The Diocese of Leeds bid a fond farewell to the outgoing Archdeacon of Halifax, Ven Dr Anne Dawtry, at a retirement service on Sunday, October 31 held at Halifax Minster.
Around three hundred people gathered for the service, giving thanks to Anne for her ten years of faithful service as Archdeacon of Halifax and Warden of Readers, both in the Diocese of Wakefield and subsequently the Diocese of Leeds since its creation in 2014.
Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Revd Nick Baines, lead the service and the music was lead by both the choirs of Halifax Minster and Huddersfield Parish Church. The mayors of both Calderdale and Kirklees, together with the High Sheriff and Deputy Lieutenant Virginia Lloyd, were also in attendance (pictured). 
Speaking of her retirement Anne said, "I feel extremely blessed to have served in this role firstly in the former Wakefield Diocese and then, since Easter 2014, in the Diocese of Leeds.
“I am incredibly privileged to have been part of the formation of the diocese and the ways in which we have, together, seen it through its birth and growth into something of which we can be immensely proud.
“It has been a real privilege to have worked as part of Bishop Nick’s Senior Leadership Team and alongside Bishop Jonathan, the area deans and parishes of the Huddersfield Episcopal Area.
“I will continue to keep the diocese in my prayers as I move across the Pennines to Poulton-le-Fylde in Lancashire.
“In retirement I will of course be looking for new ways of continuing to serve God whilst also having more time to spend with family and friends and for pursuing my hobbies of gardening, landscape photography and writing children’s stories.”