Pimm's and hymns

A bartender-turned-vicar has said his online ‘Pimm’s and Hymns’ sing-a-long sessions have been ‘a real light in the darkness’ during lockdown.
Father Lee Taylor, the vicar at St Collen’s Church in Llangollen, North Wales, invited his flock to join him in a live get-together on Facebook when his pews fell silent due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Launched in March 2020, and now taking place every Sunday, the sessions, attract not just locals – but songbirds from as far away as South Africa, Canada and Brazil.

‘The online audience has just exploded,’ Mr Taylor said. ‘I get phone calls, emails and letters from people all over the world, saying I’ve lifted their spirits and asking me to pray for loved ones who are sick with the virus.’

The musical vicar also revealed he is fond of keeping ‘a libation’ on the top of his piano.

‘When we started, people tuning in could see a glass of wine one week and a gin and tonic the next, so they began to join in and have a drink with me,’ he exp...