UK news briefly

Quakers reissue 1666 pamphlet in honour of Mullally

THE Quakers are marking the appointment of the primary woman Archbishop of Canterbury by reissuing an updated edition of Professor Paul Anderson’s modern-English version of what is taken into account the primary full-length treatment of women’s church leadership in English: Women’s Speaking Justified by Margaret Fell, a co-founder of the Society of Friends. She wrote her pamphlet in 1666 while in prison in Lancaster for her beliefs. Professor Rachel Muers, who’s the primary woman to carry the Chair of Divinity at Edinburgh University, described Fell as an “‘elder sister’ whom today’s female Christian leaders need, as they pursue their vocations within the face of resurgent global patriarchy”. barclaypress.com

Bishop of Newcastle welcomes kinship-carers scheme

THE Bishop of Newcastle, Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, has welcomed a recent government scheme for “kinship carers” — relatives comparable to grandparents, siblings, aunts, and uncles who step in to offer care for youngsters — within the north-east. Newcastle has been included within the £126-million pilot scheme, alongside Bexley, Bolton, north-east Lincolnshire, Medway, Thurrock, and Wiltshire. About 5000 children can be involved within the pilot. Dr Hartley said: “I welcome the news that Newcastle can be one in all the seven recent Kinship Zones providing much needed and focused support for those providing care in a kinship context.” In April 2024, during a “Children in Care” debate within the House of Lords, she questioned whether the present care system was up to straightforward. Inn May 2025, speaking on proposed amendments to the Employment Rights Bill throughout the Lords’ Committee Stage, she backed statutory paid leave for kinship carers.

Prayer Book Society names recent chief executive

THE Prayer Book Society has appointed a recent chief executive officer, Diana Cheal, 37, who begins within the post on Monday. Ms Cheal is currently head of corporate sector and business development for the manager catering recruiters Greycoat Lumleys. The society said that Ms Cheal’s personal faith was one in all the foremost reasons that she applied for the post. She is a lifelong churchgoer, when living in London repeatedly attended evensong at Chelsea Old Church, and is now involved in a Dorset church that could be a corporate member of the society.

Apologetics centre’s director welcomes ‘season of openness’

THE Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA) has welcomed Jo Frost as its recent Executive Director. Ms Frost was for the past eight years the director of communications and engagement on the Evangelical Alliance. “I’m humbled by the chance to guide the team here at OCCA in a season of openness and curiosity towards Jesus, the likes of which I actually have not known,” Ms Frost said.

Faith within the North has a gathering and a song

REPRESENTATIVES of twenty-two churches within the Major Churches Network met at Bishopthorpe Palace, York, last week to listen to concerning the Archbishop of York’s three-year focus, Faith within the North, with its emphasis on pilgrimage. Among the Faith within the North resources is a recent song, “The Pilgrim Way”, released last week, to assist children to think about life as a pilgrimage. Written by Nick and Becky Drake from Songs for School, it is accessible on streaming platforms.

Blackburn MU’s efforts against domestic abuse recognised

BLACKBURN diocesan Mothers’ Union (MU) has been awarded a Bronze Award by the Central MU in recognition of the extent of its work to shine a lightweight on domestic abuse and take practical steps against it — work that has continued as a part of the international “Rise Up” campaign launched by the Worldwide President, Sheran Harper, in 2023. The MU is celebrating its 150 years of existence this yr, and next yr will bring the centenary of the MU’s work in Lancashire.

Officer to accumulate Church Lads and Church Girls

A NEW National Development Officer for the Church Lads’ and Church Girls’ Brigade (CLCGB) (Letter, 2 January) took up the post last weekend. She is Caitlin Morgan, who first joined the Brigade as a youngster, and is the Governor’s Youth Representative. She is described as “enthusiastic about helping the movement modernise where appropriate, while preserving its legacy, values, and Christian identity”, and says: “I actually have seen first-hand the positive impact CLCGB has on children, young people, and the broader communities it serves. This experience has shaped my desire to support and strengthen the organisation in a more formal development role.”