THE new Bishop of Bolton – who will serve the community of Bury –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 role of Bishop of Bolton covers communities in Bury, Salford, Rossendale and parts of Wigan as well as Bolton.

The new Bishop visited Bury Market to get to know local stallholders, members of the public and importantly, taste some famous Bury Black Pudding.

He said he is "thrilled and honoured" to take on the position and succeed former Bishop Chris Edmondson.

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.

"Greater Manchester is a fantastic place to live and serve, and I am looking forward to getting to know and love the communities and churches of Rossendale, Salford, Bury, Bolton and parts of Wigan for which I will have particular responsibility as Bishop of Bolton."

The father-of-three, who met his wife Sally while both were working as volunteers in Kenya.

He said he is excited to get to know the Bury community, adding: "It is really important for me to get to know the community of Bury and find out what makes people tick.

“Every community has a unique character and a selling point and I am looking forward to uniting around the positives of this community."