Posted on: 26th June 2025

Bishop Nick will “hand over the reins” of the diocese with great confidence, he assured the June meeting of Synod in his final Presidential Address.
Recalling many events from the last 11 years, he expressed his gratitude to clergy, laity and all who have worked with him in the formation and development of Diocese of Leeds.

Bishop Nick’s final Presidential Address to Synod at Holy Trinity, Boar Lane, Leeds  is available to read in full below:

“Whenever I was in the Chris Evans Radio 2 studio with famous special guests, I would try to smuggle into my script as many song titles by the guest as I could. I once managed to get fifteen Barry Manilow titles in while the great man sat there and smiled. It was just a bit of fun and the script always made perfect sense.

"Well, I face this morning with a number of memorable lyrics offering themselves as nails on which to hang my last presidential address as the Bishop of Leeds. The one that wins is Bruce Cockburn’s line from ‘Pacing the Cage’: “I’ve been around so many times the magnetic strip’s worn thin.” It’s time to replace the card."

Read the full address here.