Diocese of Portsmouth

Readers Conference 2024

Portsmouth Readers’ Annual Conference

Each year at the end of January we hold our conference at Sandown on the Isle of Wight. We have a teaching focus for each year and usually manage to get excellent speakers to inspire us. We stay in a warm, comfortable hotel, full board, with a bar.

Comfortable hotel, great company, inspiring speakers, exciting programme.
“Why would you not want to be there?”

The conference is organised by a small team consisting, at present, of: Rev Anthony Rustell (Warden of Readers), Chris Aherne, Steve Brett-Hill, Mary Close and Ethne Whitlock.

Past Conferences

  • 2024 conference “Pioneering Parishes”, with Rev Geg Bakker and Rev Tina Hodgett
  • 2023 conference “What’s the Church for?”, with Rt Rev Gavin Collins, Bishop of Dorchester
  • 2019 conference “Co-workers in the Kingdom: partnership in mission”, with the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Rev Martyn Snow
  • 2018 Conference “Unpacking the Lord’s Prayer”
  • 2017 Conference “Regenerating the Church” – Dr Who, the Tardis and Time Travel
  • 2016 Conference “Nor that Man” – rescuing the reputation of St Paul?
  • 2015 Conference “Getting to grips with St Mark’s Gospel”
  • 2014 Conference “Spiritual pilgrimage”
  • 2013 Conference “Why preach the Old Testament?”
  • 2012 Conference “Keep me travelling along with you”
  • 2011 Conference “On the Damascus Road”
  • 2010 Conference “Fuel, Feed, Focus” – Speaker: The Bishop of Sodor and Man, The Right Rev Robert Paterson