Anna Eltringham announced as new Bishop of Ripon

The Reverend Canon Anna Eltringham has been named as the new Bishop of Ripon this morning.

Downing Street announced at 10am the King had approved the nomination of Rev Canon Eltringham, who is currently team rector for Oxted, in the diocese of Southwark.

Rt Revd Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds introduced the new bishop immediately after the announcement to a gathering at St Peter’s Church in Harrogate.

The Bishop of Ripon is one of five episcopal area bishops in the Church of England Diocese of Leeds and has responsibility for a large area, including the Yorkshire Dales and the towns of Ripon, Harrogate, Settle, Skipton, Wetherby and Richmond.

Bishop of Ripon

The new bishop in Harrogate today

Revd Canon Eltringham’s consecration will take place on June 22 in York Minster. However, she will not fully take up the post until September.

She will succeed Helen-Ann Hartley, who left Ripon to become Bishop of Newcastle this year.

Before entering ministry, Revd Canon Eltringham worked in strategic marketing, including a role in Croydon Council.

Whilst increasingly involved in church, community and justice work, she discerned God’s call to ordained ministry, following in the footsteps of her father and previous generations in her family.

Revd Canon Eltringham grew up in the west country and studied business and anthropology at the University of Durham.

She plays the saxophone and is married to Nigel, with whom she has two daughters. They enjoy family trips out in her VW T25 campervan and visiting museums, galleries, arts events and the seaside.  She also likes creative writing, walks in the country and trying to up-cycle furniture.

She said:

“I have felt drawn back to the north of England for a number of years and have a strong sense of God’s call to this particular role.

“God has laid a number of things on my heart in recent times, including a passion for climate-care and justice; care for the wellbeing of clergy and all God’s people; a vision for a church that serves as much beyond as within its buildings; and children and young people at the heart of it all.”

‘Important rural area’

The Rt Revd Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds said of the appointment:

“I am delighted to welcome Revd Canon Anna Eltringham as the next Bishop of Ripon and to this important rural area that includes the world famous Yorkshire Dales.

“Our parishes and communities, big and small, will greet her with great warmth as her commitment to parish ministry and the environment will be evident from the word go.

“Anna’s pastoral care for clergy and lay leaders is evident from her previous work in the Diocese of Southwark and the wider church. She will greatly support our diocesan mission to encourage Christian confidence across the Ripon episcopal area and beyond.”

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Revd Canon Eltringham was ordained Deacon in the Diocese of Southwark in 2008 and served her title at Holy Innocents in South Norwood.

She then joined the Oxted team ministry (four churches in Surrey) where since 2019 she has been team rector.

Since 2017 she has also been the Dean of Women’s Ministry, advocating for, and developing the ministry of lay and ordained women in the diocese and advising senior staff on such matters. Anna has also served as an honorary chaplain to the monarch since 2020.

The Most Revd Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York said:

“Revd Canon Anna’s enthusiasm and love for parish ministry and her ability to connect, having been an advocate for clergy well-being and serving as Dean of Women’s Ministry, will be a great blessing to the parishes and Diocese of Leeds.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bishop of Ripon set to move to new post in Newcastle

The Bishop of Ripon is to leave her post to take up a new role next year.

The Right Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley has been in Ripon since 2017, but has now been announced by Downing Street as Bishop of Newcastle, with her installation set to take place in early 2023.

The appointment was approved by Her Late Majesty the Queen this year following the retirement of the last Bishop of Newcastle, the Rt Rev Christine Hardman. Since then, the Bishop of Berwick, the Rt Rev Mark Wroe, has been acting diocesan Bishop of Newcastle.

Bishop Helen-Ann, who grew up in the North-East, 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.”

Bishop Helen-Ann was born in Edinburgh and grew up in the Scottish borders, where her father was a Church of Scotland minister.

At a young age, she and her family moved to Sunderland, where she was educated, while her father became a priest in the Church of England.

Her own ordination was in 2005 as deacon of the Diocese of Oxford, becoming a priest a year later.

A relocation to New Zealand in 2010 was followed three years later by her election as Bishop of Waikato on the North Island.

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Her five years in Ripon have seen her engage extensively with the community and in support of the city’s residents.

In 2020, she received death threats after publicly criticising Dominic Cummings for breaking the government’s lockdown rules. The Bishop said she and her family had missed her father’s birthday as he recovered from cancer treatment in order to keep to the restrictions.

After Bishop Helen-Ann’s move from Ripon was announced, the Bishop of Leeds, the Right Reverend 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, added:

“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.”