The Archbishop of Canterbury visits Kettering General Hospital during historic first pastoral tour of local areas
The Archbishop of Canterbury visited Kettering General Hospital (KGH) on Saturday (May 16, 2026) as part of her first pastoral visit to a diocese since becoming Archbishop.
The Most Rev Dame Sarah Mullally - the first female Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England's 1,400-year history - became the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury on January 28, 2026.
She made her first pastoral visit to the Diocese of Peterborough from May 16-17 and during her tour of local places of worship she spent the afternoon at KGH.
She started by meeting some of the hospital's 30 strong Chaplaincy Team and Chaplaincy Volunteers at the hospital's multi-faith Chapel near main reception.
The Rev Mike Corcoran, Lead Chaplain for Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals, said: “It was a privilege and honour for Kettering General Hospital to be part of the new Archbishop of Canterbury's first Diocesan visit and we were all delighted to meet her.
“Archbishop Sarah met some members of our hospital Chaplaincy Team and volunteers, and we discussed our work in supporting our patients, their relatives and our dedicated staff.
“She also met with Laura Churchward our CEO and some of our clinical and senior nursing staff. It was interesting for her to see how we all work together to support our patients and visitors, especially given her own background in NHS healthcare.”
Archbishop Sarah trained as a nurse and worked in a number of clinical and leadership roles in the NHS before becoming Chief Nursing Officer for England in 1999. She was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2005 in recognition of her outstanding contribution to nursing.
Next Archbishop Sarah visited KGH's Hospital Radio studio and met Chair Steve Bellamy, Trustee and Presenter Wendy Scott and Trustee and Engineer Clive Fone.
Steve said: “I had a lovely conversation with Archbishop Sarah complimenting us on our contribution to the KGH community and our professional studio set up.
“She was able to record a message for our hundreds of listeners within KGH and those listening at home. which was very much appreciated by the team!”
Archbishop Sarah closed with a visit to the hospital's Pocket Park where it has a memorial to all those who lost their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic.
She laid flowers at the memorial stone tablet itself and led prayers to remember those lost and the dedicated service of NHS staff during that time.
Following her visit will be to the Diocese of Peterborough from 16-17 May, Archbishop Sarah will continue her pastoral tours and visit the Diocese of Rochester from June 6-7 and then the Diocese of Leicester from 11-13 September, helping to mark its 100th anniversary.