1. Father Andrew White Facebook
2. Father Andrew White Casino Night Game
3. Father Andrew White Leonardtown
4. Father Andrew White School

Andrew White (born 22 February 1974, Doncaster, South Yorkshire) is a writer, filmmaker and broadcaster. He is known for his mellow and distinctive Doncaster-area accent and his friendly, passionate presenting style. He is most associated with the multimedia brand Walks Around Britain for which he is the senior editor and the presenter/producer of the associated TV series.

• 2Career

Early life and education[edit]

White was brought up in the Armthorpe area of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, and attended Shaw Wood Infants and Junior School in the village and then Armthorpe Comprehensive School. In the Sixth Form at Armthorpe Comprehensive School, White made television programmes such as game shows in the Common room and then edited them together with graphics from his Commodore Amiga computer. These programmes gained him an unconditional offer to join the Electronic Media Video Production course at Wolverhampton Polytechnic in 1992. He graduated in 1994 from the University of Wolverhampton as the polytechnic had since converted to a university.

Career[edit]

After leaving university, White freelanced for several broadcasters before moving to Italy to work at the new Orbit Satellite Television network at the Sapienza Network Center in the Tor Sapienza area of Rome. Upon returning to the UK, he studied at the now closed Northern Media School - a part of Sheffield Hallam University, and then returned to his home town of Doncaster to set up his own production company Nova Productions.

With his passion for transport, White was interested in making programmes about railways, buses, trams and trolleybuses, and joined with his lifelong friend Gareth Atherton to release some programme on VHS video cassette. The first release was in 1997 - Buses of the South Yorkshire PTE : 1974-1986 - and was produced using archive Super 8 film telecined and edited into a 60 minute documentary, with authentic vehicle sounds painstakingly dubbed onto the previously silent cine film. White and Atherton went on to produce over 50 transport programme which were released on VHS and later DVD-Video until 2005 as Atherton had changed jobs and moved to Sheffield.

Casino Night Flyer- March 6, 2015. February 5, 2015 admin Posted in News. CASINO NIGHT FLYER 2015. Father Andrew White S.J. Address: 22850 Washington Street.

White changed from direct sales of programmes on DVD to making transport programmes for other production companies to release and sell on their video label. This continued until 2008 when retailers which sold these DVDs like Woolworths collapsed and others like WH Smiths stopped selling DVDs in their stores. The commissions for these programmes began to dry up and White decided he needed to change track.

Knowing that something was changing, White registered the domain name www.walksaroundbritain.co.uk in April 2006 with the intend on doing something about his other passion of walking. He ideas grew whilst watching the Wainwright Walks series on BBC Four in 2007, presented by Julia Bradbury. With his first child at the age of four at the time, he decided to build a website featuring much more accessible walks than Alfred Wainwright promoted in his guide books. He launched the Walks Around Britain website in 2009, which became popular by focusing on walks between 2 – 8 miles and on walks with stories rather than always having the best views. White launched the Walks Around Britain podcast in 2012 and in January 2016 the first edition of Walks Around Britain was broadcast - with White presenting and producing the series.

Writing[edit]

White's first professional writing feature was in Lakeland Walker magazine, quickly followed by Countryfile.^[1]

He regularly writes for magazines such as Countryfile, Walk, Coast,^[2]RAIL, BBC Sky at Night, Your Dog, Dogs Today amongst others.

White was commissioned by AA Publishing to update some of the walks in their book 50 Walks in the Yorkshire Dales in 2013 and in the same year they commissioned him to write a completely new guide book for him home county of Yorkshire. The 90,000 word book was released in 2014 and was noted for being one of the few guide books to cover the whole of the county of Yorkshire - not just the popular places. He was commissioned to update the AA Guide to Yorkshire in 2015 which was published in 2016, and again in 2017 which was published in 2018.

Radio[edit]

White is a regular guest on BBC Local Radio stations, appearing mostly on BBC Radio Sheffield,^[3]BBC Radio Humberside,^[4]BBC Radio Leeds, BBC Radio Lincolnshire, BBC Radio York and BBC Radio Manchester mainly talking about walking and the great outdoors. Because of his freelance writing on railway topics, BBC Radio Lancashire and BBC Hereford & Worcester often invite White to talk about transport issues, as does on television on the BBC News Channel.

He has also been a regular panellist on BBC Radio Sheffield's Saturday afternoon panel show Live-ish^[5] hosted by Bernie Clifton.

In 2018, White co-produced a documentary for BBC Radio 2 about the 60th anniversary of the children's TV programme Blue Peter^[6]. The 60 minute programme was broadcast on Tuesday 16 October 2018 - the actual day of the 60th anniversary - and was a Made in Manchester production for BBC Radio 2.

Television[edit]

White's first appearance on television was as a contestant on the BBC One Saturday early-evening game show First Class,^[7] in which the team from Armthorpe Comprehensive School lost against a team from Montagu School in Kettering.

He presented and produced the eponymously-named one-off programme East Yorkshire Walks with Andrew White in 2015, which was commissioned by the local TV channel Estuary TV. The programme was intended to be a pilot for a possible series, but Estuary TV were not able to raise the necessary sponsorship to make it happen. The two walks filmed for the programme were subsequently used in the first and second series of Walks Around Britain.

White used the concepts behind East Yorkshire Walks with Andrew White to format a new TV series based on his Walks Around Britain website, and the first episode of the Walks Around Britain TV series was broadcast on 22 January 2016 on Community Channel. He is currently the lead presenter and presents at least one walk in every episode. White insists on walking every one of the routes in the TV series, so he can write the scripts for the voice-overs, and once stated he walks around 2,000 miles a year.^[8]

Personal Appearances[edit]

White makes many personal appearances at various events across the country. He was the cornerstone of the Explore Britain stage at the first Countryfile Live event in 2016, and again in 2017, and has given talks at the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show and the British Tourism and Travel Show over the years.

He is a regular at literary festivals taking part in events ranging from workshops to walk and talk events.^[9] He also leads walks a walking festivals across the country too.^[10]

He is involved in the Get Doncaster Moving campaign, and attends events in the borough to promote walking.^[11]

Ordnance Survey #GetOutside Champion[edit]

Because of his work in passionately encouraging more people to get out walking, White was chosen to be one of the 60 Ordnance Survey #GetOutside Champions for 2018/9.^[12]

South Yorkshire Way[edit]

In 2014, White launched the South Yorkshire Way - two interlinked long-distance footpaths in his home county of South Yorkshire. One of the routes - the Boundary Route - follows the border of the county and is 171 miles in length, whilst the Central Route is a 97 miles route through the middle of the county, taking in the four constituent conurbations of Doncaster, Rotherham, Barnsley and Sheffield.

He devised the routes as a response to South Yorkshire often being overlooked for walking, and to celebrate 2014 being the 40th anniversary of the formation of the county of South Yorkshire.^[13]

White has stated his aim is to get the routes waymarked and recognised on Ordnance Survey maps.

Awards and honours[edit]

• MyOutdoors 'Best Digital Media Production', 2016 and 2017 ^[14]

Books[edit]

• The AA Guide to Yorkshire - first edition, AA Publishing, 2014
• 50 Walks in the Yorkshire Dales, AA Publishing, 2014
• The AA Guide to Yorkshire - second edition, AA Publishing, 2016
• The AA Guide to Yorkshire - third edition, AA Publishing, 2018
• 50 Walks in the Yorkshire Dales, AA Publishing, 2019

Filmography[edit]

Television

Personal life[edit]

White married Amanda Hugill on Friday 17 August 2001 at High Melton, South Yorkshire. They have two daughters, who both regularly appear on Walks Around Britain with their father. White's eldest daughter, Alannah, is a Doncaster Youth Councillor and a Member of the UK Youth Parliament for Doncaster and has spoke in the chamber of the House of Commons.

He is a supporter of Doncaster Rovers and Wolverhampton Wanderers. White is left-handed, has dyslexia and suffers from Vitiligo.

References[edit]

1. ^'Discover: The Isle of Man'. Countryfile. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
2. ^'TOP 5 FAVOURITE COASTAL WALKS'. Coast. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
3. ^'BBC Radio Sheffield - Paulette Edwards, 18/09/2015'. bbc.co.uk. 18 September 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
4. ^'BBC Radio Humberside - Happy Campers, 7/8/2018'. bbc.co.uk. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
5. ^'BBC Radio Sheffield - Live-ish with Bernie Clifton, 20/01/2018'. bbc.co.uk. 20 January 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
6. ^'Happy Birthday Blue Peter, 16/10/2018'. BBC.co.uk. 12 October 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
7. ^'First Class, 24 March 1988'. BBC.co.uk. 24 March 1988. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
8. ^Steven Broadbent (12 July 2017). 'The Andrew White Interview'. Telly Binge. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
9. ^'A Ryedale walk with Andrew White/'. Ryedale Book Festival. 12 May 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
10. ^'Ladybower Reservoir walk with Andrew White/'. Eventbrite. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
11. ^'Meet local tv celebrity at the active autumn family fun day'. Get Doncaster Moving. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
12. ^'GETOUTSIDE CHAMPION: ANDREW WHITE,'. OS Leisure. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
13. ^'Walking the South Yorkshire Way'. Thorne Times. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2019./
14. ^'MyOutdoors Awards 2017'. MyOutdoors. 1 January 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2019./

External links[edit]

Andrew Paul Bartholomew White (born June 1964) was the vicar of St George's Church, Baghdad, the only Anglican church in Iraq, until his departure, ordered in November 2014 by the Archbishop of Canterbury due to security concerns. Known as the 'Vicar of Baghdad', White is former president of the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East.^[1] He was previously Director of International Ministry at the International Centre for Reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral, England. He qualified and worked as an operating department practitioner prior to becoming ordained.

• 3Director of International Ministry

Early life[edit]

White grew up in Bexley, in the suburbs of south-east London in Kent. His family background was a religious mix of strict Baptist and Pentecostal. As a youngster he was very involved in Church life and regularly visited an elderly house-bound woman. During this time he became inspired by the compassion of an Anglican priest who visited her to give her communion.

Education and call to the priesthood[edit]

White studied anaesthetics and surgery at St Thomas' Hospital, London, and qualified as an operating department practitioner in 1985.^[2] He gained his first doctorate in an area of gynaecology and worked in anaesthetics and was a member of the cardiac arrest team.^[2] He spent a short time in Derby and became an active member of the Elim Pentecostal church there. One day he realised that he had done everything he had set out to achieve and asked himself, 'what next?'. He decided to move from medicine to theology with the intent of becoming ordained. He gained two further doctorates in theology, one from the University of Cambridge on 'the role of Israel in Christian Theology' before training for the priesthood at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, where he decided to learn about Judaism and Islam.^[2] His third doctorate was gained at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and was in Judaism. White was ordained in 1990,^[3] and became a curate at St Mark's, Battersea Rise in the Diocese of Southwark. During his time at Southwark White had his first appearance on TV when was interviewed on the street by a member of the That's Life! team. Not long after marriage, he became a vicar of the Church of the Ascension, Balham Hill in the same diocese. In 1997 – his final year as vicar of the Church of the Ascension – he was a Wandsworth Borough Councillor and served as Deputy Chairman of Social Services.

Director of International Ministry[edit]

In 1998, at the age of 33 years, White was appointed a canon at Coventry Cathedral. He became the Director of International Ministry there, heading up the International Centre for Reconciliation, promoting reconciliation in conflicts (mainly religious) across the globe. He was sent by the Archbishop as the political envoy to the Middle East after the return of Terry Waite.

Canon White played a key role in the Bethlehem Siege, finding methods of conflict resolution to the hostage situation at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in 2002.He concentrated on the Middle East, because he thought that the church needed to be involved there and knew that this was where he would serve. He remained in this post until 2005, when he moved to Baghdad to become Anglican Chaplain to Iraq.^[4]

Mediation[edit]

Canon White mediated in the release of the late Jaweed Al-Ghussein elected Chairman of the Palestine National fund and CEO of Cordoba Group.Al-Ghussein, a strong and vocal advocate of the rule of law, was kidnapped from Abu Dhabi with the compliance of Sheik Hamadan Bin Zayed and Sheik Seif Bin Zayed. Al-Ghussein's abductions were the subject of a UN determination that placed his case in category 1, the highest and appointed a rapporteur on Special Torture. Denied access to the Red Cross in Gaza, Canon White was able to visit him and eventually through his position as Special Envoy mediated Jaweed Al-Ghussein's release back to the UK.^[5][6][7]

'Vicar of Baghdad'[edit]

In Iraq, Canon White lived in Baghdad until November 2014, serving as the vicar of St George's Church just outside the Green Zone.^[4] He formerly lived in the Green Zone. He has been dubbed 'Vicar of Baghdad', because his church is the only remaining Anglican church in Iraq. His people (the congregation of St George's) refer to him as their 'Abouna' (Father).^[4] Here, he has continued the reconciliation that he promoted during his time as Director of International Ministry at Coventry Cathedral. The Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East was established in 2005 as part of his reconciliation work in Iraq and the Middle East as a whole.

Canon White's main aim has been to try to maintain communication between Shia and Sunni leaders, and to 'gain trust of key religious leaders on both sides in various conflict areas'.^[8] He sees his role as trying to mediate and re-establish the dialogue between conflicting groups.

In November 2014 the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, ordered his departure due to the increased security risks and the Church of England's no hostage policy. White was aware of the fear that the Iraqi people had of Saddam Hussein's regime, and he often talks of how he supported the invasion of Iraq, but had not foreseen the horrific aftermath.

Canon White has stated that his work is unique largely because of the long-term relationships he has in the Middle East and his religion. Through his work he has become unaccustomed to a normal civilian life, and has said that he would find life in London 'boring'.^[2]

In 2014, Canon White's daily efforts and challenges were documented by Vice Media as part of a three part series named 'The Vicar Of Baghdad'.^[9] Also during 2014 Canon White was voted UK's top Christian of the year on the 'Cranmer list'^[10] Canon White continues to maintain his popularity as a major global trans-denominational voice on peace and reconciliation and the persecuted church. He is a regular voice on national and international radio and TV and continues to travel globally in order to speak at churches across the world, engage in national and international public speaking and academic lecturing, and to fulfil his pastoral duties to his displaced Iraqi congregation, many of which currently reside in Jordan. Canon White has also has his own regular weekly series with TBN UK who have recently created documentary on his life called 'Christianity Under Fire'.

Previous appointments[edit]

• Special Envoy to the Middle East – for the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Revd. and Rt. Hon. George Carey
• Director of International Ministry and Canon Residentiary – International Centre for Reconciliation, Coventry Cathedral
• Vicar of St George's Church, Baghdad, Iraq
• Eric Lane Fellow (Easter Term 2003) – Clare College, Cambridge

Current appointments[edit]

• Emeritus Vicar of St George's Church, Baghdad, Iraq
• Harvard Fellow

Selected publications[edit]

• 'Iraq: People of Promise, Land of Despair' (2003)
• 'Iraq: Searching for Hope' (2005)
• 'By The Rivers of Babylon' (2008)
• 'The Vicar of Baghdad' (2009)
• 'Suffer the Children' (2010)
• 'Faith Under Fire' (2011)
• 'Father, Forgive' (2013)
• 'The Older Younger Brother, The Tragic Treatment of the Jews by the Christians' (2014)
• My Story So Far (2015)
• A Year with Andrew White (2019)

Awards[edit]

• Liverpool Hope University Hon DD 2017
• Wycliffe College, University of Toronto Hon DD
• The Anne Frank Award (2014)
• The William Wilberforce Award (2014)
• The Sternberg International Council of Christians and Jews Prize (jointly with Lord Coggan) (1991)
• Anglo-Israel Association Prize (2001)
• Sir Sigmund Sternberg Inter-Faith Prize (2003)
• Interfaith Award, British Government (2003)
• Peacemaker in Action Award, The Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, United States (2005)
• US Cross of Valor (2006)
• The Woolf Institute of Abrahamic Faiths, Cambridge, Peace Prize (2007)
• Iraq Peace Prize 2010
• The International Civil Courage Prize (2010)
• Honorary Phd University of Gloucestershire (2010)
• Knight Grand Cross and Spiritual Protector of the Order of St George (2011)
• Grand Commander of the Order of Merit of the Knights Templar International (2003).^[11]
• Companion of Honour of the Knights Templar International OSMTH/SMOTJ (2002).^[12]
• True Freedom Prize of the USA 2012
• 2012 Ultimate Christian Library Book Award for ‘Faith Under Fire'

White was awarded the Anglo-Israel Association Prize for his contribution to furthering understanding between the British and Israeli nations. He was awarded the Sternberg Inter-Faith Prize for his work in promoting good relations between Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

Styles[edit]

Father Andrew White Facebook

• Mr Andrew White (1964–1990)
• The Revd Dr Andrew White (1990–1998)
• The Revd Dr Canon Andrew White (1998–present)

Father Andrew White Casino Night Game

References[edit]

Father Andrew White Leonardtown

1. ^Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East official Website
2. ^ ^abcd'The Choice featuring Andrew White'. The Choice. 2 September 2008. BBC. BBC Radio 4.
3. ^'Onward, Christian soldier', The Telegraph's interview of Canon White, 14 June 2005
4. ^ ^abc'The Vicar of Baghdad' (A documentary by Rageh Omaar). Mentorn & Al Jazeera. First screened 25 May 2008 on ITV1. Available online here [1]
5. ^'E/CN.4/2003/68/Add.1 of 27 February 2003'. Unispal.un.org. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
6. ^'Jaweed al-Ghussein'. London: Telegraph. 2 July 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
7. ^Sandra Harris (11 July 2008). 'Obituary: Jaweed al-Ghussein | World news'. London: The Guardian. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
8. ^Profile: Canon Andrew White, BBC News
9. ^'The Vicar of Baghdad'. Vice Media, Inc. 8 July 2014.
10. ^Archbishopcranmer.com
11. ^https://newsociety07.wordpress.com/2008/07/09/canon-andrew-white-the-vicar-of-baghdad/
12. ^http://zaidpub.com/2014/09/12/on-the-problem-of-christians-freemasons-and-the-present-hour-by-dr-omar/

External links[edit]

Father Andrew White School