The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, visited Andover on Saturday, October 26, as part of his tour across Hampshire to highlight the church's initiatives aimed at supporting young people in the area.
One of the key stops during his visit was St Mary’s Church Andover’s mobile ministry, the ‘Life Bus,’ a repurposed London double-decker bus designed to offer local youth “somewhere to go, something to do, and someone to talk to.”
Equipped with games, a music console, a nail bar, art and colouring supplies, and computer games, the bus travels to locations like Andover College, Harrow Way School, and Winton School, offering support to students who are young carers, dealing with stress, or facing academic challenges.
Arriving in Andover around 7pm, Archbishop Welby spent time with the youth on the bus, engaging in conversation and sharing pizza.
He praised the initiative for providing a safe, supportive environment for local children and young people.
Speaking to the Advertiser about his impressions of the Hampshire tour, the Archbishop joked about the chilly autumn weather.
“It’s cold,” he said, referring to the time he spent outdoors.
“No, but what’s really necessary in my job is, I get to see an awful lot of troublesome bits – all the problems. As I’m out here, I see the church doing its job. We’ve got the Life Bus out here. We’ve got a bunch of kids from the local estate who find this place where they can find encouragement, acceptance, mentoring, guidance, and pizza.”
When asked about the broader impact of church initiatives in the area, Archbishop Welby highlighted the importance of building supportive communities through faith.
“The church is doing a number of things,” he said.
SEE ALSO: Archbishop of Canterbury to visit Andover to meet youngsters
“Something like the Life Bus – the key thing the church does that makes a change is to build non-judgmental, but supportive communities. It means you can come along, be honest about who you are, what you're up to, even if you’re doing things that aren’t good. And nobody is going to look down on you, but be supportive."
"Through faith, and just through caring for people, even if they’ve got no faith, it helps people find a good and positive way forward in their lives. And the church is really, really good at that. We do across the country around 35,000 projects like this.
"It’s all done by volunteers. There are some professional youth workers. But the people who are coming down here aren't doing it simply because they are paid. They are doing it because they know that they are loved by God and Jesus, and they are going to love others."
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