Bishop of Leeds receives Linguists’ Award

THE Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Revd Nick Baines, has been awarded the Chartered Institute of Linguists’ David Crystal Trophy. The award is given to individuals who have made “an outstanding contribution to the field of languages throughout their life and career”. Previous winners have included Bridget Kendall, Susie Dent, and Frank Gardner. Bernadette Holmes, who chairs the CIOL Awards Committee, said to Bishop Baines: “You have been a champion for languages for so long, starting out your career as a linguist and using your language skills and cultural knowledge actively in your ministry in the Church, especially in your work with the Meissen Commission.”

Parents join call to expand inner-city school

A PRIMARY school’s plan to bring “levelling up” to Newcastle-upon-Tyne is being backed by hundreds of residents. Parents recently launched a petition backing proposals for the enlargement of St Paul’s C of E Primary School, Elswick, into an all-through school for children aged three to 16. More than 700 people have now added their support to the plans put forward by St Paul’s governors. The Vicar of Elswick, the Revd George Curry, thanked the community for its support. “The governors of St Paul’s here in Elswick believe that the only way of achieving such ‘levelling up’ is by doing it ourselves.”

Credit Union holds loan rates steady

THE Churches Mutual Credit Union, which was founded in 2010 and authorised five years later, reported a resilient financial position at its recent AGM. It made a surplus, and was able to pay a small dividend on savings accounts. Bearing in mind the cost-of-living crisis, the Union took the decision to hold its new loan rates steady “for the time being”, although this will be reviewed later in the year. The Archdeacon of Dorset, the Ven. Antony MacRow-Wood, Churches Mutual’s founding president, said: “I am so glad that Churches Mutual was able to withstand the pandemic, helping any of our borrowers in difficulties, while maintaining sound capital and liquidity ratios, and continuing to lend.”