to read the full press release – Cannon Chancellor

MEDIA RELEASE
Truro Cathedral Appoints New Canon Chancellor
Left: The Revd Canon Alan Bashforth MA, BTh.
Right: Canon Alan preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee in 2013.
Truro, Cornwall, September 12, 2014: The Chapter of Truro Cathedral is pleased to announce that the
Revd Canon Alan Bashforth MA, BTh, is to be the next Canon Chancellor of Truro Cathedral. Alan is
currently Vicar of St Agnes with Mount Hawke and Mithian, Priest in Charge of Truro St Clements and
Non-Residentiary Canon of Truro Cathedral. He will be installed by the Dean on behalf of the Chapter
at Truro Cathedral at 4pm on Sunday 12th October at Evensong. The Canon Chancellor holds
responsibility for the Cathedral’s work of public theology, theological reflection and of Christian
education.
Alan was ordained Deacon in Truro Cathedral in June 1996 to serve the Parish of Calstock and was
ordained Priest the following year in Calstock Parish Church. In 1998 he married his wife, Lis, and
moved to St Ives where he worked for three years before moving to St Agnes in 2001 where he
commenced his most recent role.
Commenting on his time at St Agnes, Alan said; “By the time I leave my post as Vicar of St Agnes and
Mount Hawke with Mithian, I will have held that post for 4,872 days. That amounts to around thirteen
and a half years. It has been a privilege to serve the churches and the communities that I have been a
part of in that time.”
Beyond Parish life, Alan co-founded and helped to facilitate the Diocesan Youth Synod from 20012004; he was elected Rural Dean of Powder (the Truro Deanery) in 2004, undertaking this role for
almost ten years; he became a member of the Bishop’s Executive and in 2005 became a member of
the General Synod. He has a passion for teaching (with particular interest in the letters of St Paul) and
has welcomed many curates and students through the years to provide a ‘hands on’ experience of
ministry.
Speaking about his appointment to the position of Canon Chancellor, Alan said; “I am excited at the
prospect of helping the Cathedral to continue to develop as a place of thinking, conversation and
dialogue, on all sorts of levels in the years ahead. Many people I meet still want to talk about and
experience God and the Cathedral is a remarkable place in which we might help them to do that. I look
forward to being part of the team that can make the conversation and experience happen.”
The Very Reverend Roger Bush, Dean of Truro, said “We are thrilled that Alan will be joining our
Cathedral family in the role of Canon Chancellor. He has already made a very significant contribution to
the work of the Diocese and the Cathedral, and his knowledge, insight and passion will help us
enormously in our goal to inspire and engage all who experience this wonderful building. We are all
looking forward to supporting him as he takes forward the educational, theological and artistic aspects
of Truro Cathedral.”
ENDS
For further information or an interview, contact Colin Reid, Communications Officer, Truro Cathedral
on 01872 245007
Notes to Editors:
About Truro Cathedral
Traditional worship has been at the heart of Truro Cathedral since it was consecrated in 1887. Beyond that core purpose, it
has served the community in which it stands in a range of ways, often pioneering innovative and imaginative schemes that
sit with its spiritual ethos. Recent examples include the ice rink, a Jubilee dinner in the Nave, theatre productions on the
Cathedral Green and a singing outreach programme that involved more than one hundred primary schools and became the
basis of a major government initiative rolled out across England. It is the Mother Church of the Diocese of Truro (which
includes Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and two parishes in Devon) and the seat of the Bishop of Truro.
About The Revd Canon Alan Bashforth MA, BTh
Alan was born in Rotherham, South Yorkshire in October 1964 and moved to Hayle, Cornwall, with his family at the age of
12. From 1983- 1990 Canon Alan worked as a Police Officer for South Yorkshire Police, serving both in uniform and for a
short time as a CID Officer. During his time as an officer, Canon Alan attended the Hillsborough Disaster in 1989 – it was the
experience of dealing day-to-day with such traumatic events that started his journey to faith in the hope for a better world.
From 1990-1993 he worked as an auxiliary nurse at Marie Therese House, a unit which provides rehabilitation for people
with a range of neurological conditions together with physical disability. Whilst here, Alan began to study theology and from
1993-1996 trained for ordination at Ripon College, completing a Bachelor of Theology degree as part of the training. He was
ordained Deacon in Truro Cathedral in June 1996 to serve the Parish of Calstock and was ordained Priest the following year
in Calstock Parish Church. In 1998 Canon Alan married his wife, Lis, and moved to St Ives where he worked for three years
before moving to St Agnes in 2001 to undertake the role of Vicar of St Agnes with Mount Hawke and Mithian. In 2001, he
achieved an MA degree from Exeter University and co-founded the Diocesan Youth Synod which he helped to facilitate until
2004. Elected Rural Dean of Powder (the Truro Deanery) in 2004, Alan served in this role for almost 10 years. In 2005 he was
elected to be a member of the General Synod – which he remains to be today. In 2009 He was elected as the Chair of the
House of Clergy of Truro Diocesan Synod and is a member of the Bishop’s Executive and Chair of House. Involved for many
years in teaching the New Testament to Readers and others in training, the parishes Alan has ministered have been valued
for the training they provide and have welcomed many curates and various students, providing a ‘hands on’ experience of
ministry. Through this training work, he was invited to be a Trustee of the South West Ministry Training Course and recently
also became a Trustee of the St Luke’s College Educational Foundation. Canon Alan lives with his wife, Lis, and Bounce, a
much loved ten year old Border Collie. When relaxing, Canon Alan enjoys walking holidays in France and, as a selfproclaimed ‘sportaholic’, watching any sport that involves a ball, and playing rugby and cricket when time allows.

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