The only dean in England to have ever blessed a bus station has been made an honorary freeman of Gloucester.
Dean of Gloucester Stephen Lake was given the freedom of the city at a recent meeting of Gloucester City Council.
He is set to leave Gloucester to become the Bishop of Salisbury after 11 years in the city. Councillors praised Dean Lake for his significant contribution to the regeneration of the city.
Council leader Richard Cook (C, Kingsway) said he had been vital in the social, economic, environmental and spiritual regeneration of Gloucester and for reaffirming the cathedral as a beacon of hope at the heart of the city, the county and the diocese.
Dean Lake thanked councillors for the comments and joked it was like attending his own funeral.
He said: “I have very mixed feelings about this because it’s the first of the farewells and the mixed feelings are the fact Gloucester has really been home for us for the last 11 years and to leave does not come without a degree of pain.
“There was great work done by the urban regeneration company and I was proud to be asked to carry that on. I think I’m the only dean in England to have ever blessed a bus station. That was a memorable moment.”
He said it was great to have delivered on the first phase of project Pilgrim to improve and restore particular areas of the cathedral.
Dean Lake said the job has been to reconnect with people in the city and he believes they’ve “given it a good go”.
He also praised the partnership between the city council and cathedral and bringing the two organisations together is for the common good.
He said: “It’s not because of the cathedral or the council, it’s because of the people that we serve.
“Thank you very much for your kind words. I shall take them to the second best cathedral city in England.”
