On Sunday 22 March at 3.30 pm, the Cathedral will host a special annual service for His Majesty’s Courts of Justice. This service marks a year in office of Suffolk’s High Sheriff. This position has been held for the last 12 months by Gulshan Kaur Kayembe.

The service celebrates the tireless dedication of all those who work within and with our communities to uphold the law, administer justice fairly, help us stay safe, and to fight for social justice for those most in need across Suffolk. It is an opportunity to show our appreciation for their endeavours but also to pay tribute to the amazing voluntary sector, full of passionate and visionary people whose hard work and support touches lives and has a palpable impact.

Gulshan Kaur Kayembe says, “My year in office has been incredible; it has been both humbling and profound. I cannot praise enough the work that so many people are doing with so much dedication. It has been an unforgettable year, and the Justice Service is the perfect event to pay homage to all who serve us and to give thanks to God for all the riches we enjoy as a result of their service.”

The service is attended by representatives of the legal and criminal justice system and this year’s speaker is Lemn Sissay OBE FRSL. Lemn Sissay is a poet, playwright, memoirist and broadcaster. He has performed throughout the world from The Library of Congress in The United States to the National Theatre of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa to the London Palladium in England.  His television documentaries have been nominated for Grierson BAFTA and RTS awards. His work in radio has been nominated for Sony and Palm D’Ors. Seven years a chancellor, official poet of the London Olympics, Honorary Fellow of Oxford and Cambridge colleges, winner of the 2024 Hay Festival Medal for Poetry, and a three times Sunday Times best seller.

Whilst maintaining elements of the traditional Cathedral service, this years’ service will celebrate the great diversity found within our county as people of all faiths and none come together in the quest for justice and the flourishing of us all.

The Reverend Canon Katy Cunliffe, who has worked with the office of the High Sheriff on the service, said, “St Edmundsbury Cathedral is a place of welcome and hospitality, serving the whole of Suffolk; this includes those of other faiths and no faith. This is particularly apparent in todays’ service as we seek to honour all the faith communities that make Suffolk the wonderful, diverse place that it is. In making space within this Christian act of worship for those whose beliefs and practices differ from our own, we affirm the dignity of every person and the value of dialogue, mutual understanding, and shared purpose in our common commitment to justice and the flourishing of all.”