A VICAR in Grappenhall is to leave her role later this year to take on a new job.

The Reverend Jane Proudfoot has been appointed as the next Archdeacon of Macclesfield.

Jane is currently the Rector of Grappenhall, Priest in charge of Daresbury, and Rural Dean of Great Budworth in this Diocese. Since September, she has been serving as Assistant Archdeacon of Macclesfield.

Formerly at St Thomas' in Stockton Heath, she is a regular at Creamfields and has been leading 'We are the Church at Creamfields' since 2017.

A spokesman for St Wilfrid's said: "We all wish her well in her new ministry and will be keeping her in our prayers as she prepares."

Jane follows Bishop Ian Bishop, Bishop of Thetford who served as Archdeacon of Macclesfield from 2011 to 2023.

She will be licensed in a service in Chester Cathedral on the afternoon of April 28 with a welcome service in the Archdeaconry to follow.

The Bishop of Chester Mark Tanner said: "I really look forward to working with Jane as we seek to reach over 800,000 people who live in the Macclesfield Archdeaconry. Jane’s experience as parish priest, rural dean, and more recently as interim Assistant Archdeacon will be invaluable as she steps into this new role. Please join me in holding Jane and her family in prayer during this time of transition."

Jane is originally from East Lancashire. Before becoming a vicar, she was a teacher of religious studies at Sandbach and Knutsford high schools, and before then, the first homelessness officer for Warrington Borough Council.

She is married to Danny and has two grown-up daughters, Rose and Aphra, and a Red Labrador that sometimes answers to the name of Nell.

A big lover of music, Jane enjoys a broad spectrum of genres, including classical, jazz, musical theatre, and folk. She’s also a regular at the annual Creamfields dance festival in Daresbury where she has been leading ‘We are the Church at Creamfields’ since 2017.

Jane became interested in applying for the role when a particular part of the job description spoke to her, "It talked about the archdeacon being the ‘Arch-Pastor’ of the archdeaconry.

She said: “This is an exciting time for Chester Diocese as new approaches to church growth begin to emerge from our Diocesan Vision. It’s great to be joining the senior team as we support clergy and parishes in implementing new and innovative strategies.”