A PARTY of Cumbrian church leaders have signed a cross-denominational pledge for social action and social justice in Cumbria.

Churches Together in Cumbria organised the pledge signing event at Kendal's Manna House, a charity which supports homeless and vulnerable people.

The pledge reads: “As we celebrate the inspiring work of Manna House with some of the most marginalised members of our community, we the leaders of the Churches in Cumbria together pledge our continuing support for faith-based social action and community initiatives around the county, both rural and urban.

"We will seek to listen to and prioritise the voices of poor and marginalised people in our communities.

"We call on policymakers to tackle the problems of poverty, hunger and isolation. We particularly highlight the need to: pay a living wage, review zero hours contracts, ensure that the welfare state once again provides a robust defence against destitution, and protect the viability of rural and isolated communities through the retention of services.”

One of those adding his support was the Bishop of Penrith, the Rt Rev Robert Freeman, who said: “It’s vitally important as Christians, both individually and collectively, we do all we can to reach out to those that need our help.

"There’s tremendous work going on in our county already through organisations such as the foodbanks and credit unions to provide those people in need with the support.

“But we must not lose sight of the fact that these problems are real and are still being played out in many people’s lives on a daily basis.

“By signing this pledge we’re demonstrating our acknowledgment that more still needs to be done to help and support those in need as well as showing our commitment, through Christian love and support, to those who remain marginalised.”

The church leaders who signed the pledge were: Bill Bewley, representative of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers); Bishop Michael Campbell, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Lancaster; the Rev Andrew Dodd, Network Minister for Cumbria of the North Western Baptist Association; Bishop Robert Freeman, the Anglican Suffragan Bishop of Penrith; Major Drew McCombe, Divisional Leader of the North Western Division of the Salvation Army;

the Rev Jennet McLeod, Deputy Chair of the Cumbria District of the Methodist Church; and the Rev Sarah Moore, Area President for Cumbria of the North Western Synod of the United Reformed Church.