Governance
Good governance is important to ensure that the Cathedral is well maintained for future generations and that everyone who visits the Cathedral enters a safe and flourishing environment.
The corporate body of Blackburn Cathedral is the Chapter, a body comprising of up to five Executive members (including the Dean and the two Residentiary Canons) and up to eight Non-Executive members (two-thirds of whom must be lay people).
Non-Executive members of Chapter are appointed by the other members of the Chapter. The Bishop of Blackburn appoints one Non-Executive member to serve as the Senior Non-Executive member.
Blackburn Cathedral is regulated by the Cathedrals Measure 2021. Our constitution and statutes can be viewed at the bottom of the page.
The Chapter’s annual reports set out in detail the rich and varied nature of the life and work of our Cathedral and these, together with our audited annual accounts, can also be viewed below.
The College of Canons, a body made up of lay and ordained people appointed by The Bishop, provides feedback on policy decisions made by Chapter and considers ways in which the cathedral can extend its mission into the wider work of the Diocese.
Blackburn Cathedral Chapter
As Senior Priest within the Diocese of Blackburn, Peter is a member of the Bishop’s Leadership Team and is responsible for the oversight and leadership of Blackburn Cathedral. Prior to ordination Peter held a senior position in a private sector company arranging tours for musicians worldwide. He is currently on the Board of a number of national Charities and Chair of Medic Malawi delivering partnership support in the areas of health care, education, and sustainable community projects. Peter is married to Siân and they have four grown up children.
Elizabeth worships at St Wilfrid’s Ribchester. Her previous appointments include a housing association for homeless men leaving prison, an International charity for the disabled, and the NHS. In a voluntary capacity she is Vice President of the Tristan da Cunha Association. She also teaches English to sanctuary seekers in Blackburn and Preston.
Before moving to Blackburn to take up the role of Canon Precentor, Jenny spent 10 years as Priest in Charge of the Hayling Island Parishes of St Andrew’s, St Mary’s and St Peter’s. Before that she was the Bishop’s Chaplain in Portsmouth Diocese. As Precentor, Jenny has primary responsibility in all matters relating to worship, liturgy and music on behalf of Chapter. She shares in the strategic and spiritual oversight of the wider Cathedral community with a particular focus on the choristers and choir families.
David is a Chartered Accountant and was a partner at KPMG for 26 years before retiring in 2022. He is a member of the Finance Committee of The Blackburn Diocesan Board of Finance and Deputy Chair and trustee of Keswick Ministries. David is a Lay-Canon at Blackburn Cathedral and a Licensed Lay-Minister at St Chad's Church, Poulton-Le-Fylde, where he is a member of the PCC and a home group bible-study leader. David is married to Lee and they have three grown-up daughters.
Andrew is the Chaplaincy and Bereavement Care Manager at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust where he has been since 2005. Between 2016 and 2020 he was a Residentiary Canon and Canon Pastor at Blackburn Cathedral. He continues to serve the Cathedral, leading the Pastoral Care Team. Andrew is County Chaplain to the Order of St John and St John Ambulance; The Order of St Lazarus and a Chaplain to the Royal British Legion.
James is the Canon Missioner. Before moving to Blackburn in December 2022, James was the Assistant Priest at an Episcopal Church in New York. James has experience in growing churches and in organisational transformation. James is currently working on his PhD at the University of Oxford, he is writing a theology of technology. He has previously served as a trustee for a homeless charity based in Leeds. James is married to Hannah, and they have one son.
Marion is a parishioner of Lancaster Priory. She is the former Academic Registrar of the University of Lancaster, and currently Honorary Archivist and Honorary University Fellow. She is also Honorary General Secretary of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, founded in 1866.
Keith has been involved with the cathedral for ten years, initially as parent of a chorister. He is married to Helen, and they have three (now grown up) boys. He trained as a Chartered Accountant, qualifying back in 1985 and is presently senior partner with a local firm of accountants based in Ribchester.
Ian is the Chapter Clerk. He has a background of private and public sector roles in education, training and economic development. He has worked in various locations across the world, most recently in Brussels. He was Chair of the House of Laity for the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf and has been a member of the Foundation at Canterbury Cathedral for 40 years. As a former Lay Clerk, Ian enjoys singing and music making of all kinds.
