Rev Stephen Race, Bishop of Beverley, on the culture shock on moving to Yorkshire from Africa

I was born in Zimbabwe, and brought up in South Africa and Botswana until I came over to the UK when I was about 17, and – as you can well imagine – it was an incredible culture shock for me. When I left Africa, it was in the middle of summer and it was mid-winter over here, and that was quite a jolt to the system in itself. The thing that surprised me the most, as I journeyed up the country, was that area along the M1 where Meadowhall now stands. It was in the first stages of construction. It’s now a bit blurred with time, but I did get that sense of a once mighty industrial landscape that had, somehow, become almost lunar.

What’s your favourite part of the county?

Barnsley, where I worked for nearly 18 years. My four children grew up there, and there was and is a great sense of community – today there’s also a justifiable pride that the town has re-invented itself, and that the centre is revitalised beyond belief.

What’s your idea of a perfect day out in Yorkshire?

My Sundays are – as you’d expect – rather “taken care of”, but on a Saturday there’s nothing better than getting over to Filey with our Cockerpoo, Ruby, and walking up the coastline to Reighton Bay.

Do you have a favourite walk or view?

Inland, it must be around Langsett, or that track around Dale Dyke Reservoir, between Sheffield and the Peak District. There’s a little memorial there to the poor folk who died in the terrible flood disaster of 1864, which makes it personal, and poignant.

Which Yorkshire sportsperson would you like to take for lunch?

That inspirational lady, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill – I just love her energy and vitality, and the fact that she is a role model for so many young people.

Which Yorkshire stage or screen star would you like to take for dinner?

The polymathic Sir Michael Palin – a man with so very many talents. An explorer and explainer, a writer, actor, entertainer, and someone who always seems to have a little twinkle in his eye.

Name your Yorkshire ‘hidden gem’?

Parcevall Hall Gardens, up in Wharfedale, which we happened on quite by chance earlier this year. Planted out from the late 1920s onwards by the late Sir William Milner,24acres of formal and woodland spaces – since a lot of them are about 200 feet up, the views are sensational. It was a delight to be there.

If you could own one thing in Yorkshire for a day, what would it be?

I’d commandeer that replica pirate ship in Whitby Harbour, and pretend that I am Captain Jack Sparrow. It would be fun to invite Sir Michael and Dame Jessica along as well, for a voyage under the flapping Jolly Roger, and then a slap-up picnic.

What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?

It’s probably because there’s a little bit of everything (excepting an African desert) within its borders. Coastline, cliffs, rolling Wolds, steep hills, industry, art, culture, some great theatres, it all goes on here, blended into a superlative whole. There’s also the warmth, and a generosity of spirit from its people.

Do you follow sport in the county, and if so, what?

I keep an eye on Trinity Wildcats, but it is my wife Jane who is a diehard sports fan, and who vigorously waves a banner for The Reds in Barnsley. She goes off with her friends as often as she can, in her bobble hat and scarf, and is one of their greatest supporters.

What’s your favourite restaurant, or pub?

It’s been a New Year’s tradition for Jane and me that we go over to celebrate at the Moon and Sixpence in Whitby, and we also love Devour at the Dyehouse, which is tucked away in the Holme Valley. It has proper Italian cooking at its best. And Barnsley Market Kitchen also takes quite a bit of beating.

How do you think that Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse, in the time that you’ve known it?

The proliferation of food banks – and now centres for baby supplies – is truly horrifying. How can we have allowed this to happen? On a positive side, there is a great awareness of the environment, and a laudable assimilation of so many other cultures – everyone from Eastern Europeans to Nigerians, Indians, Bangladeshis, you name it – we are an impressive melting pot.

Who is the Yorkshire person that you most admire?

St. Hilda of Whitby and Margaret Clitheroe of York, and I’ll add another remarkable woman to that pair, Mel Dyke, MBE was an arts and heritage campaigner, a mentor to many, a writer, educationalist, and someone who we all knew as “Mrs. Barnsley”.It was a privilege for me when I was asked to take he funeral service. She died at the age of 86, and the world is much the poorer without her.

Has Yorkshire influenced your work?

Absolutely, for it has formed me as a priest, and I have met people who were good solid working folk to the grandest of the grand. Few others get the privilege to be involved with such a diversity of wonderful people.

Name your favourite Yorkshire book/author/artist/CD/performer.

Where to start? Jeremy Clarkson – but after he’s left that Top Gear show behind, and really revealed the workings of his farm – Sally Wainwright for all her incredible creations for the screen, and in particular the gritty reality of Happy Valley, the Barnsley sculptor Graham Ibbotson, who has such a clarity of vison when he creates another stunning new work…..

If a stranger to Yorkshire only had time to visit one place, it would be?

Wakefield Cathedral, located in the very heart of the town. To me, it gives a true flavour of Yorkshire itself – reminding us that, while it has stood for centuries, we are all here for only a very brief span of time.