Blessed asparagus
SIR – Worcester Cathedral has been criticised for conducting a ceremonial blessing of asparagus (report, April 26).
The Asparagus Festival is a very important part of community life in the Evesham area, and over the years it has come to represent a celebration of the whole local fruit and vegetable industry. The market garden tradition is regarded with great pride: older members of the community can remember when the fortunes of a family were decided by the success or failure of a single crop.
It is not only historic. I hear from parishioners today who are out in the fields at five-thirty in the morning, in all weathers, picking food for distribution. I am proud to be part of a long tradition of blessing the community through the festival, and I’m glad our cathedral is involved. Rev Philip Morton Priest in Charge, Benefice of the East Vale and Avon Villages