A message from His Majesty The King to mark the National Harvest Festival Service at Westminster Abbey.

Today is a most wonderful way to celebrate our Lord’s bounty through this year’s National Harvest Service in the magnificent setting of Westminster Abbey. 

It is a time of year to give thanks to the custodians of our land in a tradition that stretches back centuries, yet remains ever relevant. Their labour is the foundation of our food production, the heartbeat of rural communities and vital to the protection of the natural landscapes we all treasure so dearly. The particular resolve and resilience they have demonstrated through the challenges of our changing climate in recent years deserves our utmost admiration and gratitude — particularly in a year in which the weather has made growing anything so very difficult. Our hearts go out to those who are struggling especially, as Winter approaches, those with livestock.

I am so pleased that there are so many volunteers and others at this Service who are working to deliver surplus food to those most in need. This includes those working tirelessly with my Coronation Food Project. Your ingenuity, kindness and determination that no one should go hungry creates a life-line of food supply to thousands every week. 

Celebrating the harvest by gathering together to give thanks for the food from the land is something that is shared by communities all over the world and I am so delighted that this tradition is continuing with a National Harvest Service in a different part of the country every Autumn. As you honour that tradition here today, may it be an opportunity to reflect anew on the refrain from that great harvest-tide hymn:

All good gifts around us are sentfrom heav ‘n above;

Then thank the Lord, 0 thank the Lord, for all His love.

CHARLES R.