Elections concluded last week for mid-term vacancies in this diocese's General Synod clergy representatives.
The vacancies arose as clergy moved to new posts in other dioceses - Revd Zoe Hemings to Newcastle Cathedral, Revd Matt Beer to Oxford Diocese.
In their stead were elected Revd Dr Abbie Walsh, vicar of St Michael's Lichfield and St John's Wall (left) and Revd Neil Robbie, vicar of Holy Tinity West Bromwich (centre).
Abbie was an inner-city GP before ordination and her election address focussed primarily on advocating for clergy wellbeing and care for creation - she is a member of the diocesan Green Team and the cathedral's Environment Committee.
Neil leads a church with members from twenty different countries and is keen to see the Church have a better understanding of intercultural church. His election address notes that he has previously driven two motions from his deanery through diocesan synod: one resulted in a change in the national Church Representation Rules to align with Safeguarding. His second led to the diocese becoming the first to adopt a vexatious and malicisous complaints policy.
General Synod elections use a transferable vote system where voters list an order of preference. In each round, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated and each ballot that had them as first choice is then added to voters' second choice.
The third vacancy arose following the resignation of Revd Damian Feeney following the February 2025 General Synod sessions. This was after the election process began but the rules and voting system means it is relativley straightforward for the third place candidate to be identied and elected: this is Revd Dr Christopher Landau (right).
Christopher's election address explains that he was previously a journalist and religious affairs correspondent for the BBC World Service. Since ordination he's covered a mix of parish and chaplaincy roles and came to Telford in 2021 to lead the work of ReSource which supports anglican and other churches nationwide in spiritual renewal.