Bishop must 'work with businesses', 'represent all faiths' and 'attract young people to Christianity'

Manx residents share their thoughts on priorities for the next head of the Island's church

The Island's next bishop needs to do more to attract younger generations to the Christian community, work with the business community and be a representative to all faiths.

Those are just some of the priorities Manx residents highlighted at a public meeting seeking feedback on the recruitment of a new Bishop of Sodor and Mann.

Peter Eagles will retire from the role in October, with work now underway to identify a suitable replacement.

These locals want a candidate that can tackle a range of issues:

Two meetings were held - one in Kirk Michael and the other in Ballasalla.

The man sent to the Island to gauge views on who should be the next Bishop was Stephen Knott.

At the meeting held at Abbey Church, Ballasalla, he was presented with a variety of views on what would be important when the choice was made next year: