Herbert Barnes Award

The Herbert Barnes Award is a charity linked to Newcastle upon Tyne Unitarians, named in honour of Rev. Herbert Barnes and intended to support the development of Unitarian Ministers. Each year, the fellowship gives an award to a student from Unitarian College who, in the opinion of the College Principal, is a worthy entrant to the Unitarian Ministry. The object of the award is to provide each year the beginnings of a library for an outgoing student of the college who is about to enter the Unitarian Ministry. Recent recipients have been:

• 2025: Rev. Robert Foreman – read his thoughts on receiving the award here: ‘Thank You for the Books’
• 2024: Rev. Jennifer Sanders
• 2023 Rev. Arek Malecki (Leicester) – read his thoughts on receiving the award here: Rev. Herbert Barnes Award 2023 – Rev. Arek Malecki
• 2022 Rev. Lynda Kane (All Souls Church, Belfast) – you can see the service she led for us here: ‘Autumn’ by Rev. Lynda Kane
• 2021 Rev. Rory Castle-Jones (Gellionnen)
• 2020 Rev. Stephanie Bisby (Doncaster) – you can see the service she led for us here: ‘A Thing of Beauty’ by Rev. Stephanie Bisby
• 2019: The award was not presented in 2019, as no ministers graduated from Unitarian College.
• 2018 Rev. Mark Hutchinson (Evesham) – you can see the service he led for us here: ‘Responsibility’ by Rev. Mark Hutchinson
• 2017 Rev. Bob Janis-Dillon (Warrington)
• 2016 Rev. Rob Whiteman (Dundee) – you can see the service he led for us here: ‘Sacred Space’ by Rev. Rob Foreman
• 2015 Rev. Phil Waldron (Gateacre, Liverpool)
• 2014 Rev. Anna Jarvis (Knutsford)

See below for Rev. Rob Foreman’s service for us on 31 May 2026, ‘A Faith for the Future’:

A list of earlier recipients is here: