A FORMER civil servant who hails from an ex mining community in Wales will be the new Bishop of Jarrow.

An announcement made by Downing Street this morning confirmed that the next Bishop of Jarrow Designate is The Venerable Canon Sarah Clark.

Currently Archdeacon of Nottingham, she was licensed to her current post in October 2014, having previously held several appointments in the Diocese since her ordination at Southwell Minister in 1998.

Prior to training for ordination, she was a career civil servant in the Department for Employment.

She hopes her roots in an ex-mining community in the South Wales Valleys gives her a great affinity for the people and places in the Diocese of Durham. The 53-year-old: “I grew up in South Wales in the 70s and early 80s, and I was the first generation to go to university, which is why I left.

"My grandfathers were miners and so was my father in his 20's until he went to work for ICI. My parents still live in the same house I grew up in, in the same community that my father went onto represent as a local councillor.

“I was taught the importance of giving to your community and looking out for those who were struggling long before I came to faith in Jesus Christ. When I was growing up, open cast mining had been finished for some years but as usual, the slag heaps or the waste as we called it remained. It’s all grown over now with its own beauty and I was strongly reminded of home–except for the sea– when I recently visited Easington pit top.”

The Bishop of Durham, The Rt Revd Paul Butler, said: “I am delighted that the Queen has confirmed the appointment of Sarah as the next Bishop of Jarrow Designate.

"I had the pleasure of working with Sarah whilst I was Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and I know that she will be a great advocate for the communities of our diocese, bring with her a tremendous set of skills and experiences that will help us in our ambitions. “I know Sarah will bring rich gifts in helping people discover and discern their God-given calling, including to ordination. She will also bring a deep commitment to our the priorities of children and young people, tackling poverty together and growing the church in depth, engagement with communities and number.”

Canon Clark added: “I am most looking forward to getting to know the different communities and churches across such a diverse Diocese full of character and with such a rich spiritual heritage. I walked Cuthbert's Way as a pilgrim for my sabbatical in 2014 and deeply appreciate that heritage as a vital part of the renewal of faith in the North East.”

As Bishop of Jarrow, she will take on responsibility for those considering and in training for ordination within the Diocese.

She will be formally consecrated as Bishop at York Minster on February 27 and welcomed into the Diocese with a service at Durham Cathedral on April 7.