Survivors call for trust and integrity
Survivors of church-related abuse and safeguarding campaigners shared powerful testimonies at a public meeting in Oxford, challenging the Church to confront past failings.
Former head of religious broadcasting at BBC and parish priest dies at 96
The Revd Canon David Winter has died at the age of 96.
The Revd Canon David Winter – writer, broadcaster and former parish priest in the Diocese of Oxford who served as head of religious broadcasting at the BBC – has died at the age of 96.
Revd Canon David was well known for his work in religious broadcasting and particularly for his contributions to Thought for the Day on Radio 4 and regular columns in Church Times.
He was the author of more than 50 books, including his autobiography, Winter’s Tale, which he completed just before his wife, Christine, died in 2002.
Revd Canon David served as priest-in-charge at St Bartholomew’s, Ducklington, in West Oxfordshire from 1989 to 1995, and then at St Mark’s, Cold Ash, in West Berkshire.
Born in 1929 in north London, Revd Canon David was evacuated to Wales during the war, becoming fluent in Welsh, his grandmother’s native language. He did National Service as a nursing assistant and read English at King’s College, London.
After some years of teaching, he went into journalism and eventually became editor of the evangelical magazine Crusade.
He came to know the singer Cliff Richard and encouraged his conversion, remaining a mentor and friend, sometimes helping with song lyrics.
A founding member of London’s Arts Centre Group, he helped establish the Christian charity Tearfund and worked with Richard on several projects, including co-writing the 1968 film Two a Penny.
He was the natural choice to write a celebrity biography, New Singer: New Song, which covered Richard’s story into the late 1960s.
Revd Canon David joined the BBC in 1971 as editor of the new radio programme, Sunday, eventually rising to become head of religious broadcasting.
Ordained in the mid 1980s, Revd Canon David was parish priest of St Bartholomew’s, Ducklington, and then at St Mark’s, Cold Ash, until he retired and moved to Clifton Hampden, near Abingdon.
He was a columnist and book reviewer for Church Times for 28 years up until 2019 and was also a member of the committee responsible for overseeing the Diocese of Oxford’s media relations.
Sarah Meyrick, now editor at Church Times but previously director of communications for the Diocese of Oxford, said of him: “An unassuming man, he wore his significant experience at the BBC lightly, and provided a great deal of quiet encouragement and support for trying out new ideas and approaches.”
She added: “Conversations were warm, unhurried, and rich with insight. He was the very best kind of mentor.”
His funeral took place at St Mark’s Church, Cold Ash, on 18 September.
