Tony Robinson is to be the first “Bishop of Huddersfield”.

Mr Robinson, who is the Bishop of Pontefract, has been appointed as the interim area Bishop for Huddersfield in a major shake-up of the diocese.

He will hold that role and the one of Interim Area Bishop of Wakefield until Easter when permanent appointments are to be made.

The Bishop of Huddersfield post was created in a big reshuffle of the Diocese of Wakefield.

Mr Robinson was born and educated in Bedford. After leaving school he trained to be a teacher and taught mathematics and computer studies for two years in a comprehensive school in Chelmsford. He then went to train to be a priest in the Church of England.

He moved to West Yorkshire in 1997, to work in the Diocese of Wakefield first of all as Archdeacon of Pontefract and since 2002 as Bishop of Pontefract. His commitment to working with all communities in the area means that he has extensive interfaith involvement.

Locally, he is currently chair of Kirklees Faiths Forum, a strategic umbrella body for faith groups in the area; co - Chair of North Kirklees Interfaith Council working with Muslims and Christians in Dewsbury and Batley.

He was a founder member of Interfaith Kirklees which works with schools to provide education and promote community cohesion, and of Wakefield Interfaith Group, which he also chairs.

Nationally, he is chair of the Archbishop of Canterbury's Pakistan Focus group which supports relationships with the Church in Pakistan, Chair of Presence and Engagement, which supports the Church's mission in areas with large ethnic communities and Episcopal Adviser to the Church of England's World Development Advisers Network.

Since he was ordained, Tony has worked in parishes with significant ethnic communities. His first parish was in Tottenham opposite the Spurs football ground, a lively parish with a predominance of African and Caribbean people in the congregation and community.

He then moved to Leicester to a large team parish working alongside three

other clergy and three Sisters. The parish embraced a wonderful mix of peoples, including the largest Hindu community in Britain as well as people from other faith communities.