Churchwardens

CHURCHWARDENS

Churchwardens are elected annually at a meeting (once known as the Vestry Meeting) open to all adults living in the parish or on the Electoral Roll, and they are legal, but voluntary unpaid, positions.           

Churchwardens are officially officers of the Bishop and their rights and responsibilities are laid down in Church Law. They are traditionally responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the parish, and for maintenance and safeguarding of the church’s property and goods.

There are also responsibilities for Sunday services and for keeping order in the church. On the rare occasion of a major disturbance within (or immediately outside) the church, the Churchwardens take primary responsibility in dealing with it and have the power to arrest or escort miscreants off the premises as necessary!

During an interregnum (from departure of the current priest to arrival of a new one) Churchwardens share the responsibility for the church and its worship activities with the Area Dean.

Jane Franklin

Jane has only been a warden since 2010 and feels she is still learning.  Her favourite part of the role is welcoming people to church on Sundays.  She helps to run the Thursday Boys' Club, and also leads the Sunday evening Youth Group with husband Colin.  Jane works in equality and diversity at the British Council, a cultural relations organisation with offices in over 100 countries, and is passionate about fairness and learning about people.  In her spare time she likes to swim (although it sometimes involves more chatting than swimming). Jane also manages a Fantasy Football team which did rather well last year.

Mark Stansfield

Mark, a chartered accountant working in the public sector for the Audit Commission, has been a Warden since 2008. He is also a leader of a home group and helps run the Boys Clubs and the Walking Group. Outside of church and work, Mark is a member at Lancashire County Cricket Club and also enjoys running, having completed the Great Manchester 10k run for the last four years.