THE new Dean of Ripon has been named by the Church of England as the Rev Canon John Dobson.

Canon Dobson will take over following the death of his predecessor Canon Keith Jukes, and will be welcomed this morning at Ripon Cathedral and at Ripon Cathedral Primary School.

Canon Dobson, 49, was brought up in Swillington, south east of Leeds, and currently Vicar of Blackwell All Saints and Salutation and Priest-in-Charge of Coniscliffe. He also serves as Area Dean of Darlington and is an Honorary Canon of Durham Cathedral.

He said: “I’m delighted to be coming to Ripon: it’s both a huge privilege and a challenging responsibility – and it’s at a particularly exciting time as the new diocese of West Yorkshire & the Dales is born.”