Leeds Mindful Employer Network Co-ordinator, Leigh Staunton, chats to Josh Lees, Vicar at Holy Trinity Boar Lane about how the church can support the wellbeing of all workers in Leeds, whatever faith they observe (if any).
Please tell us a bit about you and Holy Trinity Boar Lane, which you call “a church for all people in the city”.
Hello! I’m Josh, and I started as the Vicar of Holy Trinity in January. Holy Trinity Boar Lane is brilliant and unusual, a midweek church that exists to support workers in Leeds. It’s very much for the city, and our vision is to love and serve workers in Leeds.
Can you tell us a bit more about different ways that Holy Trinity Boar Lane supports the wellbeing of workers in Leeds?
Three areas: services, events, and chaplaincy. We have weekly services on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. These are points to pause, reflect, and reset. Our events happen throughout the year, with monthly networking events starting in September. Chaplaincy is one of the areas we’re spending most of our time at the moment, offering accessible and confidential support to all workers in Leeds.
Tell us a bit more about what people can expect from the Boar Lane Breakfast networking events and how to book.
Boar Lane Breakfast are our new monthly networking events, starting in September. Each event will have a guest being interviewed, and Tom Riordan CBE will be our first guest. Other guests for later dates include Clare Morrow, the chair of Bettys and Taylors, Jamie Jones-Buchanon MBE from Leeds Rhinos, and Lord Mayor Abigail Marshall Katung all coming up before the end of the year. Tickets are £5 and you can book via our website: www.holytrinityboarlane.org/breakfast
You’ll be bringing some special events to the city in the run-up to Christmas; tell us a bit more.
That’s right! In December we’ll be hosting midweek carol services with pop-ups from local bars, breweries and restaurants, including Northern Monk, The Alchemist, MEATliquor, Friends of Ham, and many more! We’ll also have performances from musicians and artists. Each service will be free to attend. Keep an eye out on our site and LinkedIn as we’ll be releasing more information and free tickets in the Autumn.
Businesses can host meetings and events at Holy Trinity Boar Lane, what can they expect from the venue?
For anyone who hasn’t been inside the building, do come and have a look! The building was completely renovated over lockdown and it’s a stunning space. It’s a Grade I listed building, with history dating back to 1727. It’s available to hire for meetings, conferences, awards dinners and corporate events, and more. We have a cafe space, smaller meeting rooms and breakout rooms, too.
Can you tell our members a bit more about the multi-faith Chaplaincy Service that Holy Trinity Boar Lane will be launching in the coming months? Who can access the service and what does it offer?
Absolutely – our mission is to provide a personal and confidential space for navigating life’s highs and lows. We’re partnering together with other faith groups and local organisations to do this, to launch a chaplaincy service for workers in Leeds. Under the banner Leeds Chaplaincy, workers of all faiths and none will be able to make use of the service for free. We hope to launch early next year, and I’d be delighted to speak with anyone who’d like to know more about it. Thanks!
Thank you to Josh for chatting with us for this blog. You can check out the Holy Trinity Boar Lane website for more info.
