Emma Ash

Official photos are in! 📸 A big thank you to Nick at The Photo Studio for sharing these with me. It is a true honour to serve as Mayor of Tewkesbury Town Council for 2026–27. This year, I have chosen to dedicate the Mayoral Charity to supporting and championing the children and young people of our community, with a particular focus on Tewkesbury Town Colts FC, 1st Tewkesbury Boys’ Brigade, and The Roses Theatre. Our donation page is now live with more information here: tewkesburytowncouncil.gov.uk/product/mayors… With thanks, Emma

I am incredibly honoured and grateful to have been elected the Mayor of Tewkesbury Town Council for 2026–27. I want to express my sincere thanks to my fellow councillors and everyone at Tewkesbury Town Council for their continued encouragement, dedication, and commitment to serving our wonderful town. Tewkesbury is an incredible place with a strong community spirit, deep historical heritage, and a unique location where both the River Severn and the River Avon meet. To serve the town I care so deeply about is a true privilege, and I am committed to championing our community with a particular focus on supporting children and young people; empowering the next generation, ensuring that they feel heard and valued. I am excited to work alongside residents, local organisations, and community groups to make a positive difference, serving Tewkesbury with pride, passion, and purpose. With heartfelt thanks, Emma

Here is our recently published Letters to the Editors @ChurchTimes Unanswered questions about safeguarding From Emma Ash and the Revd Robert Thompson Madam, — Your report (News, 8 May) on the independent audit of the National Safeguarding Team (NST) raises an urgent and uncomfortable question: Why is a report published by the Church of England in May 2026 dated 2025? And why, in a matter as urgent as safeguarding, has the Church apparently waited at least five months, perhaps longer, before placing it in the public domain? This is not a minor administrative delay. The audit makes 66 recommendations. It is of profound concern that bishops, trustees, and senior office-holders may have access to safeguarding audits for months before survivors, parish safeguarding officers, clergy, and the wider public are allowed to read them. That is especially troubling when some of those in senior governance positions may themselves have faced safeguarding concerns, complaints, or Clergy Discipline Measure processes. The Church cannot claim to be transparent while allowing those with institutional power to read, retain, and manage the timing of reports before those most affected by safeguarding failure are told what they contain. Nor is this an isolated concern. The diocese of London indicated that its audit results would be published at the end of the year (2025). The diocese of Chester said that its report would be published early in the New Year (2026). It is simply not good enough for safeguarding audits to disappear into institutional silence for months. Delay is not neutral. In safeguarding, delay carries risk; it corrodes trust; and it tells those already harmed by institutional failure that the Church still does not understand the moral urgency of safeguarding. The Archbishops’ Council and NST should now publish a clear time­line for the NST audit: when it was completed, when it was received, who decided the publication date, and why it was not released sooner. EMMA ASH
Address supplied (Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire) 
ROBERT THOMPSON
Address supplied (London NW6) @donna_birrell @kayaburgess @MadsDavies @seaofcomplicity @AndrewGraystone @GuardintheFlock @cathynewman @AleemMaqbool @Rgt71Robert @Richard_Scorer @steveswannBBC @GabriellaSwerl

So proud of the team @PassionPix - we just won a @BAFTA for this! And proudest of all of the John Smyth survivors who told their story with such power and composure ♥️ Privileged to help them achieve accountability.

@iansmith34 4.10 states that the Diocesan Bishop holds ultimate accountability for diocesan-wide safeguarding. 4.46 notes that the Head of Safeguarding holds absolute responsibility within the diocese for the delivery of operational matters relating to safeguarding.

@E_L_Ash Who was Bishop at the time?

Having just read Part 1 of the newly released London Safeguarding Audit (published in 2025; released today), the quotes that stood out about the Diocese of London and its safeguarding culture are deeply concerning. The report speaks of unclear roles, under-resourcing, burnout, relational divisions, hierarchical culture, and safeguarding frameworks that are not sufficiently robust or clearly defined. At the same time, survivors describe mistrust in the system, processes that did not feel trauma-informed, and a lack of consistent follow-up care. The audit also found that the overwhelming majority of survey respondents believed the Church prioritises its reputation over safeguarding people. An audit has highlighted what many already knew: survivors are still not coming forward to report church abuse because the current system does not feel safe enough to trust. This cannot simply end with recommendations and internal reviews. An independent inquiry into the Diocese of London is needed, but so too is new legislation to ensure accountability and transparency is achieved via independent security. @donna_birrell @kayaburgess @MadsDavies @seaofcomplicity @AndrewGraystone @GuardintheFlock @cathynewman @AleemMaqbool @Rgt71Robert @Richard_Scorer @steveswannBBC @GabriellaSwerl c.org/tkPFCPMG4G

A phenomenal day visiting Bec Abbey & Rouen after a wonderful pilgrimage to Lisieux. 🇫🇷❤️🇫🇷

Wonderful to be at Society for the Study of Theology Conference 2026. I’ll be speaking later this week on “Virtue, Failure, and the Divine: Homer, Aristotle, and the Theological Path to Human Flourishing.”

I joined the Diocesan Safeguarding Team in 2022 as a Safeguarding Adviser and valued my role. My departure in 2025 was not by mutual agreement; I did not wish to leave my post. I ultimately left following an ACAS-mediated process, which was pursued as a last resort due to the escalating legal costs I was incurring. During my employment, I raised formal safeguarding concerns through appropriate internal channels. These included discrepancies in workload allocation, concerns regarding the welfare of a clergyperson who was not receiving adequate support, and my own experiences of victimisation. The clergyperson concerned has since confirmed to me directly that he was receiving no support, contrary to assurances given at the time. Rather than addressing these concerns through constructive problem-solving or systemic improvement, the organisational response focused on managing and containing the issue, including the marginalisation of those raising concerns. Following my hospitalisation, I was offered no meaningful pastoral or managerial support. Despite my ongoing employment, professional responsibilities, and vulnerability, my line manager and the Head of Safeguarding refused to communicate with me. My Occupational Health report explicitly identified a toxic working environment and systemic culture as contributing factors to my ill health. Contrary to statements made by the Diocese, at no point did the Diocese work alongside, liaise with, or speak to NHS practitioners involved in my care. By contrast, NHS staff were exemplary, and I am deeply grateful for the professionalism, care, and support they provided in helping to rebuild my health and wellbeing. As matters progressed, the working environment became unsafe. Members of the safeguarding team refused to engage with me or respond to emails, including correspondence relating to live safeguarding cases. Emails concerning active safeguarding matters were left unanswered. On my departure, there was no handover of my cases, and no arrangements were put in place to ensure continuity of safeguarding oversight. This created unacceptable safeguarding risk and represents a serious failure of safeguarding governance and duty of care, both to service users and to me as a safeguarding professional. I reject the assertion that concerns were adequately addressed or that appropriate support was offered or provided. I have raised these matters with the Charity Commission, where they remain under review. @Rgt71Robert @TheOutsider40 @BishopNewcastle @cathynewman @ChurchTimes @ChtyCommission

Twenty years ago, a colleague in ancient philosophy asked me if I'd be willing to read Greek with an undergrad in the summer. I agreed. We had a great time reading Aristotle, which he hadn't read in Greek before. NOW ...

Wonderful to be at today’s Musica Deo Sacra 2025 Festival @TewkesAbbey. The sermon by @DeanofLincoln offered powerful reflections on the transatlantic slave trade & the Beatitudes, bringing to mind Clarkson, Equiano, and Wilberforce. #MDS2025 #ThankYou @Nickduffdavies

@lampallib @YearInGodsTime 💖

Brilliant conference @UniofOxford @ChCh_Oxford @McDonaldCentre looking at Christian Humanism and the Black Atlantic. @krishk @swdoherty

@david_m_wagner @zenahitz

@zenahitz This probably can’t be answered on Twitter but, what got revised in the Oxford Revised Translation of Aristotle?

Isn't this EXCITING????

@david_m_wagner @zenahitz

Thrilled to be accepted into the Life of Mind seminar with @CatherineProj @stjohnscollege for next term! Readings include: #Parmenides #Sophocles #Plato #Aristotle #Ptolemy #Lucretius #Descartes #Galileo #JonathanSwift #FlanneryOConnor

3-months studying Ancient Greek, The Republic, Book 7, with @CatherineProj finishes next week! My translations are all done! We’ve had some phenomenal conversations on metaphysics & I’m thankful for this time & group researching Plato. #Philosophy #Classics #AncientGreek #Plato

@Richard44158292 😂

@E_L_Ash It wasn’t that much fun when I went to school there !