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UK: God's own country

Scargill House

If you need convincing, then take the walk beside the River Wharfe from Bolton Abbey, past the "Strid" and the Valley of Desolation (strange misnomer!) to the footbridge and back again, in May.

It will take only an hour or so, but you will be astonished by the profusion of celandines, bluebells, anemones, wild violets, primroses, cowslips, forget-me-nots, ramsons and many more. The valley sides are steep and wooded with native English trees, as they have been since time immemorial - but the whole area is managed nowadays, so no steep or rugged pathways, really, and they control the tree canopy just to let the flowers flourish.

And how they do.

Further up, the Wharfe becomes a more placid stream between grazing fields, and you can call at Grassington, that picture-postcard village with its pubs (all serving Black Sheep bitter), its complete lack of traffic wardens (so I was assured) and tempting little shops (well, for some).

Continue, and soon you're in Kettlewell, a sleepy hamlet where they're still celebrating being the film set for Calendar Girls. Stroll around the valley here, and soon you'll be sure that God's in his heaven and all's right with the world.

But God isn't interested only in dry stone walls and woolly sheep - not if his people at Scargill House, near Kettlewell, have anything to do with it. Scargill is one of those old family homes in the countryside that had to be sold after the Second World War, but it was not until 1959 that it was established as a Christian holiday and retreat centre, with extra bedroom blocks built on, and a superbly designed chapel whose clear windows frame views of the hillside and valley.

I first visited it only a few years after that, but to see it again was both a sentimental journey and an eye-opening discovery of what a religious community can be in the 21st century.

Oddballs

The "community" of Scargill may sound like a weird, new-age gang of oddballs, but in reality they are ordinary people of different skills and backgrounds, some in married quarters, some not, some full-time, some not, but sharing the running of the place and united by traditional Christian faith (they represent different denominations) and praying together.

They have a rural estate to run, with a farm whose animals wander around the grounds, and are conscious of the need to do so on good ecological principles.

They still provide bed and board (basic but high-quality) for those who come to them, whether for private quiet, a self-structured holiday, as a group who use the house together (churches, schools and youth groups often do), or in a programmed week or weekend, many with a distinct theme, drawing people from different places and backgrounds.

You could try painting, country dancing, walking, folk music or more overtly spiritual subjects. We shared a weekend led by John Bell, the Scottish composer-poet, a familiar voice on Radio 4's Thought For The Day, exploring song and worship.

But Scargill today is much more than a retreat or holiday centre. It aims to be a powerhouse for city people and those working for racial and religious harmony in cities, with several new projects developed for children from Bradford, Oldham and Burnley. Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield may well be involved further along the way.

Ecumenical

Dilly Baker, the warden of Scargill (the Rev Dilly Baker, to be formal), worked in an ecumenical community in Milton Keynes before coming north, and her husband, Chris (also a member of the Scargill community), is director of the Manchester-based William Temple Foundation, an independent think tank concerned with cities, economics and faith.

A recent staff member is Martin Pearson, a specialist in urban issues who is developing the work with city authorities and educationists.

Scargill is changing, says Dilly. "It's easy to see communities like this as cut-off from the real world," she explains. "We have to make new relationships, and I think we're doing that, in a very exciting way, at the moment. We hope our programme which started with children from different faith backgrounds from Bradford will extend to Manchester schools, if they want to try it."

She sees Scargill's role as focusing on today's church and the renewal of spirituality within it - which today could involve green issues and what she calls "the healing aspect of the land" - in partnership with others.

"We're essentially Christian, but not exclusively so," she says.

"We seek to use speakers and facilitators who are working on the edge - people who are pushing the boat out a bit."

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