Father Bob was born in Oldham in Lancashire and lived there until he went to university.

He attended the Blue Coat School in Oldham and then university at UCW Aberystwyth, where he read for a degree in Divinity.

From Aberystwyth, he continued his postgraduate education at Lincoln Theological College and Nottingham University. He was ordained deacon in 1993 and priest in 1994.

He served his curacy in the Diocese of Ripon (now Ripon and Leeds) in the parish of Whitkirk. 

From there he moved to Richmond Hill in the inner city of Leeds and from there to be a school chaplain and teacher of a public school in outer London.

From London he moved to Halifax, where for seven years, he was Vicar of Lightcliffe and moved in 2005 to be Vicar of Pontefract. He is also Rural Dean of Pontefract.

Father Bob is married to Katy and they have four children, Ruth, Jacob, Isaac and Samuel.

His interests include family, film, sport (mainly rugby of both codes), Land Rovers, travel and reading biographies.