agricultural,housing,mission,orthodox,pcc,secular world,social housing,traditional

Peter Blair [email protected] tel: 07768-768711

Allow me introduce myself: I have been a
worshipping member of St Andrew’s
Community Church on Foxhill, Bath for about 8
years - a growing congregation comprising a
very diverse crowd largely drawn from the
social housing estate where it is located. You’ll
often find me leading services and occasionally
preaching (when not beavering away with our
audio/visual system!)

I’ve had the remarkable good fortune of having been exposed to an
extraordinary and wonderful range of eclectic expressions of the
Anglican Church and would describe myself as holding pretty orthodox
and traditional views, but being open-minded and welcoming of all.
• I was born in Ethiopia to parents who were involved in agricultural
rural development for 30 years as Anglican missionaries, so I have
a keen interest in mission, both at home and across the world
• my early years were spent in the Anglican Church in Addis Ababa
where my father was a lay-reader, with occasional outings to rural
and very colourful Orthodox (Coptic) churches
• through my teens I attended rural village churches in Derbyshire
and Norfolk, where I was a chorister, enjoying the mysteries of
traditional worship and the choral delights of singing the wide
range of anthems our wonderful denomination can boast
• whilst at University I attended a large family-focussed church at St
Ebbe’s, Oxford on Sunday mornings and New College chapel for
Evensong
• then a year at St Helen’s, Bishopsgate, London
• once settled in Bath, my wife and I (with our three children) all
threw our energies into the lively parishes of All Saints’ Church,
Weston and then Holy Trinity, Combe Down
Over the years I have applied the gifts I have of administration,
representation and, I hope, a little wisdom, to the roles of Church
Warden, PCC member and as a Deanery Synod member.

What kinds of thing make me tick?
My faith probably deepens the most from leading
a large weekly Bible Study/Home Group alongside
my wife - Sharon (who, until recently, worked
locally as an Associate Minister for Young
Families). We range in age from 25-70. It is in
that more intimate and diverse context we learn
lessons from each others’ tough experiences,
reflecting the nuances and complexities of life.
Together we pursue the practical application of
our love of Jesus and his teachings; responding to
our Sunday sermons; sharing our burdens;
praying for each other; and, in the process, discovering just how infinite
is His love for us. (I also love rugby, sailing, oil painting and poultry!)

So, why might you vote for me?
In the secular world:
• have served as a District Councillor for 4 years
• 30 years as a barrister; for the last 8 of those as a QC
• 10 years as Chair of a local fund-raising Charity (Bath & NE
Somerset ‘Friends of Young Carers’)
• a full-time Crown Court Judge for 12 years; 9 as the Recorder of
Bristol, running the largest Crown Court centre in the South West
(10 courts) and very involved in advocating for equal opportunities
and diversity. I also sit in the High Court and the Court of Appeal
I have a number of skills to offer you and the Diocese:
• experience of representing all sorts of people in a career of public
service
• an ability to express myself in an engaging, persuasive and logical
way during debate
• skills in understanding and drafting legislation and church
measures
I would very much like to play a further part in the national
governance of the Church of England, as a member of the
House of Laity on General Synod, so I would love you to give
me your support with a first, or high, preference vote.