Ely Cathedral

M. and I popped over to Ely to visit the Cathedral and to have a look around town. It was a spur of the moment decision, but something I've been wanting to do for a while,

mainly to get an interior photo of the Lantern, the window-filled tower above the cathedral choir, which sits on the Octogon; an eight-pillared support for the lantern.
Originally, it was a standard square tower but it collapsed in 1322. In those days, people didn't think too much about firm foundations - Ely's are around 5 feet - and collapses were not uncommon. The new man in charge, Alan of Walsingham, decided to rebuild it as an octogon, having eight pillars to bear the weight of the tower instead of four. It's a unique and fantastic structure, the lantern made mainly of oak.

Ely Cathedral - the Octogon and Lantern are on the right.

The ceiling in the nave is unusual and fairly new - part of the nineteenth century restoration overseen by Sir George Gilbert Scott.

Below is the lantern, taken on a previous visit. The panels open so that people can look down into the choir below.

We spent so much time in the cathedral that we never got around to really exploring the town, so we will have to go back at some stage.

Anima Young Singers, Morocco

Monday 28 June 2010

M. and I took the Anima Young Singers Choir on a tour of Andalucia and Morocco which was an exhilarating and challenging experience for all of us.
In Morocco, they sang at the US Consulate in Rabat on July 4th and performed in Marrakech and Casablanca with local children, mainly street kids and those from the ghetto who were trying to make something of their lives with the help of local charities. To see the love, dedication and work put in by the people running the charities, successfully allowing the kids to realise their potential was truly awe inspiring and humbling.
In Casablanca, one man called Boubker Mazoz had gone into the poor neighbourhood of Sidi Moumen where the 2007 Casablanca suicide bombers came from. He realised that they must have been without hope to do what they did, so he asked the locals what they wanted and set about getting it. When we visited, we went to their neighbourhood, once ahead of the tour then with the group. What we saw was a cultural centre which was a school, playground, library and focus for the community. The people running it all came from the neighbourhood, had been mentored and were now mentoring and teaching people from the community.
They had a local photographer come in to teach photography so M & I gave them one of our SLRs and lenses. On the same day, an American lady and her kids came by as they do every year - this time with a bunch of little digital video cameras. Boubker has the knack of charming people into helping him - and he looks a bit like Omar Sharif, which doesn't hurt.
In Marrakech and in the Atlas mountains we found people working to make a difference to their communities. One was a shelter cum school for street kids, the other a school for village girls, started by an Englishman & Dutch couple who made the local village elder understand that educating girls was the best way to achieving stability in a community and, having got him on board, put him in charge of the whole affair.
The trip was wild! The organisers were so pleased to have an American children's choir seek them out that we were feted and entertained, with many joint concerts. Moroccan hospitality is boundless - we just hung on and enjoyed the ride!
It's at times like these when I really am grateful for what I do as a job.
Having said all that, this photo was taken in Granada, in the Church of the Virgin des Angustias.