Retiring bishop revs up to spend Sundays with biking flock

The bishop, 69, said he is planning to spend his retirement pursuing his interests in motorcycles and classic cars.

Dr Steven Croft, the Bishop of Sheffield, will bid farewell to the outgoing Bishop of Doncaster with a service at 7.30pm on Wednesday, July 13.

Bishop Ashton, a father-of-four who was enthroned as a bishop 11 years ago, said the highlights of his career include a nativity play with children from the deaf college in Doncaster, which he took part in last Christmas.

He said: “That was one of the most moving events I have ever experienced, seeing these youngsters dressed up in their nativity clothes absolutely beaming with enthusiasm and telling the Christmas story of Jesus.

“Their handicaps didn’t inhibit them and seeing them full of excitement and enthusiasm I was very moved by that and it stuck in my memory.”

During his retirement, he said, he plans to spend his Sundays indulging his long-held passion for motoring.

The bishop said: “Over the years I have been a biker and interested in classic cars. I’ve never really been able to get into the culture because most things happen on a Sunday and I’m usually quite busy on a Sunday.

“Two of my sons are bikers and we plan to do some touring in this country and across Europe over this next year or two.”

He added: “It’s been an enormously enriching experience. I never actually worked in South Yorkshire before I came here.

“It’s been a marvellous experience with some challenges to face – people have been kind and open on the whole, and refreshingly blunt, which is good for a bishop to hear.”