PRESS RELEASE

CATHEDRAL CANON TO BE LONDON VICAR

It was announced that Canon Chris Chivers (42) is to be the next Vicar of John Keble, Mill Hill, London .

Canon Chivers, who has for the past five years been Canon Chancellor at Blackburn Cathedral and founding Director of exChange, the cathedral's award-winning education, outreach, community cohesion, and interfaith development agency, will take up his duties in September.

He brings wide experience to the Mill Hill community, having worked previously as a Precentor, in charge of the worship of two of the world's most contrasting communities: Westminster Abbey and St George's Cathedral, Cape Town .

His present post has seen him pioneer interfaith work on local, national and international stages, especially through his public dialogues with Anjum Anwar MBE, whose appointment as the first Muslim to work on the staff of a cathedral anywhere in the world was his initiative.

His interfaith interests were kindled during a curacy in Friern Barnet, where he established close relationships with North London 's Jewish community. In Cape Town he chaired the inter-faith support group for Africa 's only Holocaust Centre and is a member of the local advisory group for the annual National Holocaust Memorial Day as well as an advisor to many public bodies.

A freelance journalist and broadcaster - he writes for The Guardian, The Church Times and The Tablet, among other publications – he is a Presenter for BBC Radio 4's Daily Service, a trustee of various organisations, a published composer and the author of several books. He is married to Mary (43) – who was born in Friern Barnet and who has been resident in the Borough for most of her life. In her twenties she abseiled down the tower of John Keble Church for a local charity! They have three children, Dominic (11), Gregory (9) and Jonathan (3).

Commenting on his appointment he said: "I am very much looking forward to joining the community at John Keble as they begin to celebrate their 75th anniversary year. Whilst I shall miss the immense challenges and opportunities that Lancashire has offered, especially in relation to some of the toughest contemporary issues for our contemporary world, I know that there is so much to learn from the challenges people face in Mill Hill. I look forward to being with people and to what we shall be able to do together."

One previous vicar of John Keble Church shares both Blackburn and Westminster Abbey connections with Canon Chivers. Rennie Simpson, vicar from 1957 to 1965, had previously been Succentor of Blackburn Cathedral and went on to be Precentor of Westminster Abbey.

For further biographical information see http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Reverend_Canon_Chris_Chivers or phone 07706632508