Our sole Patron is the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Rowan Williams, who opened the Centre in June 2006 at a ceremony attended by leaders of both the City and the County Councils, representatives of the many faith communities in Leicester and three hundred other guests from across the country.

The St Philip’s Centre and its work were recently highlighted in the Report Faithful Cities published by the Church of England and the Methodist Church. The Commission that produced the Report remark:  ‘In Leicester we have witnessed the contribution of faith to the development of strong bridging and linking faithful capital in this diverse city. The St Philip’s Centre with its Patron is committed to advancing this faithful contribution from the churches and in partnership with the other faith communities.’

Canon Dr Andrew Wingate, Director of St Philip’s Centre warmly welcomed the news that Archbishop Rowan had accepted the invitation to be a Patron:

‘We are delighted that the Archbishop of Canterbury is our patron. This is a sign of his deep commitment to inter faith relationships in this country and throughout the Anglican Communion.’