THE Bishop of Ripon Dr Helen-Ann Hartley is leaving the district to be the next Bishop of Newcastle.

The appointment of the Right Reverend Dr Hartley to Newcastle was announced earlier today by Downing Street and was approved by the late Her Majesty the Queen.

The Rt Rev Hartley, who was brought up in the North East, and has been Bishop of Ripon, which includes Craven, since 2018, will succeed the Rt Rev Christine Hardman who retired as Bishop of Newcastle in November last year.

Bishop Helen-Ann said: “I am delighted to have been called to be the Bishop of Newcastle, and pleased that this move means we will be staying in the North. At the same time, I will miss the Diocese of Leeds and the diverse peoples and communities of the region I have served and worked with over the past four and a half years.

“There are so many ‘thank yous’ to be shared, for so many people who have helped, encouraged and challenged me along the way - a very special ‘thank you’ is due however to the remarkable running community, particularly Ripon Runners who have in so many ways kept me grounded and mostly fit.

“It has been an absolute joy to have been Bishop of Ripon, and I wish the region and diocese all the very best for the new season that lies ahead’.

The Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Rev Nick Baines said: “It has been a privilege and a pleasure to serve with Bishop Helen-Ann for the last four years. Our loss is Newcastle’s gain, where she will bring many gifts and broad experience to her new responsibilities. She will move on with my gratitude, prayers and blessing.”

The Archbishop of York, the Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell said: “I am delighted that Helen-Ann has agreed to become the next Bishop of Newcastle. Helen-Ann brings rich experience and a tremendous passion for communicating the gospel, as well as a deep commitment to championing those often under-represented in our society. Newcastle Diocese is truly blessed to have Helen-Ann as its new Bishop.”

Bishop Helen-Ann was born in Edinburgh and spent her early years living in the Scottish Borders, where her father was a Church of Scotland minister. At a very young age, she moved with her family to Sunderland where she attended primary and secondary school, and her father became a priest in the Church of England. She was ordained into the Church of England in 2005 as deacon in the Diocese of Oxford and became a priest a year later.

In 2010, she relocated to New Zealand where, in 2013, she was elected to become the Bishop of Waikato on the country’s North Island. In 2017, it was announced that she was to become the Bishop of Ripon.

The installation of Bishop Helen-Ann as Bishop of Newcastle will take place at Newcastle Cathedral, likely in early 2023.

A new Bishop of Ripon will be in appointed in due course.