THE Archbishop of Canterbury visited Somerset this week taking a whistle-stop tour of the county.

The Gazette interviewed the Most Revd Justin Welby following a Question and Answer session with sixth form students at West Somerset College in Minehead on Monday.

During his tour the Archbishop also met with various headteachers at Somerset County Cricket Club to discuss education in church schools, visited St Mary's Church in Chard and parishioners on Exmoor.

"On this tour we have been talking about deprivation, homelessness and how the church is working with the poor," the Archbishop said.

"There were stunningly good questions from the West Somerset College students.

"They were unpredictable questions, I mean not off the wall, just really intelligent and thoughtful questions, quite a lot about science and faith and they were really, really good - I don’t what they thought but I really enjoyed it," he said.

During his visit to the College Archbishop Welby was also introduced to the volunteers on the school pastor team who work to respond to the needs of the college community.

"I had not come across that before," the Archbishop said. "I have come across street pastors but not school pastors and I think the school is being very innovative in the way it uses them.

"I met the headteacher Jane Aplin who had great enthusiasm for them, saying that when they are around there is a sense of calm and peace that is sometimes missing otherwise.

"They are very committed and they work hard and it was very thrilling to meet them."

The Most Revd Welby said that it was vital for the church to make sure it engages with young people.

"I think the church engages best with young people when we stop talking about them as young people and talk about them as people," he said.

"And as the church we engage people in the adventure of following Jesus Christ, which is the greatest and biggest adventure there is.

"For people leaving college or university education there is that sense of adventure – that there are still great causes in which to commit your life, in a way that is mind-bogglingly exciting, challenging, frightening, different, worthwhile, world-changing.

"When we talk about following Christ in that way rather than all kinds of negative stereotypes then all kinds of people start coming along."

The Archbishop also said that the church was a key institution in rural communities like those in Somerset.

"Having myself worked in both very rural and very urban areas I think in the rural areas, the church is the body that tends to hold communities together.

"Particularly in smaller rural communities where the shop’s gone, the pub’s gone, the clinic’s gone, the library might turn up every now and then, but the church is the one institution that remains with people coming together, serving and loving their local community and that is incredibly important."