General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Mary McIlroy Hipwell
Standing with the Save The Parish Network
Vote for me and I will work with local lay people to bring hope to the Church of England. I am a voice for parish life.
Contact: 07833 696284 · [email protected]
I want to:
Make sure parishes are resourced properly. Restore the Church Commissioners’ funding to its founding purpose – parish ministry.
Fund good theological education.
Support the archbishops’ commitment to keeping the parish system. Look after parish priests by limiting unsustainable workloads, increasing priest numbers, and honouring the volunteer lay people who hold parishes together.
Call for state involvement in protecting historic parish churches.
If parish assets have to be sold, call for a share of the money to go to the parishes.
The full Save the Parish manifesto can be found at www.savetheparish.com.
My approach
Obviously, there are other issues. Save the Parish does not tell me what to think. If anyone wants to find out my views on any topic, please phone or email me; evenings between 7 and 9pm are usually best. I do not support Project Spire (compensation for slavery) because I believe the historical facts relied on are wrong and because it would use money the parishes should be using.
Personal background
I am a retired solicitor, aged 71, living in a rural parish in Northumberland. Being part of a large family exposes me to many age groups, politics, cultures and religions, and no one holds back in expressing opinions to me.
I am a member of the Diocesan Synod and understand the struggles dioceses face in reconciling growing laws and regulations with the fact that most PCCs are small and composed of non-experts.
I am an authorised lay minister in worship and pastoral care. Our priest has three parishes to run, and I see the problems he faces. I help in two parishes: Whittingham and Longframlington.
I want to keep rural churches open, help priests retain their sanity, and help the Holy Spirit keep Christianity alive in this remote part of England.
Local Impact – some interesting facts
Save the Parish is not about nostalgia; it is about solving today’s problems. Queen Anne’s endowment was given to provide stipends for priests in poorer parishes and dioceses. It has assets of £11.6 billion, yet only 8% is ring-fenced to help parishes. The last General Synod provided more money for parishes but was blocked by Parliament. If our diocese had access to this money, it would not be “trading at a loss” of around £1m per year, currently covered by failing to employ priests and by selling property.
Parishes send £319 million a year to dioceses, whose spending has grown by 29% over recent years. On average, dioceses employ one member of staff for every 3.5 parish clergy; a normal charity would employ one staff member for every eight parish clergy.
Save the Parish has changed how the Church talks about parishes, restored the priority of the parish in law, won a substantial increase in Lowest Income Communities Funding, and persuaded Synod to commission a complete review of Church funding.
Save the Parish is working for equal access to justice for parishes facing closure or merger. We want a share of the sale of vicarages and land to go to parishes, due regard for parish traditions, and realistic demands from dioceses.

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