The Lord Bishop of Leicester, Rt Revd Martyn Snow, has recently been introduced as a Member of the House of Lords- joining the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, as well as 24 other Church of England Bishops.
It is something which the 54-year-old cites as a “great privilege” – an opportunity to bring about change, and to help the most vulnerable in society during these particularly challenging times…
Helping the vulnerable, has always been a high priority for the father-of-three, who was born in Indonesia back in 1968. He spent his early years there before moving over to the UK with his family.
After graduating from Sheffield University with a degree in Chemistry, Lord Bishop Snow went on to take a job at the Crown Courts.
However, at the age of 24, he gave this up in order to undertake some voluntary work within his local church, and the rest, as they say, is history…
He has been involved in voluntary work and overseas missions throughout the majority of his adult life.
“The more I got into that, the more I started to sense that, yeah, this is what I want to do, and a real sense of God calling me to that work,” he told Pukaar. “Here I am today 30 years later!”
Lord Bishop Snow has experience of working across the world, including overseas mission with the Church Missionary Society in West Africa. He’s also spent time in Tanzania, India and Wyoming, USA, and benefitted from several years working alongside his wife, Lynn, in Guinea, west Africa.
However, his career took him to Leicester in 2016, when he was ordained the seventh Bishop of the city.
It is one that he has grown to love due to its incredible diversity.
“One of the things I enjoy doing is going for a walk, either down Narborough Road or one of the other roads going out from Leicester simply to enjoy the diversity,” he revealed.
“I love the fact that there are shops where I can buy things from all around the world. I love the fact that there are people speaking lots of different languages. I think it’s a really healthy mix.”
Due to his new role, 2023 will see Lord Bishop Snow spend more time away from Leicester, and down at London’s House of Lords.
However, he is looking forward to speaking on behalf of Leicester, and using his voice within the Lords to bring about change within society.
“Because I’ve spent a lot of time in what I would describe as poorer communities – places where people from the moment of birth have had all sorts of disadvantages really, that’s where my heart really lies,” he revealed.
“I want to use my voice within the Lords to be able to bring about change within society – to create a more equal society, and in particular to make sure we’re a society that truly cares for the most vulnerable.
“It’s a big ambition in one sense, and I’m very conscious it’s going to take me a long time to learn how things work in the House of Lords, but that’s certainly my goal and what I’d like to achieve.”
