Sheffield's Red Devil bishop ready for retirement

Sitting on a red leather, three-seater Chesterfield he looks from the study onto the sweeping lawns towards the stream, pond and fountains beyond.

Bookshelves stacked with tomes, some of religious content some not, surround his huge desk.

The room, like the man himself, is warm and welcoming.

"Nice place isn't it?" he says. "But it isn't mine, it came with the job."

His job, of course, is that of Bishop of Sheffield, but not for very much longer.

In July he turns 65 and with that comes retirement.

On that day he and his wife Judith will leave Bishopscroft for pastures, and parishes, new.

"We're downsizing," says Bishop Jack. "From an eight bedroom, three bathroom house in Ranmoor to a rented semi in Chapel-en-le-Frith."

They chose Chapel-en-le-Frith because it's out of the diocese - which will make things easier for his successor - yet close enough to pay regular visits to Sheffield.

But why rented?

Born in Rossendale, Lancashire, Jack, the son of a bakehouse labourer, has never owned his own home, having lived in church tied homes since he was first ordained as a deacon in 1967.

Now as retirement approaches he doesn't have the means to buy one.

He explained that a Bishop earns a modest 30,000 per year and most of his earnings were swallowed up getting his kids through university.

There was little left for savings but he's not complaining.

Bishopscroft, on Snaithing Lane, has been ideal, especially at Christmas when his children, their partners and nine grandchildren come calling.

But Bishop Jack confesses it's a nightmare to clean - and the family have never had a cleaner, though they do have a gardener to help prepare the grounds to stage regular charity events.

"As a working class lad, opening the place up for others to use is a way I can justify living in a place like this," he says.

Educated at Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School in Rossendale, Jack went on to study at King's College London where he graduated in 1966 and then went on to St Boniface College, Warminster, Wiltshire.

"At that time it wasn't thought right to preach in regional accents so I had to have elocution lessons courtesy of a woman from RADA who taught Albert Finney.

"She endeavoured to teach people BBC English but, God bless her, she failed with me."

To this day the Bishop retains his strong Lancashire accent, despite his 11-year-stay in Sheffield.

It's been a stay which he has enjoyed from the start.

"I have a wonderful job 90 per cent of the time. And nine out of ten ain't bad for any job," says the Bishop, adding that the part of the job he doesn't enjoy involves "church politics".

"The job is so varied. I can start by serving breakfast at the Archer Project for homeless people in the morning, follow that up by meeting parishioners on the Manor and then go on to meet the Queen in the evening, it's mad."

He finds Sheffield to be to his taste too.

"Judith and I were happy here from day one.

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Latest sport. The thing with Sheffield is that it is a city with a conscience. So much has been achieved here through partnership and the hard work of people such as Jan Wilson and Sir Bob Kerslake.

"And the people are so open, friendly and giving. In fact did you know that we live in the highest giving diocese in England?

"Sheffield may be one of the poorest cities but the people within it are the most generous."

But where does the Bishop stand on the city's footballing divide?

"To be honest I'm a Manchester United fan," he said before showing off his collection of replica shirts with his name on the back.

He explained he had followed Man United since 1958.

Before that he supported Burnley, but after the Munich air disaster he and a group of mates started to go to Old Trafford and 50 years on the Bishop is still a true Red Devil.

"I won't be drawn on my allegiance to either Wednesday or United. I'm not daft enough to alienate myself from half the city in one fell swoop but I do watch games at both Hillsborough and Bramall Lane."

Apart from work, home and Old Trafford the other love of his life is music.

A former Honorary Chaplain at Manchester's Chetham's School of Music, he reached the peak of his own musical career by singing the part of Papageno in Mozart's Opera the Magic Flute during the 1960s

He still enjoys singing and is currently preparing for a number of charity concerts where he will take to the stage with Abi Smethan, a former professional opera singer who now works as a curate on the Manor.

The possessor of a great sense of humour himself, the Bishop appreciates a laugh and is massive fan of fellow Lancastrians Peter Kay and the late, great Les Dawson.

"With them it's not about telling jokes it's more about telling funny stories. People who can tell tales of everyday things with a slight exaggeration and perfect timing.

"Some of the funniest people I know are funeral directors because they have to be.

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Latest sport. When you deal with so much sadness having a sense of humour to help keep you sane.”

He also enjoys the theatre and is a massive fan of the work of Alan Bennett.

And it was through the stage that he met his wife.

“I was a curate in Salford when the vicar suggested the best way to meet and get to know parishioners was to produce the parish pantomime Cinderella.

“I told him I would do it but there was no way I was going to dance.

“He suggested I meet the young lady who ran a dance school for less well-off kids in Salford.

“That lady turned out to be Judith Dagnall, the daughter of a Salford docker who did me the honour of becoming my wife.”

The couple had four children, Antony, Michael, Rachel and Clare.

His two sons both live in the city, one a policeman the other training to be an accountant.

Jack promises to be back in Sheffield as often as they can to visit them and the many friends he and Judith have made in the city.

And what else does the Bishop plan to do in retirement?

“I’ll be devoting more time to the Order of St John which does wonderful work with people overseas,” he says.

“And my wife, and I stress my wife, says we are going to take up ballroom dancing, but we’ll see, we’ll see.”

n See tomorrow’s Star for a feature on South Yorkshire’s links to the Munich air disaster.