Bishop Helen-Ann Hartley, formerly Bishop of Ripon, will be installed as the new Bishop of Newcastle in a service at Newcastle Cathedral on Saturday 22 April.

Bishop Helen-Ann, was born in Edinburgh but spent most of her childhood in the North East. While still very young she moved with her family to Sunderland, where she attended primary and secondary school, while her father became a priest in the Church of England. She was herself ordained in 2005 as deacon in the Diocese of Oxford and became a priest a year later. Then in 2010, she relocated to New Zealand where, in 2013, she was elected Bishop of Waikato on the North Island. She returned to the UK In 2017 to become Bishop of Ripon, where she said goodbye at a farewell service in Ripon Cathedral during January.

Helen-Ann is active in the world of media and is a keen runner, regularly taking part in Parkrun. Her last Parkrun in Yorkshire before her move to Newcastle was the weekend of 21/22 January - the following weekend she is planning to join the Town Moor Park Run not far from Bishop's House. She is married to Myles, a musician originally from Cumbria, while her parents, both retired, live in Durham.

Following the announcement of her appointment, Bishop Helen-Ann said: “I am absolutely delighted and excited to be the next Bishop of Newcastle. With life-long connections to the whole region covered by the Diocese, I am inspired by the example of the Northern Saints, whose engagement in God’s mission lies deep in the fabric and contours of the land. I am, and will continue to be in this new role, a passionate advocate for the region. I look forward immensely to supporting and encouraging the vital work of the Diocese at every level: parishes and benefices, schools, chaplaincies, clergy and lay together as we continue to engage in God’s mission.