THE new Bishop of Bolton has been revealed.

The Venerable Mark Ashcroft has been officially appointed into the role by the Queen and will succeed former Bishop Chris Edmondson.

The 61-year-old, originally from Cheltenham, has served as the Archdeacon of Manchester and Residentiary Canon of Manchester Cathedral since 2009.

He will be consecrated in October at York Minster by the Archbishop of York and take up his appointment in November.

The new Bishop said he was “honoured and thrilled” to take on the new position and said he can’t wait to get to know the people of Bolton and the surrounding areas.

He said: “I am very excited to be chosen as the Bishop of Bolton, I didn’t expect to be chosen but here I am – I’m just thrilled to have this opportunity to serve the community of Bolton and the other communities that I will serve.”

Those other communities that the new Bishop will serve includes Bury, Salford, Rossendale and parts of Wigan.

The father-of-three met his wife Sally while both were working as volunteers with the Church Mission Society in Kenya, a country the pair later returned to.

Returning to UK, Mark was appointed Rector of Christ Church Harpurhey where he served from 1996 to 2009.

He was then appointed Archdeacon of Manchester.

His role as Archdeacon of Manchester included being a Residentiary Canon at the Cathedral and significant involvement in Greater Manchester Churches together.

He was revealed as the new Bishop of Bolton at The Hope Centre in Johnson Fold, a small church which also includes a food bank for those in need.

He said: “What church at its best does is to care for the vulnerable, like those who are struggling with their finances and are perhaps coming to places like this, the Hope Centre.

“There is debt counselling, food banks, all of these things help people who are in the most need and supporting them will be one of my priorities.”

He added: “But my initial priority is to get to know, appreciate and love the people here in Bolton, to see what is going on in their lives and to help and support them.”

He admitted that he doesn’t know the town well, but is excited to discover “what makes it tick,” adding: “I know Bolton Wanderers is a big player in the town but they aren’t doing too well at the moment — so perhaps a few prayers are needed there.

“But I am very much looking forward to meeting people, finding out about them and their issues and problems but also to celebrating what is great about Bolton.”