The Bishop of Carlisle has announced his plans to retire after over 20 years of ministry leadership.
The Rt Rev James Newcome, 69, and his wife Alison first came to the county in 2002 and was appointed the Diocesan bishop seven years later.
This morning, Bishop James sent a letter to all clergy and Church of England schools in the Diocese, signalling his plans to retire at the end of August.
In his letter he writes: “Having served here as Bishop for the last 21 years I need hardly say how much I have come to love this beautiful county and its wonderful people.
“It has been an immense privilege to live and work in Cumbria, and while it would be a slight exaggeration to say that I have enjoyed every single minute of my ministry here.
“I can honestly report that these have been among the happiest and most fulfilling years of my life, for which I am profoundly grateful.
“I was astonished when God first called us to this Diocese: but am now so very glad that he did, and I have particularly valued his gracious provision of outstanding colleagues and so many kind and loyal friends.”
During his time in the Diocese, Bishop James built cross-denominational relations, resulting in Cumbria becoming England’s first ecumenical county in November 2011.
He also reached out to offer support and encouragement to those badly affected by floods in 2005, 2009 and 2015 and led prayers for the west Cumbrian community following the shootings in 2010. Over recent years he has spearheaded the Diocesan response to the Covid pandemic.
In 2014 he was appointed Clerk of the Closet to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, a role which has seen him head up the Ecclesiastical Household, with oversight of the College of Chaplains and with responsibility to introduce new diocesan bishops to the Sovereign.
He has chaired the Church of England’s National Stewardship Committee and was President of St John’s College, Durham for six years.
In 2013 he was also appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Cumbria and until 2021 was national chaplain to the Royal British Legion.
In his letter, Bishop James added: “Thank you more warmly than I can say for your friendship, encouragement, and partnership in the Gospel during the time we have been able to share here in Carlisle Diocese.
“Leaving Cumbria will be a huge wrench for Alison as well as for me. We would both love to stay here – but convention does not permit, and anyway we need to be rather closer (geographically) to our growing tribe of grand-children.”
