Church appoints new bishop for Peterborough, Northants and Rutland

The Right Reverend Debbie Sellin will be the first female Bishop of Peterborough

A Church of England diocese has appointed its first-ever female bishop.

The Right Reverend Debbie Sellin has been chosen as the next Bishop of Peterborough, following the retirement of the Right Reverend Donald Allister in January.

She is currently the Bishop of Southampton and has been standing in as Bishop of Winchester.

The Diocese of Peterborough covers the city, as well as Northamptonshire and Rutland.

Bishop Sellin, whose nomination has been approved by the King, will be installed in a ceremony at Peterborough Cathedral early next year

She was brought up in a rectory but initially worked as a manager in the National Health Service.

She began training for the priesthood in 2004, becoming a vicar in 2010 and an area dean in 2015.

'Attracted to diversity'

She became Bishop of Southampton - a suffragan or assistant bishop post - in 2019, describing the appointment as "exciting and daunting at the same time."

Bishop Sellin took temporary charge of the Diocese of Winchester when the Right Reverend Tim Dakin retired in 2022.

She is married to a professor of physics and has two grown-up sons.

She said: "I'm really attracted to the diversity of the diocese. I want every parish to thrive in the way that God is calling them to, and if I'm able to help parishes in that, that is something I'm very committed to."

Bishop Debbie will be installed in a ceremony at Peterborough Cathedral

The Right Reverend John Holbrook, Acting Bishop of Peterborough, said: "I am thrilled that Debbie has agreed to serve as the next Bishop of Peterborough.

"She has great experience of bringing unity and identity to a large and diverse diocese and a mission to see our parishes and their communities thrive."