Dear Friends,
We would like to thank you all for making us so welcome as we have moved into our new home in Aldbrough St John and as I prepare to be your new Priest in Charge. Thank you for your kindness, cards, gifts and good wishes and practical help in settling in and thank you to all who have been keeping us in your thoughts and prayers through the sadness of leaving, chaos of moving, and excitement of starting afresh.
I thought I’d just let you know a bit of background about us as we look forward to getting to know you all.
Both Chris and I are from Leeds originally. I grew up in Upper Armley, West Leeds, and was a choir girl at the Venerable Bede Church and Chris grew up in North Leeds where he was a chorister at St Chad’s, Far Headingley. Although we both went to school at Abbey Grange C/E High School, Leeds, we did not meet until on tour with a Leeds based choir in the US in 2003.
I went to St Andrews University before spending three valuable and enriching years working as a care assistant in Leeds while discerning my call to the ministry. After a further year doing voluntary work with ex offenders and their families in Dublin and singing at Christ Church Cathedral, I was accepted for the ordained ministry. I did my training at Westcott House Cambridge, before serving curacies in the Fountains Benefice near Ripon, and Caerleon in South Wales. After having our first child Benjamin in 2009 we returned to Yorkshire where I was a ‘House for Duty’ Assistant Priest in the Washburn Valley before becoming Rector of the Walkingham Hill Benefice near Knaresborough. We now have two more boys, Laurence (5) and Chad (2) and I am hoping that this part-time position as your priest here will be a good move for all the family and that we can settle for some time. Apart from family outings and playing with my boys, I love to walk, cycle (though not very far and my bike is nearly as old as me!), get busy in the garden (though my knowledge of plants and gardening is pretty poor) and sing. I also drink plenty of tea and love to chat over a cuppa!
Chris is a musician by profession and has worked at various parish churches and cathedrals in Britain and spent several years as an organist in Telemark, Norway. For the past eighteen months Chris has been the organist and choir director at St Mary’s, Richmond, alongside supporting the family at home as I worked full-time. He’s now looking forward to getting a little bit more work as a musician as well as getting to know people in the parishes here. Chris likes cars, organs, curry and beer!
We are all looking forward to making new friends and becoming immersed in life and ministry here. Thank you all once again, and may God bless you all.
Camilla, Chris, Benjamin, Laurence and Chad