THE BISHOP of St Asaph has announced the appointment of a new Reverend to be the Archdeacon of Wrexham.

The Bishop has announced the appointment of the Revd Canon Dr Hayley Matthews to be the new Archdeacon and her diocese is set to include Chirk and other towns and villages east along the Welsh/English border.

Dr Matthews is currently Director of Lay Training in the Diocese of Leeds and will be installed as Archdeacon of Wrexham at a special service in St Asaph Cathedral on Sunday March 5.

The Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron said he is delighted for Dr Matthews to take on the role. 

He said: "Hayley brings a track record of empowerment of both clergy and laity to enable us to be the church God intends us to be.

"We believe Hayley can make a transformative contribution to the churches and communities across the Diocese of St Asaph."

OTHER NEWS:

Hayley Matthews will look after the Archdeaconry of Wrexham which includes the city of Wrexham and stretches north to Deeside and south to include the communities of Ruabon and Chirk.

The city of Wrexham includes the diocese’s only Resource Church, Hope Street.

It opened during the pandemic in the former Burton clothes store in the centre of Wrexham.

Just over the road is the historic St Giles’ Church, described as one of the Seven Wonders of Wales.

Dr Matthews said: "I am delighted to be joining the people and city of Wrexham at this exciting time in their history.

"Hope Street and St Giles are wonderful examples of the diversity of Church in Wales faith communities to be found in our area.

"I very much look forward to working with them all, and with our chaplains, lay leaders and clergy as we seek to share the Good News of Christ’s love with everyone."

Before training as a priest, Hayley worked in education, developing virtual learning environments and with Blackpool Local Education Authority promoting inclusion through the Excellence in Cities programme.

Hayley has two children, four Chinese Crested dogs, a cat and a motorbike. She and her family enjoy the outdoors, reading and travelling.

Moving to Wales will give her the opportunity to explore her grandfather’s family links to Ruabon and Wrexham.

Hayley Matthews succeeds John Lomas as Archdeacon of Wrexham who was appointed as the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon in November 2021.  

The Diocese of St Asaph is one of the six dioceses in the Church in Wales, an autonomous province in the worldwide Anglican Communion.