The Right Reverend Martyn Snow, has been officially announced as the new Bishop of Leicester.
The 47 year old is currently the Bishop of Tewkesbury, and was the youngest bishop in the church when he was appointed back in 2013. He will start his new role in Spring 2016.
The Newly appointed Bishop of Leicester has visited a food bank situated in Christ the King Church, Beaumont Leys, to talk with the people he will be involved with, and to find out what they do for the community.
His visit was received with great surprise as no one from Christ the King Church had known who was going to be the new Bishop of Leicester.
We spoke to the Vicar of Christ the King Church, Reverend Steve Delaforce who told us: “I think it’s very important for somebody very senior in the church, to not just be seen along side people who need to draw on that food, but to actually express that they have a heart for it, have come to see it, and there’s a sense that there’ll be backing and support”.
Katie, a volunteer who runs the food bank at the church had this to say: “I think it’s fantastic, it feels quite inspirational really, because after talking to him he obviously has a very keen interest in supporting the projects that we actually run here at this church, and he just seems exceptionally supportive of all the work that we’re doing here”.
Dean of Leicester the Very Reverend David Monteith mentioned: “It’s just great news, I don’t have to keep it a secret any more, Martin is such a lovely man and who already feels at ease amongst us, a person of huge kindness, wisdom and a person of deep conviction, and all of those things suggest to me that he is going to be a great Bishop of Leicester”.
The volunteers at the church told us that without the backing of certain parties, it would certainly be a struggle to run a food bank there on public donations alone. A major supermarket chain, along side a well known British hot food outlet have been at the forefront of donating food, supplies, and utilities, the volunteers are urging for more people to donate to local food banks, especially over the winter months.
