Bishop of Salisbury reflects on his decade in the post
Nicholas Holtam announced earlier this week that he'd be retiring in the summer
The Bishop of Salisbury has headed up the Diocese for 10 years, and been ordained into the Church of England for 42 years.
But he'll retire from the role in July this year, just ahead of his 67th birthday.
Bishop Nick's been telling Greatest Hits Radio why he thinks now is the time to step down:
"It's pretty intense and there's a point at which you know you don't have the same energy. So given the demands of the job, I think it would be better to have someone younger, and who's able to give a longer time to it, in order to be able to see a way through what will be some difficult decisions I think over the next 5, 7, 10 years."
There have been plenty of people wishing the Bishop well for the future too:
Nicholas Holtam's been reflecting on what he's really enjoyed about the role:
"What I absolutely love is spending time in parishes, and in smaller communities with people and just being alongside them. I'm really impressed by some of the things within the Diocese of Salisbury, and those sorts of things should be celebrated within the life of the local Church."
One of his biggest achievements in the Diocese of Salisbury will have been boosting the green credentials of local churches and being the environmental lead for the Church of England.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, praised that work after Bishop Nick announced his retirement earlier this week.
WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
Bishop Nicholas will hold his last service at Salisbury Cathedral on Saturday 3rd July.
The Bishop of Sherborne, Karen Gorham, will be the acting Bishop for the Diocese until a replacement is appointed in the autumn.
The outgoing Bishop has some words of advice for the new recruit:
"Surely the key to it is to find a way of praying with the work that comes at you. The Church is good with that because we have a structure to pray. One of the things I regret is not doing more to teach people to pray. I'm sure that whoever comes to succeed me will seek to live that life in way that's grounded and rooted in the love of God and a life of prayer."