First female Archbishop of Canterbury signals change

Dame Sarah Mullally – the first female Archbishop of Canterbury – is a caring person who "just wants to make things work better", her colleagues have said.

She is the first woman to take on the role in the Church of England's near 500-year history.

Dame Sarah, who grew up in Woking, Surrey, and became a priest in 2006, has been formally confirmed as the new leader in a ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral.

The Bishop of Guildford, the Right Reverend Andrew Watson, said: "I think she is someone who recognises that the best things about the church happen on the ground."

Watson added: "She's not interested in making a big name for herself, she just wants to make things work better.

"It's remarkable and I am really thrilled for her and for the church."

Dame Sarah was a student at Winston Churchill School and Woking College and used to attend St John's Church in Woking.

Madeleine Davies, from the Church Times, told BBC Radio Surrey how Dame Sarah had become a Christian at the age of 16.

• First female Archbishop of Canterbury: Who is she?

In 2018, Dame Sarah went on to become Bishop of London, the third most senior position in the Church of England, four years after women were allowed to become bishops.

Dame Sarah previously worked as a nurse in the NHS before becoming a member of the clergy.

She becomes Archbishop of Canterbury after her predecessor, Justin Welby, resigned after a damning report was published into a prolific child abuser associated with the Church of England.

Jeff Richards, lay reader at St Nicholas' Church in Sutton, where Dame Sarah was formerly a rector, said: "We had this confidence that she was a rising star in the church.

"I think there was unalloyed joy [in the church's congregation] when she was announced. She has such a breadth of experience."

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