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delorean-portsmouth-cathedral-main_article_image.jpg
Sharon Court
UK News

DeLorean visits Portsmouth Cathedral before Back to the Future screening

by Cara Bentley

Families visitng Portsmouth Cathedral on Saturday were able to pose for photos with the car outside and take part in a variety of activities inside the cathedral before watching the film Back to the Future together.

The activities include a recital in which the theme tune and music from the film was played on the cathedral's organ.

In a different part of the cathedral, there was the chance for families to learn about navigation and measuring time, including making their own clocks.

The day is part of the cathedral's annual theme of 'Time' which involves a screening of one Dr Who episode each month in the Dolphin pub opposite the cathedral, followed by discussions about its moral and spiritual implications.

Sharon Court, annual theme curator at Portsmouth Cathedral, told Premier: "We've got loads of things happening and one of the things we're most excited about is the arrival of a full-size replica DeLorean car on the South front. It's been lovingly created, all the pieces sourced by a chap [called Tom Reddaway]...and it's beautiful, he's really taken a lot of time to find all the right parts so it looks exactly like it did in the movie."

When asked why they were focusing on a theme she explained: "The Cathedral's had an annual theme for the last three or four years which shapes their outreach and their community engagement and it's a way of helping people to find their way into the Cathedral if they wouldn't already do so through our services and other events that we hold. 

"We recognise that these days quite a lot of people don't necessarily go to church, or don't know how they can find their way in, or even if they have got permission to come in. So, we've gone to a lot of effort to make sure that we offer a wide range of activities that might interest all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds."

Matt Bray, Curate at Portsmouth Cathedral

Court added that the theme of time has been picked up in their liturgy and talks in services and has been used for the church to think about big questions such as time at the end of life and how death that is processed. 

"Time and the way we understand it as Christians has a huge resonance for people who don't necessarily hold a personal faith or maybe used to come to church a long time to go."

The cathedral's acting dean, Canon Peter Leonard, said: "As a sci-fi enthusiast, I can't begin to tell you how excited I am that we'll have the DeLorean from Back to the Future outside our cathedral. It's one of my favourite films, and poses all sorts of interesting questions about how small decisions by individuals can have massive consequences in the future.

"We'll be encouraging people to take selfies with the car with the hashtag #BackToTheCathedral. Families can also take the opportunity to join us inside the cathedral to think more deeply about time, space and the meaning of life as we explore various exhibits and activities together."

Listen to the interview with Sharon Court from the Cathedral, Premier's Cara Bentley started by asking her what will be happening across the course of the day:

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