Feb 12, 2025 Speaking in the House of Lords on Tuesday, the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Rev Graham Usher, mentioned the time he was mistaken for a youth on the roof of St Peter Mancroft church, Norwich. He was speaking in support of a Government amendment to the Great British Energy Bill.

He said village halls, sports centres, voluntary youth organisations and churches could all benefit from being able to generate energy. “This is important work for community groups and the charitable sector to be able to contribute to their local communities in new ways, particularly in areas of low economic activity, and to provide income for their sustainability,” he said.

However, he warned that upgrading the electrical connection charge can be prohibitively expensive, citing St Margaret’s church, Lowestoft, which was quoted around £100,000 for the work. “That means that the project is just unaffordable, so we need to be creative and think more about how community groups can be able to engage,” he said.

He also recalled the day he was dedicating solar panels on a Norwich church and a vigilant member of the public called the police, concerned that he was a youth stealing lead. In his reply Lord Hunt of King’s Heath said: “I can only express my admiration for his bravery in climbing on the roof of a parish church, and for the contribution of the Church in this area,” and promised that the connections problem would be investigated, saying: “One of the great advantages of Great British Energy is around trying to help these schemes come to fruition.”