Presenting the sermon, once again, will be Director of Fundraising for the Addington Fund, Ian Bell. The Addington Fund provides homes for farming families living in England and Wales who have to leave the industry and by doing so will lose their home and also offers emergency grants in times of hardship.

The Addington Fund was originally launched in Suffolk and so this service is of particular importance.

Plough Sunday is the traditional English celebration of the beginning of the agricultural year. It is usually held on the Sunday after Epiphany. Sometimes the church service will include a ploughshare lunch and, in some rural areas, it is common for local farmers to attend the service with their tractors.

This year The Addington Fund, organised by Ian Bell, is bringing the concept of the event to St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London. Taking place on Wednesday January 16th, there will be an exhibition of modern farming methods outside the Cathedral during the day including state of the art machinery with representatives of many rural organisations present including: the National Farmer’s Union and the Country Landowners Association as well as land agents and food retailers.

This will be followed by an Evensong service in the Cathedral from 5pm.

“This is an opportunity to showcase farming for many people who have little idea about the real cost of their food which we all take for granted,” says Ian Bell.

In addition there will be a pop-up farm with the Surrey Docks City Farm providing sheep, goats and poultry.

It is expected that The Addington Fund will use the event to announce their initiative of an emergency relief scheme aimed at helping farmers feed their animals. Many farmers are struggling to feed their animals after one of the worst harvests on record and according to The Addington fund, one of the country’s leading rural charities, the situation is likely to get worse.

Plough Sunday, at St Peters and St Mary’s Church at Stowmarket, takes place at 10.45am on Sunday January 13th 2013. There will be a procession from the Museum of East Anglian Life to the Church prior to the service that is led by Rev’d Michael Eden.

The procession includes helpers from the Museum of East Anglian Life who carry a vintage plough from the museum to the church and then into the service. This is accompanied by vintage Ferguson tractors.

Plough Wednesday at St Paul’s Cathedral is on January 16, 2013. The event will be available from 8am to 8pm.