On Sunday 10 August at 3pm, there was an ecumenical gathering in memorial at the peace obelisk, to remember those who died in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 and to renew our commitment to peace and nuclear disarmament.

The peace obelisk was given to the cathedral by the people of Japan in gratitude for Dean Thicknesse's compassion. In 1945 Dean Thicknesse refused to join in with the celebratory ringing of the church bells mindful of the terrible destruction and suffering caused by the atomic bombs.