A man has appeared in court following the death of two teenage girls following a collision in Lichfield Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.comand on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Michael Riley, 29, of Lichfield has been charged with two counts of causing death by careless/inconsiderate driving The charge comes after Martha Swift and Sylvie Bates, both 16 at the time and from Lichfield, were involved in a collision with a white Vauxhall Vivaro van on Lichfield Road The two girls suffered serious injuries as a result of the crash Riley appeared at the Noth Staffordshire Justice Centre on May 1 and pleaded not guilty to the offences. He is next due to appear at Stafford Crown Court on May 27.  A 100-year-old RAF veteran who is leading the VE Day processions today (May 5) shares how he reunited with his father during the Allied invasion of Normandy Alan Kennett, from Lichfield and is formally starting a military procession of 1,300 members of the armed forces marching through the streets of central London from today He remembered working on one of the aircraft after landing in Normandy when “one of the lads” came up and informed him that a soldier was looking for him “Then up comes my father — I had no idea he was there,” as he remembered meeting his father “We had a little chat for half an hour or so and then he left – I never saw him again for the rest of the war.” The procession will head from Parliament Square to Whitehall, then to Trafalgar Square, Admiralty Arch, The Mall, and finally to Buckingham Palace It will formally begin with Warrant Officer Emmy Jones handing over the Commonwealth War Graves’ Torch For Peace to Mr Kennett “I will feel very proud – to think I’m still here,” he said “I just remember those that didn’t come back After the D-Day landings in a cinema with other men in his unit as the “whole thing slowed down” He recalls how the Battle of Britain pilot and senior officer Johnnie Johnson whom he referred to as “Cowboy Johnson” for his recognisable two six-gun revolvers at his waist burst into the cinema shouting: “I’ve just come to tell you that the war has finished.” "I had a record of four-and-a-half years of ‘undetected crime'." who worked with a variety of aircraft but loved nothing more than the Spitfires also recalled having a streak of “general mischief” during his service He added: “My commanding officer said I had a record of four-and-a-half years of ‘undetected crime’ I was refuelling one evening after an early night flight Mr Kennett is one of 30 Second World War veterans the Royal British Legion is supporting to attend a tea party at Buckingham Palace today (May 5) with their patron “As the nation’s largest military charity and champion of Remembrance we are dedicated to ensuring the service and sacrifice of the Second World War generation is never forgotten.” Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.. A 100-year-old Second World War veteran is among those who joined King Charles III for a VE Day tea party today Second World War veterans, aged from 98 to 104 years old, are to meet the King at a Buckingham Palace tea party in a special event to help mark VE Day a 99-year-old who served in the Desert Rats and took part in the D-Day landings and a 100-year-old woman who worked in the Special Operations Executive (SOE) according to the Royal British Legion (RBL) The visitors will have prime spots to watch the military parade and flypast in central London as the nation's VE Day 80th anniversary celebration begins today Get the latest headlines delivered straight to your inbox with the Express & Star’s free newsletter Among those to attend the tea party will be 100-year-old Second World War veteran, Alan Kennett, from Lichfield who will be leading the VE Day processions in London today Mr Kennett will be leading the procession of some 1,300 members of the armed forces marching through the streets of central London but not before he sits down for a spot of tea with King Charles III In an earlier interview with the PA news agency Mr Kennett recalled being 'gobsmacked' after bumping into his father by chance during the Allied invasion of Normandy he said he was working on one of the aircraft following the landing in Normandy when "one of the lads" came up and informed him that a soldier was looking for him “Then up comes my father – I had no idea he was there,” he said as he remembered meeting his father Leonard We just congratulated each other and it was in the local newspaper Mr Kennett was 18 years old when he joined the RAF in 1942 with the story of his chance meeting with his father even making the papers at the time which will begin with Warrant Officer Emmy Jones handing over the Commonwealth War Graves Torch For Peace to Mr Kennett He said: "I will feel very proud - to think I'm still here I just remember those that didn't come back Also attending the tea party will be Joyce Wilding who enlisted with the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry at the age of 19 who was a Wren at Bletchley Park where Nazi messages were intercepted is also among the 10 female veterans who served as codebreakers who lied about his age to respond to the call to join the RAF Home Events Find a team Find a person Find a church Find a job The Vocations and Training team is headed by The Revd Preb Dr Jeanette Hartwell, and encourages nurtures and equips those exploring vocations and those training for formal ministry Discernment and support for lay and ordained ministry is offered by a team of Vocation Advisers Directors for Ordinands and Vocations and Training Coordinators The team offers a range of training and resources for discipleship as well as diocesan training for Lay Ministry.  Please explore the links to the right of this page to see what is available Jeanette has overall responsibility for the Vocations & Training Team.  The team incorporates: Lay training (including Reader training) ministry development review (MDR) and clergy wellbeing She also oversees the Team as they aim to encourage people across the diocese to think about Romita has the responsibility for encouraging and nurturing vocations to ordained ministry She is also responsible for establishing and implementing ordination strategies in the diocese Romita also oversees the team of Assistant Directors of Ordinands Peter is one of the members of the team who has the chance to help people explore their vocation Alison is one of the members of the team who has the chance to help people explore their vocation Colin is one of the members of the team who has the chance to help people explore their vocation Helen is one of the members of the team who has the chance to help people explore their vocation Helen works with those at the beginning of their vocational journey and with those interested in lay ministries Helen supports those on Reader Training and also oversees Pathways Cath looks after Reader Licences and PtOs and those at the early stages of exploring their vocation Jane looks after the ongoing review and development process for ordained clergy those are programmes known as 'Ministry Development Review' and 'Continuing Ministerial Development' For general enquiries please contact Angela or Helen in the first instance Cookies Policy | Privacy Notice   These cookies are required for the operation of the site and cannot be managed We use Google Analytics to track page visits through the site the route someone took through the site and an approximate location for the user This cookie helps us to understand a user's route through the site This does not record any personal details or monitor anything you type in our forms Almost half the results have been returned overnight with the remaining 32 seats declaring later today The Reform UK Party is leading in the Staffordshire County Council election Ballots cast on 1 May have already been counted overnight in four districts and boroughs while the remaining results will be declared later today All the Council’s 62 divisions are being contested and with each returning one councillor The four district and borough areas returning results overnight were Lichfield Ballots will be counted today for the remaining 32 seats in the Cannock Chase Stafford and Staffordshire Moorlands areas The Conservatives have controlled the county council since winning in 2009 and entered this election holding 53 seats with five for Labour and four for independent councillors More detail about the results is available here These contact details are for journalists and members of the media only: Email: pressoffice@staffordshire.gov.ukCall: 01785 895050 If you are not a journalist or member of the media and have a general enquiry please: Email: contactus@staffordshire.gov.ukCall: 0300 111 8000 Deaf Church brings deaf and hearing Christians together through services that use British Sign Language (BSL) as the main means of communicating. It is led by Revd Susan Myatt It has spread to various congregations across the Diocese of Lichfield an area with a population of over two million which includes Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent the Black Country and most of Shropshire in recent years The service is led by Revd Susan with the support of Ernest Seager Members of the congregation also offer support during the service by leading worship reading Bible passages and creating activities for periods of reflection British Sign Language interpreters attend the church which makes the service accessible to deaf and hearing people that wish to attend In the past the church has had sermons delivered by the Bishop of Lichfield and archdeacons which are always well received by the congregation Open Hands Signing Church was launched in January 2019 and is served by Revd Susan Myatt The services are conducted entirely in British Sign Language hearing or deaf is welcome to attend and will be able to access the service Open Hands also runs Open Hands Cafe on the first and third Monday of every month at Rising Brook Community Church This group is designed to get people together informally to support one another and discuss faith where people can come along to meet new people and create craft items for fun and fellowship which are then given out to people within the Deaf community through our pastoral work Open Hands also joins with Lichfield Diocese Deaf Church in Penkridge on the 4th Sunday of every month Members of the congregation come from Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding areas After the service people are welcome to stay and share in refreshments and fellowship Work to install two new crossings to aid pedestrians and cyclists on a busy roundabout junction in Lichfield begins on Monday 3 February The six-week scheme will see a new pedestrian crossing installed on the southern section of the Bowling Green roundabout close to Friary Road A pedestrian/cyclist crossing will also be installed on Friary Road near the junction approach It’s an entirely developer-funded project and includes new road markings resurfacing and improved footways with tactile paving installed temporary traffic management will be in operation throughout the scheme and include lane closures and some overnight closures for surfacing the team will move on to Cappers Lane at the roundabout junction with Europa Way and Austin Cote Lane where new non-signalled crossing points will be installed on both the Cappers Lane northbound approach to the junction and on the approach to the junction on Europa Way This will start in mid-March and be completed by 1 May Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for strategic highways Mark Deaville said: “This developer-funded scheme will significantly improve pedestrian safety on the Bowling Green roundabout with two new crossing installed.“While work takes place there will be some disruption due to necessary traffic management so we’d like to thank people in advance for their patience.“As soon as this scheme is completed where improvements will be made to the crossing points.” Both schemes are funded by Persimmon Homes People can find out more by visiting the scheme webpage. Greens and Independents each take one seat Council leader Alan White loses his Lichfield Rural East seat to Reform The Conservatives had a strong majority before the election It's been a historic day in Staffordshire with the Conservatives losing control of the county council to Reform UK We'll bring you more reaction over the coming days as Reform councillors look to start running the authority Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'People voted on national issues'published at 17:36 British Summer Time 2 May17:36 BST 2 MayActing Conservative leader Philip White was among the handful of Tories to retain their seats He believes his colleagues lost their seats because people were voting on national issues White said it had been "decided on national issues rather than our local performance" He added: "What we’re proud of as Staffordshire Conservatives is that we will be handing over an extremely well-run council efficient and in a good place to serve the people of Staffordshire well for years to come." Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingReform promise to sort out potholespublished at 17:21 British Summer Time 2 May17:21 BST 2 MaySean Bagguley the new Reform councillor for Stone Rural North following his victory over veteran Conservative Ian Parry has promised potholes would be a priority for his party He said: “The roads have been a disgrace for a long time "People have seen their council tax going up and they have had promises from people I’m a great fan of going through the council and auditing them – we need an audit.” Tory cabinet members to lose their seats included Mark Deaville Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingFarage addresses climate change and DE&I planspublished at 17:09 British Summer Time 2 May17:09 BST 2 MayAnna WhittakerPolitical reporter has said his party’s performance in these elections are “a truly historic landmark” and “marks the end of two party politics as we’ve known it for over a century.” Speaking to his newly elected councillors in County Durham he urged them to “stick to our principles” warning “anyone working at Durham County Council on climate change initiatives or thinks they can go on working from home I think you all better really be seeking alternative careers.” “We want to give council taxpayers better value for money reduce the scale of local government back to what it ought to be - providing social care Farage said voters wouldn’t get the change they wanted from Labour or Conservatives - “we are the agenda of change we are the ones unafraid to stand up for our principles” Reform UK leader Nigel Farage congratulates new councillors in County Durham Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'We need to be a good opposition'published at 16:56 British Summer Time 2 May16:56 BST 2 MayThe new leader of the Conservative group on Staffordshire County Council is Philip White and he said it has been "a really tough 24 hours" for his party he said they need to be a "good opposition" and hold the incoming Reform UK administration to account because "we've got a Reform group of councillors who have come in with no experience of local government" He said Reform had run a "very clever election campaign," which had resulted in it claiming control of a number of local authorities But he added:"They need to run those councils for local people not just on national issues." Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingReform UK prepare to take power in Staffordshirepublished at 16:39 British Summer Time 2 May16:39 BST 2 MayAnna WhittakerReporter It has certainly been a historic day for Reform UK A party which didn’t hold a single seat on Staffordshire County Council just 24 hours ago is now gearing up to lead an authority with a budget of more than £700m They came into the contest hopeful but cautious – and they have left it elated Newly elected Martin Murray for Cannock Town – who is also the party’s county coordinator – said there are a busy few weeks ahead arranging their new cabinet and committee members He promised that vital services will continue as normal Murray described Staffordshire as the “forgotten county of England” – but what will they do to put it back on the map As well as their national pledges around immigration and net zero - leader Nigel Farage said Reform will bring in auditors to examine council spending and get rid of waste He also says he wants to end a culture of working from home in local government Their win marks an unprecedented moment in local politics and the exact details of what Reform UK will do in power remains yet to be seen Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingHeadlines: A big win for Reform UKpublished at 16:28 British Summer Time 2 May16:28 BST 2 MayGoing into this election the Conservatives had absolute control over Staffordshire County Council but that has changed with Reform UK winning 49 of the 62 seats Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingBadenoch says she expected a set of tough resultspublished at 16:17 British Summer Time 2 May16:17 BST 2 MayImage source Getty ImagesIn a social media post earlier the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: "These were always going to be a very difficult set of elections coming off the high of 2021 and our historic defeat last year - and so it's proving." She also offered her "sincerest commiserations to those who have lost today" But she added: "The renewal of our party has only just begun and I'm determined to win back the trust of the public and the seats we've lost Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingTory resistance in Lichfield and East Staffspublished at 16:02 British Summer Time 2 May16:02 BST 2 MayLooking at the political map of the county now it is a sea of Reform-turquoise But there are a couple of areas where the Conservatives clung on and notably they held on to three of the six seats in Lichfield They also held on to three in East Staffordshire with their other councillors scattered around the county Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingReform not quite as dominant in share of votepublished at 15:44 British Summer Time 2 May15:44 BST 2 MayReform have won a big majority on Staffordshire County Council but while their share of the vote is also impressive the gap between them and the Conservatives is not quite as big won 27% of the vote and Labour came third with 16% rather than the first-past-the-post system there would have been 25 Reform councillors 17 Conservatives and 10 Labour councillors with other parties taking the remaining seats Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'Now we see how Reform would run a council'published at 14:58 British Summer Time 2 May14:58 BST 2 MayJosh Newbury has said he believes people voted for Reform UK because they were "impatient for change" But now Reform have control of Staffordshire County Council he said: "I think it's going to give us that opportunity now to look beyond the headlines and policies on leaflets and see how Reform would actually run a council "They've made a lot of promises to people about the things they're going to deliver like cutting millions of pounds from the budget without impacting front-line services." He also accepted it had been disappointing for Labour not to have picked up any seats on the local authority but said it was "quite unusual for a governing party to make gains at a local election" Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWhat does your council do for you?published at 14:42 British Summer Time 2 May14:42 BST 2 MayChloe HughesBBC News Let’s take a look at what the county council does. It is responsible for services like social care public libraries and long-term strategic planning Other public services in the county council area are controlled by the more local district councils Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingFinal results are inpublished at 14:26 British Summer Time 2 May14:26 BST 2 MayBreakingWe've just had the final results announced in the Staffordshire County Council elections Reform UK were the clear winners with 49 councillors the Green Party and Independents won one seat each Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingReform party coordinator makes promises to voterspublished at 14:04 British Summer Time 2 May14:04 BST 2 MayMore now from Reform UK's coordinator for Staffordshire He expects a busy weekend with lots of meetings as his party gets ready to take over the running of the county council Nothing will change at first," he said Speaking about the services the council provides he went on to tell voters: "What you get now you will always have." He also said people would "hopefully get more" in future Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingGreen councillor hopes new regime will listenpublished at 13:58 British Summer Time 2 May13:58 BST 2 MayJack Rose the new Green Party member on Staffordshire County Council says he hopes the new Reform UK regime will be "open to listening to new ideas" He is the first Green councillor on the authority and said he hoped members of minority parties would get a greater chance to put forward proposals But he said: "Usually when you get majority control you don't get much democracy in terms of listening to other points of view." The Reform win could be viewed in two ways there would be concern about a lack of experience in cabinet roles but on the other new councillors could be open to new ideas Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingConservative suggests Reform wins a 'protest vote'published at 13:45 British Summer Time 2 May13:45 BST 2 MayWhile Simon Tagg had a good night personally his Conservative colleagues have had a bad election "Longstanding councillors are losing their seats not only across this county but across the area," he said "I think it shows the dissatisfaction with the two parties - Labour and Conservatives." He also noted his party had been unpopular in its final years in national government and believed people were looking for a change or a protest vote Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingTory deputy leader holds on to seatpublished at 13:39 British Summer Time 2 May13:39 BST 2 MayA lot of Conservative councillors have lost their seats He finished ahead of Reform UK's Paul Allen by more than 300 votes in the Dove ward was not so fortunate though and was among the high profile losses for the Conservatives losing his Lichfield Rural East seat to Reform UK Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingReform UK now have more than 40 councillorspublished at 13:26 British Summer Time 2 May13:26 BST 2 MayReform UK are now up to 41 seats on Staffordshire Borough Council they had none going into this election and the Conservatives held 53 Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingIndependent expects continuation not new startpublished at 13:19 British Summer Time 2 May13:19 BST 2 MayIt wasn't just Conservatives who lost their seats to Reform UK But Independent councillor Jill Hood held on to Stone Urban beating her Reform UK challenger by more than 300 votes She first won the ward eight years ago and said she believed returning under a new regime would be more of a continuation than a new start Ms Hood said she had been watching the Reform wins piling up and admitted she "never imagined it would be easy" But she said she "worked quietly to get things done" and added: "I like people and I like Stone people in particular." Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'Change is needed' - Reform councillorpublished at 13:09 British Summer Time 2 May13:09 BST 2 MaySean Bagguley Reform UK's new councillor for Stone Rural North has said he had been looking to get involved in politics for a long time "There is a message being sent to the two main parties that change is needed," he said Mr Bagguley said his fellow Reform councillors would bring in "a lot of skills from outside" and many came from business backgrounds where they were used to "making a profit" Mr Bagguley said a priority for his party would be looking for where it could make savings and spend "wasted" money elsewhere We use some essential cookies to make this website work We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use wmas.nhs.uk remember your settings and improve our services We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services Shaunna Farley – Friday 11th April 2025 – 4:30pm A man has died following a collision on Stafford Road in Lichfield this afternoon West Midlands Ambulance Service was called shortly before 1pm to a road traffic collision involving a motorbike and a lamppost on Stafford Road in Lichfield two paramedic officers and the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance attended the scene A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “Upon arrival we found a man who was the motorcyclist in a critical condition with life threatening injuries “Ambulance staff quickly began administering advanced life support to him despite their best efforts it became clear that nothing more could be done to save him and he was confirmed deceased at the scene Copyright © 2025 West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust Lovingly crafted by Mixd A major upgrade to a main road junction in Lichfield to provide access to a new housing development will get under way this month The nine-month developer-funded scheme will see the A5192 Eastern Avenue junction with Watery Lane upgraded to include additional lanes signs and road markings and improved drainage It will begin next Monday 27 January and is scheduled for completion in late November So that work to be carried out safely and as quickly as possible traffic management will be in place throughout the scheme Details will be publicised as the project progresses The improved junction will enable safe and improved access onto Watery Lane and the new Redrow Homes Curborough Lakes development Plans for more housing on adjacent land are expected to be submitted this year Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for strategic highways Mark Deaville said: “The upgrade to this junction is needed to provide safe access off the busy Eastern Avenue onto Watery Lane and what will be a substantial new homes development.“This developer-funded scheme is scheduled for a late autumn finish and there will be some disruption during the works so we’d like to thank people in advance for their patience.“We will keep people update on progress and changes to traffic management throughout the scheme.” People can find out more at the scheme webpage under the Lichfield roadworks section of the county council’s website For any enquiries about the scheme, people should contact: mevans@mcphillips.co.uk Enter a location to help give the most relevant search result for you Clear Uniqueness:Does the establishment stand out in the context of the local area Warmth:How warm is the service and the hospitality in general Strength of recommendation:How enthusiastically and widely would you recommend the establishment this white roadside pub is a spirited foodie destination it’s now one of a new breed of country restaurants It helps that it has a chef-proprietor with experience at the fancy end of the culinary spectrum – Restaurant Story Eleven Madison Park – but that is not to say Liam Dillon is cooking haute cuisine This place is all about classy renditions of 'absolutely delicious' food everyone wants to eat often local produce (some grown in the polytunnel in the Boat's garden) is the jumping-off point for forthright seasonal dishes with the three-course carte and four- or six-course tasters striking many alluring modern British chords a mini sausage of the leg wrapped in home-grown chard and petals of baby onion adding acidity or a perfectly cooked piece of cod with ce.. or a perfectly cooked piece of cod with celeriac purée a deep-fried potato ring and dollop of Avruga caviar It all ends on a high with a well-made chocolate parfait nuggets of white chocolate ‘Aero’ and a deeply flavoured malt ice cream topped with a milk crisp Dishes are flagged with intelligent wine pairings but do seek the sommelier’s guidance as the full list ventures beyond the usual suspects focussing on the organic and sustainable.  Walsall Road, Muckley CornerLichfieldStaffordshire WS14 0BUGB View opening times Make a reservation Chester brings a distinctive flair to the dining scene in Cheshire with a growing number of restaurants that balance creativity From bold Mediterranean flavours to plant-led plates and modern British cooking Ahead of the next instalment of our Claridge’s Supper Series we caught up with Elly Wentworth from The Angel The South Hams boasts some of the most beautiful stretches of the English coastline with fertile farmland stretching from sea-sprayed headlands to steep rolling pasture and cool It’s home to a fiercely local food and drink scene and .. Samantha Miller and Jane Baxter’s eccentrically located restaurant  brings people together in a shared table format Here’s a light summer recipe to bring to your dining table Have we seen the last gasp of late night London Critic and Good Food Guide columnist Jimi Famurewa doesn't think so Some of the best restaurants in the city will still seat you come 10pm Bangkok Diners Club began life as District a Thai fusion tasting menu restaurant on nearby Oldham Street that attracted plaudits from local and national press before closing in 2022 due to financial difficulties.  few things are as uncomfortable as having to hurriedly recalibrate opinions about a formerly wholehearted recommendation I excitedly dragged my wife along for a very late Restaurant Index Our website uses cookies to improve your experience and personalise content. Cookies are small files placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. They are widely used to improve your experience of a website, gather reporting information and show relevant advertising. You can allow all cookies or manage them for yourself. You can find out more on our cookies page any time These cookies are needed for essential functions such as signing in and making payments These cookies help us optimise our website based on data Using these cookies we will know which web pages customers enjoy reading most and what products are most popular The next Chief Executive Officer of Lichfield Diocese is to be Mrs Sam Rushton After a career in retail banking and most recently in the leadership team of the Diocese of York she brings to Lichfield the skills that will help maintain and develop the culture of teamworking and collaboration among diocesan staff and structures This will support parishes in their role as local places of encounter with Christian faith as the whole diocese engages with making real the diocese’s soon to be launched strategy for 2025-2030 in 421 parishes in The Black Country Mrs Rushton who will be based at St Mary’s House next to the cathedral holding the distinction of being The Friary School’s first female Head Prefect it was the Friary School’s carol service in Lichfield Cathedral which was her first opportunity to speak in church: reading the Old Testament She still recalls it clearly: ‘The wolf will live with the lamb the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.’ (Isaiah 11:6 Mrs Rushton entered the banking industry as a graduate trainee with Lloyds Bank and then spent 10 years in strategy and planning and programme management.  During her career in Lloyds Bank she undertook a number of strategic reviews at Board level TSB Scotland and Lloyds Bank International based in Geneva.  She led two major change programmes before leaving in 2002 to train for ordained ministry.  Mrs Rushton found Christian faith when she and her husband Attending a church where the Vicar was committed to nurture and growth and her vocation was kindled through learning and service Her ministry has since focused on enabling and equipping ‘ordinary parish ministry’ Mrs Rushton observes: “When it is working well it is anything but ordinary,” adding: “As diocesan CEO I want to make it possible for every parish to serve their local community effectively and with joy and to bring the Kingdom of God a step closer in their local place every day. It is a joy to be returning to Lichfield and I look forward to working with the staff at St Mary’s House whose reputation precedes them. I shall miss North Yorkshire but it feels somehow fitting to be following in the footsteps of St Chad who journeyed from Lastingham on the edge of the North York Moors to Lichfield!” Ordained in 2005 after studying at Trinity Theological College then became Diocesan Adviser for Licensed Ministry serving in Cleveland and then York as well as spending a year as Director of Strategic Transformation “It was always my intention to be a parish priest but God obviously had other ideas using the leadership gifts and experience gained in one large organisation committed to serving local communities to serve his church in similar ways. God always has a better plan for us than we could imagine for ourselves “Sam commended herself to us with her career equally divided between banking and diocesan leadership her passion for parishes and her grasp of what it takes to bring about effective change. I commend her to our parishes communities and equally our committees as someone they can do business with They will more often than not find that they are on the same side.” “The Diocese of Lichfield has made an inspired appointment of Sam Rushton as its new CEO. In the Diocese of York we have known Sam as someone who brings wisdom and experience from inside and outside the church with an analytical mind and a warm heart So much of our diocesan strategy is down to Sam. As Sam finds her feet in Lichfield whose work and presence in training and supporting lay ministry has been a blessing to us. We will miss her but will continue to work through the themes we have discerned with her help seeking still to live Christ’s story here in York. Sam and our thanks for all you have been to us.” The Chair of Lichfield Diocesan Board of Finance “Mrs Rushton’s broad experience of financial institutions and the church offer great confidence that she can steer a path between financial prudence and making sure that available resources support growing mission and ministry.” Mrs Rushton enjoys reading crime fiction in whatever spare time there is Her husband Peter is a Reader (Licensed Lay Minister) in York Diocese where he is also Deputy Warden of Readers and a theological tutor She and Peter look forward to serving a local church: “It will be a joy to be worshipping and serving together in a rooted community of faith again.  The local church is where the heart of Christ beats strongest.” She will take up her post at the end of April