THE next Bishop of Brixworth, in the diocese of Peterborough, is to be the Archdeacon of Cambridge, the Ven. Dr Alex Hughes, Downing Street announced on Friday.
He will succeed the Rt Revd John Holbrook, who announced his retirement last year (News, 17 April 2025).
Dr Hughes, who was born in Honiara in the Solomon Islands, has been the Archdeacon of Cambridge and an Honorary Canon of Ely Cathedral since 2014. He trained for ministry at Westcott House, Cambridge, and was ordained priest in 2001. He served his title at Holy Trinity, Headington Quarry, in Oxford diocese, before serving in parishes in the diocese of Portsmouth.
In 2011, he was awarded a Ph.D. by Cambridge University, having previously completed an MPhil there in 1999.
Speaking about his appointment, Dr Hughes said: “I am really drawn to this particular moment in the life of the diocese of Peterborough. It is a time of change and possibility and I am excited to be part of shaping what comes next. I am convinced that this vital work is deeply spiritual: it is about clearing paths and building channels for the Spirit to move.”
The Bishop of Peterborough, the Rt Revd Debbie Sellin, welcomed Dr Hughes to his new post, and said that she was delighted to be working closely with him. “His deep sense of God’s call was clear throughout the process, and I am grateful to everyone who prayed for us. It will be a joy to get to know him better and to discern together God’s will for our life and mission,” she said on Friday.
Dr Hughes was born into a Christian household, and says that he does not remember having a “moment” of conversion. Instead, he recalls experiencing a strong confirmation of his Christian identity during a camp in Peterborough the summer before he began secondary school.
”I didn’t have a dramatic conversion experience, but at that moment I knew clearly that I was a Christian, and that was the identity I was taking with me into the next stage of my life. It feels quietly significant to be returning to Peterborough many years later in this way,” he said.
Dr Hughes is married to Sarah, a psychotherapist, and they have two sons. His hobbies include listening to live music, riding his Triumph Bonneville motorcycle, and running half-marathons.
He will be consecrated in July, and will take up his post in the autumn.