To be ordained deacon on Sunday 30 June 2024, at 10:45 in Derby Cathedral

When I was discerning a call to ordination the words of the hymn ‘Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing’ spoke deeply to me.

As I now approach ordination, I still find myself drawn to this hymn.

Ordination is a turning point at which I want to look back and thank God for all that he has done: in the words of the hymn, ‘here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by thy help I’ve come’.

It is a point of deep commitment which a line in the hymn also captures beautifully: ‘here’s my heart, oh take and seal it’. It is also a time for looking to the future.

I am looking ahead with hope and anticipation to serving my curacy in Kirk Hallam.

I love this verse from Psalm 27 – ‘I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living’ (13) - and I hope that, as I learn to minister in Kirk Hallam, I will always keep my eyes open to the goodness of the Lord and all he is doing in that place.

For the past three years I have been training at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, whilst living in Leicestershire.

Previously I worked as a Lecturer in Ancient History (most recently at the University of Birmingham) and I come to ministry with a passion for education and widening access to education, with a particular interest in developing chaplaincy in secondary schools.

I have lived in a number of different places, but grew up in North Yorkshire near the moors, which gave me a love of wild, open spaces; I am looking forward to having the Peak District on my doorstep.