Southwark Cathedral was packed with the very young - and the not quite so young - as those who have been in involved in the work of Welcare came to a service led by the Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Rev Dr Tom Butler, to celebrate all that has been achieved by Welcare and to give thanks for the life of Josephine Butler, who died a hundred years ago this year.

Before the service began a wind band and drummers from St Saviour’s and St Olave’s School played and during the service children from the Surrey Square School helped with the balloons and sang. Bishop Tom presented long service certificates to over a dozen people who had given their time for over fifteen years and fourteen new staff were commissioned for their work.

In his sermon Bishop Tom spoke of the work of Josephine Butler who had campaigned tirelessly to help women who had fallen on hard time back into society. At the heart of her work, which started in response to the tragic death of her daughter, said Bishop Tom, was a strong faith. He said ‘that Josephine Butler had learned that in the simplest of actions we can learn from one another’ and in this there is a message for the work of Welcare and others who are concerned to reach out in our world. ‘In the twenty first century we still need people who can follow in the footsteps of Josephine Butler’ he said ‘for the problems are the same and yet different today and Welcare keeps alive the vision of Josephine Butler’.

After the service the congregation processed out into the Courtyard carrying Welcare balloons which they released to form a colourful canopy across the sky.

Ends.