A Stir in Bradford

Bradford Cathedral is making a bit of a stir – and you can join them!

Bradford Cathedral has launched a Stir Up Sunday campaign and is asking people to join them to help spread some comfort and joy this Advent.

Stir-up Sunday is the Sunday before the season of Advent begins, and it’s typically when people make their Christmas puddings.

This year it falls on the 22nd November and the cathedral team is calling on people to help contribute to a video to mark the day.

The deadline for submissions is 5pm on Wednesday 18th November.

To take part, all you need is a wooden spoon and someone to film you. To be part of it, take your wooden spoon and receive it from one side of the frame, whether that is left or right; make your stirring gesture; and then pass it to a different side.

These clips will then be put together to form a chain of people stirring, and will be shared on social media.

You can be as creative as you want as long as you make sure the spoon moves into and then out of shot. Remember to stir in the middle and film in landscape (wide format)

You can see the Bradford team demonstrate below:

Canon Mandy Coutts of Bradford Cathedral said:

“Stir up Sunday marks the beginning of our preparation for Christmas and the joy that celebrating Jesus’ birth brings. The Christmas pudding is a wonderful mixture of ingredients from around the world, which over time deepens its magnificent flavours, just like the church, through its diversity and in its coming together, becomes more wonderful over time.

“Whatever happens this Christmas, the joy of the Christmas pudding and its long history draws us into a tradition that is about expectant hope and the comfort of knowing that we have a God who loves us all and delights in the joy of His Son’s birth.”

Bradford Cathedral is joining the Church of England’s Comfort and Joy campaign this Advent and Christmas and Stir Up Sunday is part of a programme of worship and activities specially designed to bring comfort and joy in this challenging year.

To find out more about how you can take part, please visit the Bradford Cathedral website here.