 Rawsthorne is a keen walker and takes part in a sponsored walk every year to raise money to support St. Wilfrid's Drop-in Day Centre in Sheffield.He is also an active member of with the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, especially with education and youth work.On his 75th birthday in 2011, in accordance with Canon 401 §1 of the Latin Church Code of Canon Law, Bishop Rawsthorne offered his resignation as Bishop of Hallam to Pope Benedict XVI, but was refused and remained in office for the next three years.