactless payment terminals were passed around with traditional collection plates at approximately 40 Church of England congregations, as part of a separate pilot scheme.

National stewardship officer at the Church of…

The Diocese of Europe warned a reliance on reserve funds in the current budget “could not continue indefinitely” as it approved plans for greater contributions to help meet costs.

Ten per cent of each church’s annual income will go towards meeting diocese-wide costs via the Common Fund by 2020, double the current five per cent figure.

Similar to Diocesan Share payments made by Church of England congregations in the UK, the Common Fund raises money for services which benefit the diocese as a whole, such as safeguarding.

Following a two-day meeting of the Bishop’s Council in London this week, leaders also gave the green light to plans to tackle the “pressure” facing its seven Archdeacons, many of whom also lead churches of their own.

It came after the Archdeacon of North-West Europe, Ven Dr Paul Vrolijk and the Archdeacon of France Ven Meurig Williams gave accounts during the summit of the strain they have been under.

Under the new financial plan agreed on Friday, the number of full-time Archdeacons in the diocese will increase from one to three during the course of the next three years.

The document also allows for an increase in staffing and support for safeguarding, and new arrangements for the diocese communications department from the end of the year.

The Diocese of Europe has a presence in dozens of European countries, as well as Morocco, the Caucasus and central Asia.