Church rejects lottery fund 'ban'

Ripon Cathedral was recently granted £514,000 in lottery aid

Church leaders have rejected a move to discourage parishes in North and West Yorkshire from applying for funding from the National Lottery.

Canon Tony Shepherd of St Peter's Church in Harrogate, proposed the move at a meeting of the synod of the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds on Saturday.

He said by applying for lottery cash, churches were, in effect, giving their "blessing" to gambling.

Of the 100 synod members, only four supported the motion.

If some of the profits are derived from the misery of others do we as a church wish to benefit from those? Canon Tony Shepherd

Canon Shepherd said: "When the lottery was proposed 15 years ago, churches opposed it. I feel we've taken our eye off the ball."

"It has rightly been described as a tax on the poor to benefit the rich.

"Wherever there is addiction, misery follows hard on its heels.

"If some of the profits are derived from the misery of others do we as a church wish to benefit from those?"

But other speakers opposed his motion, pointing out that nearly all government funding for church buildings could only be paid through the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Ripon Cathedral recently received a grant of £514,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards a major redevelopment of its lighting and facilities.

Meanwhile other large churches including St. Mark's, Harrogate, and St Matthias' in Burley, Leeds, have decided not to apply for lottery funds for major redevelopment projects costing hundreds of thousands of pounds.