'Racist' letter sent to church

A racist letter has been sent to members of a Lancashire church.

The vicar and several parishioners at St Leonard's Church in Penwortham have been contacted by a group calling themselves the Preston Pals, which has links to the far right BNP. The letter asks the church to support their "cause" and stand up for Preston's Christian population. They have previously leafleted residents in the Watling Street Road area of Fulwood peddling their opinions over proposals to replace the local mosque.

Vicar Nick Mansfield said he was shocked and upset that the church in Marshalls Brow had been targeted by the group, which has links to the British National Party. He told the Evening Post that the group – based in Plungington – may have obtained their addresses from a parish newsletter or from the Blackburn Diocese directory. He condemned the senders of the letter as having "not a very Christian attitude".

He added: "To target people of another faith in this way is ludicrous. This letter has the potential to stir up a lot of ill-feeling in the community. We are at a loss as to why they picked this church. One of the people who received this letter has been left very upset by its contents. It is evil and we will definitely not be supporting this."

Fr Timothy Lipscomb, vicar of Preston Minster, added: "It's totally incredible that people should write letters like this believing them to be true. The letter is racist. But, unfortunately, some people are ignorant and still hold these views."

The Preston Pals was the name given to 7th Battalion of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment which fought and died on the Somme in July, 1916, during the First World War.

Lancashire Evening Post