Christ Church is pulling out all the stops for a triple celebration this spring.This year Robert Marsh is marking both his 25 years as our resident organist, and his 70th birthday.2026 also marks the 120th anniversary of the building and installation of Christ Church’s organ by famed organ builders Harrison and Harrison of County Durham.To mark the occasion Mr Marsh is performing an organ recital on Easter Monday, April 6th at 11am, which will include the first performance of a piece entitled “Meditation” composed by Richard Lambert as a 70th birthday gift to Mr Marsh.There are three further Bank Holiday organ recitals planned for Christ Church this year; William Campbell of Bradford Cathedral is performing on May 4th; Charles Dobson of Holy Trinity, Skipton, on May 25th, and Philip Rushforth of Chester Cathedral on August 31st.Mr Marsh is former Junior Exhibitioner at the Royal Northern College of Music, and an organ scholar at Keble College, Oxford, and has built a varied and successful career as a performer, conductor, composer, teacher and examiner.He was Director of Music at Ripon Cathedral Choir School and Assistant Organist of Ripon Cathedral, and as a concert organist has appeared in venues from Westminster Abbey and York Minster to the Chapel of the West Point Military Academy in New York.As well as his duties at Christ Church he is Senior Examiner at the London College of Music (University of West London), working in Turkey, Malta, Italy, India, Greece, Vietnam, China, Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, Kenya, Malaysia and Singapore, as well as in all parts of the United Kingdom.
Parisioners at Christ Church, Skipton, and St Mary the Virgin, Carleton, turned out in number at the last weekend of June, 2025, to welcome our new Curate, the Reverend Clare Wood.Clare was ordained at a ceremony at Wakefield Cathedral on Saturday, June 28th presided over by the Bishop of Leeds, The Right Reverend Nick Baines.The following day she celebrated her first service at Christ Church and St Mary's, followed by a lunch to welcome her.She will serve as Assistant Curate of the Benefice. For the past three years, she has been training for ordination at St Hild College.Previous to this, she has worked as a maths teacher in East Sussex, a hotel manager in France and a lecturer in Kazakhstan. Clare and her husband Matt moved to Yorkshire in 2020 when he started his curacy. Since then she has been enjoying exploring the footpaths of the Dales, paying particular attention to those that lead to tea rooms and pubs. She is very much looking forward to getting to know another part of ‘God’s own country’.Clare joins our ministry team of our Vicar, the Reverend Kathia Shoesmith, our curate, the Reverend Emma Halliwell, the Reverend Malcolm Foy, and Reader Mrs Anthea Foy.
There were special celebrations at two Craven churches last weekend when a much-loved member of the clergy was ordained as a priest.The Reverend Emma Halliwell has served as curate in the joint benefice of Christ Church, Skipton and St Mary’s Carleton for the last 12 months.She was one of four deacons ordained priests at a ceremony at Ripon Cathedral on Saturday, June 22nd, presided over by the Bishop of Ripon, the Right Reverend Anna Eltringham.The following day Emma presided over her first eucharist services at Christ Church and St Mary’s.The services were followed by a celebration lunch attended by Emma’s family and members of both congregations.Emma will continue to work alongside the vicar of the joint benefice, the Reverend Canon Kathia Shoesmith, as a Self-Supporting Minister (SSM). This means that she is in full-time employment and her work in the benefice will be on a part-time basis. She will live in her own home in Ilkley with her husband, Simon, and daughter, Esme.Emma trained for ordination part-time at St Hild College, where she read for an MA in Theology, Ministry and Mission, and also served at the national chair of the Ordinands’ Association.While serving the churches, Emma has continued to work as a Senior University Lecturer specialising in property law and art law, having previously qualified as a solicitor.In her spare time she enjoys being with family and friends, walking with (and trying to train) their puppy, improving her French, cooking, creating, listening to all kinds of music and reading detective novels.Emma is particularly interested in choral music as a form of mission, as well as encouraging whole-life discipleship that helps people to see God at work in all parts of their lives.The photograph shows Emma with her husband, Simon, and daughter, Esme, outside Ripon Cathedral after the ceremony.
We are delighted to announce the appointment of The Reverend Emma Halliwell as our new curate.Emma was ordained Deacon on Saturday, July 1st, at Bradford Cathedral, and attended her first services at Christ Church and St Mary’s, Carleton, on Sunday, July 2nd.The joint benefice held a barbecue on Sunday afternoon to welcome Emma and her family to our churches.Emma will be a Self-Supporting (SSM) Curate. This means that she is in full-time employment and her curacy in the benefice will be on a part-time basis. She will live in her own home in Ilkley with her husband, Simon, and daughter, Esme.Emma trained for ordination part-time at St Hild College, where she read for an MA in Theology, Ministry and Mission, and also served at the national chair of the Ordinands’ Association.While training Emma continued to work as a Senior University Lecturer specialising in property law and art law, having previously qualified as a solicitor.In her spare time she enjoys being with family and friends, walking with (and trying to train) their puppy, improving her French, cooking, creating, listening to all kinds of music and reading detective novels.Emma is particularly interested in choral music as a form of mission, as well as encouraging whole-life discipleship that helps people to see God at work in all parts of their lives.
