Rebecca Gemmell, aged 18, from St Paul’s Church, Sarisbury Green, was leading worship in her church when Bishop Jonathan approached her to suggest going to Taizé. She knew none of the others who went from our diocese, but enjoyed making friends.

“It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before,” she said. “It’s so different to how everyone leads their real lives. There’s no technology, and it’s hard to take that kind of break from society in day-to-day life at home. You had nothing to worry about, including all your food was provided, and it was jam-packed with fun stuff and amazing times.

“My job was to work on the recycling bins – physically jumping on things to compact them. We did go straight from that into worship, and I might have liked to have a shower first! But both the weather and the worship were amazing.

“They really value silence, so having 10 minutes of silence at the start of each worship time – three times a day – was a massive part of it. To have half an hour of pure silence each day was really nice to have. As a worship leader, I loved the songs. Repeating the same phrase many times really solidifies it in your brain. The simplest words can mean so much.

“I was part of the choir they put together as well. And I’d hope to bring back some of what I’ve learned for when we lead worship at church.”

And university student Pip Collins-White, 19, from St Mary’s Church, Fratton, said: “It was a really lovely experience. I was blown away by the community and the tranquility and the peace there. I loved the way that it unites Christians from different traditions, backgrounds and beliefs, and we were able to have productive discussions and understand each other much better.

“Personally, it has changed the way that I think about my faith, and I’ve found a deeper way of connecting with God. I hadn’t been before, but I’d heard about it from people who are a bit older than me, who encouraged me to go. There is a certain routine, which you have to get accustomed to, but it certainly helps you to focus on the important things, rather than what you’re going to eat or what clothes to wear.

“It was also lovely meeting people from across the diocese, from different traditions, and interesting to see how they worship. It was great to learn more and to think about how we can work together to share an understanding of God.”