A time for farewells...

Bishop Colin shares a joke with Bishop Wilfred and Lady Ina

Southwark said a fond farewell to Bishop Wilfred and Lady Ina Wood at a Eucharist and reception on 31 July.

The Eucharist in the Cathedral, at which Bishop Wilfred presided and preached, was the climax of a series of farewells. During the service tributes were paid and gifts from the Diocese and some of its communities were presented to mark the end of his long and distinguished career.

Bishop Wilfred, who has been Bishop of Croydon since 1985, was the first black bishop in the Church of England and has been a leading champion of minority ethnic groups in the Church and the community.

Guests at the Farewell include the High Commissioner of Barbados and the Deputy High Commissioner as well as many others who have been involved in his ministry

Wilfred Wood was ordained deacon in Barbados in 1961 and priested in St Paul's Cathedral in 1962. He was a curate and then Bishop's Officer for Race Relations in London Diocese before coming to Southwark as Vicar of St Laurence, Catford in 1974. After a spell as Rural Dean and an Honorary Canon of Southwark Cathedral he was Archdeacon of Southwark from 1982 to 1985 when he was consecrated Bishop.

He has Honorary Doctorates from the General Theological Seminary, New York, and the UK Open University and in 2000 he was appointed a Knight of St Andrew (Order of Barbados) by the Queen.

More here including photos of the farewell service and tributes to Bishop Wilfred

...and welcomes

A former Kingston Grammar School pupil has been named as the next Bishop of Kingston. The Ven. Dr Richard Cheetham, 46, has been Archdeacon of St Albans since February 1999.

Growing up in Surbiton, he was a member of Emmanuel Tolworth and was confirmed at Christ Church, Surbiton. Before ordination training (sponsored by Southwark) Richard Cheetham was a science teacher and an investments analyst. He was ordained deacon in 1987 and priested in 1988, serving his title in Newcastle.

He moved to be Vicar of Limbury (Luton), in St Albans Diocese where he was involved in the early Luton Council of Faiths and the first Luton Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education.

He is married to Felicity and they have a daughter and a son. He was an 'under 19' hockey player for England and an Oxford Blue and still plays hockey and squash regularly. His other interests include cinema and walking.

He says: "I am honoured to be called to serve the Church as the new Bishop of Kingston and excited to be returning to the Kingston Area. It is a rich and varied area with many different communities and I look forward to making links with the churches and the wider community there".

Bishop Tom said "Richard Cheetham is a very able and experienced priest who will bring many gifts to his new ministry. I very much look forward to working with him in the years to come". At the press conference the Bishop-designate promised to encourage a "proper confidence in the Christian faith and its relevance for today's world". He is a "passionate believer in dialogue, both within the church and in the wider community" and will "work very closely with the parishes, deaneries and chaplaincies of the Kingston area - the places of interaction between a lively Christian faith and the day-to-day concerns of human life".

Richard Cheetham will be consecrated in Southwark Cathedral on Thursday 17 October. He succeeds the Rt Rev. Peter Price who is now Bishop of Bath and Wells.

Bishop designate Richard with wife Felicity