Archbishop from Essex 'not quite sure' why he was named Yorkshire Man of the Year

The Archbishop of York says he is "not quite sure" why he was named Yorkshire Man of the Year, having originally come from Essex.

The Yorkshire Society gave Stephen Cottrell the title as part of its annual awards recognising those who "made Yorkshire proud" in 2023.

Archbishop Cottrell has held the second highest position in the Anglican Church for three years and says he feels like an adopted son of Yorkshire as his wife is from Harrogate, his brother lives in Leeds and two of his children were born in Huddersfield.

But he was born in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex before moving north.

He told ITV News: "I love Yorkshire. I love Yorkshire people, I love Yorkshire culture. I have this little theory that Yorkshire and Essex are actually quite similar.

"Because they're both places with a real fierce identity which you don't tend to get down south, but you do in Essex and you certainly do in Yorkshire.

"So I've always felt at home here and to have this honour, it's a real honour, I'm not quite sure why they've given it to me.

"I think it might be because I have had the great privilege of playing such a part in our national life through the burial of Her Majesty the Queen, the coronation of the King, the Queen's jubilee. And I've said that when I'm there I feel as if I'm representing Yorkshire."

Stephen Cottrell is not the only non-Yorkshireman to be named in the Yorkshire Society's awards - former Leeds Rhinos star Kevin Sinfield, who was born in Oldham, was given the Richard Whiteley Award after his fundraising efforts for motor neurone disease.

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