Clergy
Priest in Charge
Sylvia Turner was Licensed as Priest in Charge on 25th March 2009. Sylvia can be contacted on 01743 792221, or use our contacts page.
Many, many years ago I was born in Cheam, Surrey. After school I went to the Institute of Archaeology in London and subsequently worked for both English Heritage and the British Museum. In 1975 I moved to Norfolk, working for the County Museums Service and living in the countryside.
In the early 1980’s I became a Lay Reader at St Peter Mancroft where we developed a lunchtime ministry to city centre workers and shoppers. In 1990 I began to work for a regional quango covering the six East Anglian counties. It was good training for ministry - juggling multiple museums, some large and some very small, and run by volunteers.
In 1992 I began to explore a vocation, I went to a selection conference and in September 1993 I left work to became a student again, at Westcott House in Cambridge. It was an enormous privilege to be a mature student. I did a curacy in Whitstable in Kent, a team ministry, which included looking after the “whit and tank” hospital. I was living by the sea - It was all very good. And then in 1999 to Wigmore Abbey in Herefordshire for 10 happy years, a parish of 9 villages and 9 churches.
Along the way I have been married, have made many good friends, gardened energetically and kept a succession of Jack Russells and chickens. I look forward to my time in Pontesbury.
Reader
Brought up in Broadstairs (‘Seven miles of golden sands’!) David was nicknamed ‘Tub’ during his schooldays. Following an unsuccessful early attempt to join the navy, DC gave in to his fate, as evidenced by his surname, by studying forestry and then gaining a wood science doctorate. Since then his entire career has been in the forest products industry in the UK. Never staying in one place too long, he has worked in the pulp and paper sector, both hardwood and softwood, in sawmilling (including Ransfords at Bishop’s Castle) and panelboard manufacturing at Chirk and elsewhere.
Since 1992 he has been with the country’s leading wood by-products company, A. W. Jenkinson Forest Products, and is now Company Secretary. Amongst other things, the company supplies all the bark and peat-free compost stocked by B & Q stores nationwide. Outside his normal job, DC is also President of the United Kingdom Forest Products Association. Work is based in Penrith, but also involves regular visits to subsidiary companies at Tetbury and Cirencester. DC hopes to ‘retire’ to a day a week in June 2007, and thus not have to drive quite so much as at present (and, of course, to do more in the Parish).
DC has always been a churchgoer, and as a choirboy and server this was often four times on a Sunday. Invited to become a Reader while living in Wales in the 1980’s, work precluded training, a situation that persisted when asked again in the 1990’s. Finally, Bishop John Saxbee arranged for him to study with Philip Harratt, Rural Dean, and DC was licensed and admitted as a Reader in St. George’s Church in September, 2001. Affected by the example of Philip Dickinson, DC was attracted mostly to pastoral visiting rather than preaching, and this is helped by being able to empathise with the elderly. However, he also finds it a wonderful privilege to be able to preach and try to get over to congregations large or small (and himself) just what it is that makes Christian faith relevant in the 21st century.
DC could not undertake his role as Reader without the support of his wife, Alison. They were married in 1968, and have two children, now in their 30’s, and two grandchildren. Although son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren live in Melbourne, Australia, this has at least meant that there are regular visits downunder to see them and their wonderful country. DC’s main outside interest is just that, hill walking, and most holidays involve getting up mountains, accompanied, usually willingly, by Alison.
Deacons
Congratulations to Caroline and Shirley on their ordination as Deacons at Hereford Cathedral on Sunday 5th July.
Shirley Small
Having worked as a hospital nurse and midwife, Shirley then moved into the pharmaceutical industry, where she eventually managed medical information and drug safety departments.
She now works from home, providing medical/clinical information on drugs via a telephone helpline to clinicians, pharmacists, nurses and patients – as well as preparing reports, abstracting clinical papers and drug safety reporting.
At home, Shirley and husband David foster donkeys from the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, Devon – as well as looking after their dogs and family horses. She occasionally works on a scoring team for British Eventing.
Shirley and David have an elderly father in Minsterley, married daughters and 2 granddaughters living here in Pontesbury, a married son and grandchildren in the Netherlands, together with a son, daughter and grandchild in Wales.
Shirley trained for the priesthood with the West of England Ministerial Training Course [WEMTC], based in Ludlow, Shropshire and was ordained deacon in July 2009. She is now happily serving within the team at St George’s.
Caroline has always been a regular churchgoer and was secretary of the Deanery Synod at 22! She was brought up in rural South Bucks and moved to
Since 1997 when she moved to her present home, between Dorrington and Picklescott, Caroline has carried out a variety of jobs, including being PA to a Financial Advisor, various secretarial jobs, cleaning and being a waitress in her local pub, and is currently working three days a week looking after her grandson Ziggy who is a regular member of Little Dragons.
She has been an organist in her local church, and worked extensively with
Caroline runs a thriving Bed & Breakfast business and is training for the ordained ministry at WEMTC alongside Shirley.
She has four grown up married children and a number of grandchildren, all of whom are strongly supportive of her vocation.
One son is about to move to