The Winchester Story

The Diocese of Winchester stretches from the beaches of Bournemouth to the edges of Surrey suburbia, and from the River Hamble to the outskirts of Newbury, the area covers 1048 square miles with a population of 1.27m. Whilst much of the diocese is rural, there are significant urban concentrations in Southampton, Eastleigh, Bournemouth, Christchurch, Andover and Basingstoke.

Working with The Clewer Initiative, the Diocese of Winchester has come to understand that in 2018, 144 people in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight were recognised as potential victims of trafficking.

Key features of the diocese

About the Diocese of Winchester

Our diocesan vision is to ‘Live the Mission of Jesus’ - part of this means that we challenge violence and injustice of all kinds. He teaches us to love one another, to care for our neighbours who are suffering and in need, and to speak up for the voiceless.

The Diocese of Winchester is made up of people from all ages, genders and cultural backgrounds. We are widely rural with bustling cultural hubs geographically spread throughout Hampshire and East Dorset. Modern slavery does not discriminate. It is only by working together that we can hope to achieve the aims of making Hampshire and East Dorset a supportive place for victims and hostile place for perpetrators.

Working with Hampshire Slavery Partnership

The Diocese of Winchester is a member of the Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Modern Slavery Partnership. We support its vision to make Hampshire "a supportive place for victims and a hostile place for perpetrators of modern slavery.” We support it by raising awareness of modern slavery, identifying and supporting victims and pursuing perpetrators of modern slavery, all enabled through working in partnership.