Diocesan Synod Committees

House of Clergy

Chair

Rev Canon Peter Lillicrap

Vice Chair

Vacant

House of Laity

Chair

Mr Bob Collins

Vice Chair

Miss Wendy Walker

Bishop's Council and Standing Committee/Blackburn Diocesan Board of Finance Ltd

Ex officio Members

Bishop of Blackburn

Rt Rev Philip North

Bishop of Burnley

Rt Rev Joe  Kennedy

Bishop of Lancaster

Rt Rev Dr Jill Duff

Archdeacon of Blackburn

Ven Mark Ireland

Archdeacon of Lancaster

Ven David Picken

The Dean of Blackburn

Very Revd Peter Howell-Jones

Ex-Officio Elected by Diocesan Synod

Chair of the House of Clergy

Rev Canon Peter Lillicrap

Vice Chair of the House of Clergy

Vacant

Chair of the House of Laity

Mr Bob Collins

Vice Chair of the House of Laity

Miss Wendy Walker

Ex-Officio Appointed by Synod

Chair of the Diocesan Board of Finance

Mr David Barlow

Vice Chair of the Diocesan Board of Finance

Mr Nick Aves

Ex-Officio Appointed by Bishop of Blackburn

Chair of Diocesan Property Committee

Rev Damian Porter

Elected Members

2 Clergy - Blackburn Archdeaconry

Rev Canon Andrew Horsfall

Rev Jo Smith

4 Laity - Blackburn Archdeaconry

Mr John Cowell

Mr Melvyn Gardner

Canon Ruth Haldane

Mr David Wilkinson

2 Clergy - Lancaster Archdeaconry

Rev David Craven

Rev Leah Vasey-Saunders

4 Laity - Lancaster Archdeaconry

Canon David Gascoigne

Mrs Hannah Lockwood

Mr Paul Ronson

Mrs Jacqueline Stamper

Appointed Members

2 Diocesan Bishop/DBF Chair Lay appointments

Ms Rana Shihadah

Munawar Din

Diocesan Board of Patronage

Ex officio Members

Bishop of Blackburn

Rt Rev Philip North

Archdeacon of the relevant Archdeaconry

Area Dean of the relevant Deanery

Lay Chair of the relevant Deanery

Diocesan Board of Patronage (continued)

Elected Members

3 Clergy

Rev Linda Tomkinson

2 vacancies

5 Laity

Mr Bob Collins (Chair)

Ms Jacqueline Stamper

Mrs Rosemary Lyon

2 vacancies

Diocesan Mission and Pastoral Committee

Chair

Ven Mark Ireland and Ven David Picken

Ex-officio Members

Bishop of Blackburn

Rt Rev Philip North

Archdeacon of Blackburn

Ven Mark Ireland

Archdeacon of Lancaster

Ven David Picken

Elected Members

5 Clergy

Rev Paul Benfield

Rev Gregor Stewart

Rev Canon Andrew Horsfall

2 vacancies

8 Laity

Mr Paul Ronson

Canon Susan Witts

Mr Bob Collins

Mr Melvyn Gardner

Mrs Jacqueline Stamper

3 vacancies

Diocesan Property Committee

Chair

Rev Damian Porter

Vice Chair

Rev Paul Robinson

Ex officio Members

Bishop of Blackburn

Rt Rev Philip North

Archdeacon of Blackburn

Ven Mark Ireland

Archdeacon of Lancaster

Ven David Picken

Elected Members

3 Blackburn Clergy

Rev Paul Benfield

2 vacancies

3 Lancaster Clergy

Rev Paul Bye

Rev Carol Backhouse

1 vacancy

2 Laity

Mrs Susan Stewart

1 vacancy

Appointed Members

4 Lay Appointed Members 

4 vacancies

Co-opted Members

2 Co-opted  Members

2 vacancies

Blackburn Diocesan Board of Education

Bishop of Blackburn

Rt Rev Philip North

Bishop's Nominees

5 Bishop's Nominees

Ven David Picken (Chair)

Canon Andrew Holliday

Canon Jo Snape

Rev Simon Lloyd

1 vacancy

Elected Members

5 Elected Members

Rev Craig Abbott

Rev Christopher Anderton

Rev Canon David Arnold

Mrs Esther Gregory-Witham

Mrs Jane Mitchell

Co-opted Members

5 Co-opted  Members

Canon Richard Jones

Mrs Deborah Metcalfe

Mr Jonathan Hewitt

Ms Yusra Arshad

1 vacancy

Vacancy in See Committee

Ex officio Members

Bishop of Burnley

Rt Rev Philip North

Bishop of Lancaster

Rt Rev Dr Jill Duff

Dean of Blackburn

Very Rev Peter Howell-Jones

Archdeacon of Lancaster

Ven David Picken

Archdeacon of Blackburn

Ven Mark Ireland

Chair of the Houe of Clergy

Rev Peter Lillicrap

Chair of the Houe of Laity

Mr Bob Collins

General Synod Members

Rev Paul Benfield

Rev Stephen Corbett

Rev Alex Frost

Rev Carol Backhouse

Mr Paul Hannah

Mrs Rosemary Lyon

Dr Laura Oliver

Mr Paul Ronson

Mrs Jaqueline Stamper

Mr Stephen Boyall

Elected Members

0 Clergy Elected - Blackburn Archdeaconry

0 vacancies

2 Clergy Elected - Lancaster Archdeaconry

2 vacancies

2 Lay Elected - Blackburn Archdeaconry

2 vacancies

1 Lay Elected - Lancaster Archdeaconry

1 vacancy

Nominated Members

Nominated by Bishop's Council

4 vacancies

Non-Elected Board and Committee Membership 1 Jan 2025 - 31 Dec 2027

Diocesan Advisory Committee

Chair - appointed

Rev Andrew Holliday

Ex-officio Members

Archdeacon of Blackburn

Ven Mark Ireland

Archdeacon of Lancaster

Ven David Picken

Statutory Appointments

Historic England Nominee

1 vacancy

JCNAS Nomineee and Conservation Engineer

Mr Charles Blackett-Ord

2 Appointed Diocesan Synod Members

Rev Marc Wolverson

Mr Stephen Pollard

Other Appointed Members 

Architecture 

Mr Peter Boyd 

Project management of repairs 

Mr Bill Buck 

Conservation architecture 

Ms Jill Cowgill 

Clocks and towers 

Mr Ray Clayton 

Conservation architecture 

Mr Mike Darwell 

Organs  

Revd Nicholas Davis 

Architecture 

Mr Steve Fish 

Conservation architecture 

Ms Becky Gilbert-Rule 

Archaeology and Local Authorities nominee 

Mr Peter Iles 

Conservation planning 

Mrs Rosemary Lyons 

Conservation architecture 

Mr Edward Kepczyk 

Architecture and lighting 

Mr Mike Overton 

Bells and planning 

Mr Peter Rivet 

Conservation architecture 

Mr Duncan Sanderson 

Curate representative 

Revd Kathryn Sperring 

Conservation architecture 

Mr Ivan Wilson 

Consultants

Mr John Brook

Mrs Becky Gilbert-Rule

Ms Lauren Crossley

Rev Matt Malins

Mr Alan Wilkinson

Mr Mark Womersley

Mr Chris Travis

Finance Committee

Chair - appointed

Mr Nick Aves

Ex officio Members

Archdeacon of Blackburn

Ven Mark Ireland

Archdeacon of Lancaster

Ven David Picken

Chair of Board of Finance

Mr David Barlow

Chair (or Vice Chair) of House of Clergy

Rev Peter Lillicrap

Chair (or Vice Chair) of House of Laity

Mr Bob Collins

Chair of HR Committee

Mr David Thompson

Appointed Members

Mr David Locke

Canon David Gascoigne

Mr Paul Ronson

Mr David Wilkinson

Mrs Jacqueline Stamper

HR Committee

Chair - appointed

Mr David Thompson

Co-opted members

Rev Canon Andrew Holliday

Rev Jo Smith

Mr Andrew Marston

Bishop's Budget Team

Ex-officio

Bishop of Blackburn

Rt Rev Philip North

Bishop of Lancaster

Rt Rev Dr Jill Duff

Bishop of Burnley

Rt Rev Dr Joe Kennedy

Archdeacon of Blackburn

The Ven Mark Ireland

Archdeacon of Lancaster

The Ven David Picken

Chair of the Board of Finance

Mr David Barlow

Vice Chair of the Board of Finance

Mr Nick Aves

Diocesan Secretary

Canon Stephen Whittaker

Head of Finance

Mrs Ruth McGaughey

Director of Vision Delivery

Carolyn Barton

Budget Scrutiny Committee

Ex-officio Members

Chair (Chair of Board of Finance)

Mr David Barlow

Vice-Chair of Board of Finance

Mr Nick Aves

Diocesan Secretary

Canon Stephen Whittaker

Head of Finance

Mrs Ruth McGaughey

Appointed Members

4 Clergy Appointed  

Rev Alex Oehring

3 vacancies

4 Laity Appointed 

Mrs Chelsie Collier

Mr Graham Kelsall

Mr Christopher Kerry

Mrs Sarah Woolford

Audit, Risk and Governance Committee

Independent Chair - Appointed

Mrs Tracey Johnson

Ex-officio Members

Chair of Finance Committee

Mr Nick Aves

Appointed Members

4 DBF Directors

Mr David Barlow

Mr David Wilkinson

2 vacancies

1 Independent Member

Rev Kat Gregory-Witham

Diocesan Synod Business Group

Chair   - appointed by the Bishop

Rt Rev Dr Jill Duff

Ex-officio Members

Secretary to Synod

Canon Stephen Whittaker

Chair of the House of Clergy

Rev Peter Lillicrap

Vice-Chair of the House of Clergy

1 vacancy

Chair of the House of Laity

Mr Bob Collins

Vice-Chair of the House of Laity

Ms Wendy Walker

Appointed Members

3 Appointments

Rev Jane Atkinson

Rev Claire Cooke

Mrs Diane Dennett

Investment Committee

Ex-officio Members

Chair   (Chair of Finance Committee)

Mr Nick Aves

Chair of Board of Finance

Mr David Barlow

Diocesan Secretary

Canon Stephen Whittaker

Head of Finance

Mrs Ruth McGaughey

Co-opted members

3 Co-opted

Mr Chris Brambles

Mrs Sarah Woolford

1 vacancy (ordained)