Whos Who
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The Dereham Team and District Team Ministry is led by Canon Sally Theakston and the Revd. Adrian Aubrey-Jones, assisted by the Reverend Ed Thornley, the Reverend Jane Nursey, and the Reverend Kenneth Pilgrim with Alan Barrett, Lydia Crick and Evelyn Speed (Readers). Michael Callow is the Parish Administrator based at Church House.
The Reverend Canon Sally Theakston At the beginning of September 2009 I became Team Rector.
I trained at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, just outside Oxford. I was ordained Deacon at St. Paul’s Cathedral in 1989 to serve as curate in Hackney, East London. I then crossed the River Thames to Putney, during which time I became one of the first women Priests in the Church of England. In 1996 I became the first female Anglican Chaplain to Her Majesty’s Forces. I spent six years as a Royal Naval Chaplain including time at sea as Chaplain to a Squadron of Destroyers. In 2002 I returned to dry land as Team Rector of Gaywood, King’s Lynn. I am married to Michael and we share the Rectory with two guinea pigs (Beetley and Bilney) and two birds (Harvey and Sparky). I enjoy outdoor pursuits and am passionate about travel
The Reverend Adrian Aubrey- Jones
I trained on a regional course and was ordained in 2007. I spent my three years as a Curate at St Nicholas Church in Dersingham. During this period I was also employed in the Civil Service and worked on a voluntary basis in the Church , but at the end of my curacy, I was asked if I would be interested in working full-time in the Church as a Stipendiary Minister – hence my appointment to the post as Team Vicar.
I live in Swanton Morley with my wife, Anthea. We have one son, Philip, married to Monica and they have three children. Born in Canterbury, Kent in 1984, I spent the first eighteen years of my life living on the south-east coast. Having first felt called to ministry at the age of fifteen, I studied theology at Exeter, Cambridge and Yale. Following my studies, I was ordained deacon in July 2010 and priest in July 2011, and am thrilled to be serving my title post as curate in the Dereham team. My role here involves liturgical (worship services) and pastoral work throughout the six parishes we serve - including responsibilities for some of the residential homes (especially working in dementia care), working with the schools and co-ordinating the youth group as well as other outreach programmes in the community. Along with my love of studying theology and living out my ministry, I am also a keen guitarist (having played since the age of eleven) and an avid movie goer. And this, indeed, also fuels my continuing academic research which focuses on the relationship between religion and popular culture, especially music and film. Besides the studying, guitar and movies, I also love creative writing, walking in the countryside, and most importantly spending time with family and friends - especially whilst drinking wine... I am married to Devon (a theology and literature graduate and writer), whom I met whilst studying at Yale. We were married in May 2011 and begin our married life living in the curate’s house in Toftwood, where we are already learning about not only what it means to share our life together, but also to share it with a black cat called Mork.
The Reverend Jane Nursey I moved to Dereham in 1989 when I started attending St Nicholas; originally sitting in the pews, progressing to helping with our childrens' work and then with the encouragement of clergy and friends , I answered the call to ministry. After training on a part-time local scheme through the Norwich Diocese I was ordained as an Ordained Local Minister in October 2007. I have worked in Dereham for 15 years at the local library - a great place to meet people in the community - but in March 2011, I relinquished this position to take up part-time Chaplaincy at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. I am married to Brian and we have three children, (now adults themselves). We have really enjoyed living in the town as our family have grown up; the children attended local schools and kept us busy with the many activities and clubs they attended over the years. Relaxation for me ... ... walking locally with our dog, taking time out to go to the beautiful Norfolk Coast - and meeting up with family and friends would be top on my list!
The Reverend Kenneth Pilgrim Non Stipendiary Minister
My involvement with church leadership continued, and in 1987 I became a Lay Reader in the Dover Deanery, first in a town parish and then in two rural benefices. I also began a long-standing involvement with Deanery and Diocesan Synods. Five years later I pursued a period of further academic study, which lead to a Masters degree in 1994. Then in 1998 I began my training for ordination, and was ordained into Local Ministry in Canterbury Cathedral in 2001, and priested there the following year. I served my title and curacy in a Benefice near Folkestone, consisting of four rural churches. After moving to Norfolk I joined the Dereham Team in 2004 as an Assistant Priest, where I continue to serve our village churches as a Non Stipendiary Minister, and also act as chaplain for Bilney Hall residential home. I am married to Wendy, a retired Head Teacher, and we live in Beetley near Dereham. We continue to discover the delights and diversity of our adopted County, and we enjoy our little boat ‘Dilly’ on the Norfolk Broads.
Lydia Crick, Reader
As a child, I went to St Peter's Harold Wood, Essex quite an evangelical church. Then as a student, I joined the Christian Union at Loughborough University. It was about 10 years ago when the then Team Vicar, Heather Turner was licensed that I realised, in the middle of her licensing, that God was calling me too. It took a little longer before I discovered that this calling was to the role of a Reader. I was seriously ill twice during my training, but my successful recovery both times confirmed this calling. I went back to work after recovering my health but gave up working when I became licensed as a Reader. I found that nearly dying has given me a different view of what is important in life and working out my remaining years for a pension was not that vital. I worked as a library and information specialist in the public sector, most of the time for the Ministry of Agriculture finishing as the ADAS Librarian providing specialist information services to the professional and technical staff. I had a spell in the NHS and finally as the College Librarian for Easton College. It was at University that I heard a preacher, possibly John Stott, talk about how the father ran to meet his returning wayward son in the parable of the Prodigal Son. This has been one of the most important things I have learnt. God loves so much that He doesn’t passively wait for us to come to Him but runs towards us: the father “had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him” (Luke 15: 20)
Alan Barrett Reader I was born and brought up in Accrington, Lancashire and lived there until the age of 15 when I joined the Royal Air Force as a Boy Entrant and served for a little over 33 years. I came to Dereham with my wife, Jennifer, from Germany in 1989 accompanied by our sons, Simon and Jamie. Throughout my Air Force career I was always pretty active in the church and served as church warden and sacristan at many establishments. When we first arrived we started attending Swanton Morley Church but after a short while moved into Scarning and we became part of the St Nicholas congregation. I served on the PCC for a while and was a member of Deanery Synod, I also led one of the home bible groups. After I left the RAF for reasons best known to himself the then Rector, Dennis Rider, asked if I would be interested in training to become a Local Non Stipendary Minister. This came as quite a shock to me, and I had to think long and hard about his unexpected suggestion but after some time I decided that serving as a Reader was more in my line of ministry, especially so since I had just started a new job working in Norwich Prison and became active there in assisting the Samaritans to train prisoners as Listeners. I was licensed as a Reader in 2000 as part of the first group by our 'new' Bishop Graham and thoroughly enjoy my ministry especially in my role as Chaplain to 1249 (Dereham) Squadron of the Air Training Corps. Jennifer and I are now both retired but we are kept very active with our three grand children, Callum, Evie and Eleanor.
Evelyn Speed Reader I am Evelyn Speed and I have been happily married to Doug for 45 years. We have 2 children and 5 grandchildren. I was first licensed as a Lay Reader in 1984, when I was the Supervisor of the Grove School Play Group, Dereham. In 1988, I started nurse training, as a mature student, and followed an intensive career as a Specialist Care of the Elderly Nurse and then as a Health Visitor to the Fakenham area. I was retired on ill-health grounds in 2000 following a poor recovery after spinal surgery. The latter part of my nursing career was very demanding, resulting in me being unable to fulfil my responsibilities as a Reader, causing a break from this Ministry between 1995 and 2011. Following my enforced retirement, my husband and I moved to Hampshire, where I slowly recovered and found my feet again. After 6 ½ years the ‘pull’ of Norfolk was so strong that we moved back to Dereham in 2010. This was a massive decision, but this is where our hearts belong. It was only a short time before the Lord’s call to serve came again, strong and clear, with a particular ministry to children’s worship. I was welcomed and re-licensed at Norwich Cathedral in September 2011.
I am now very much involved in working with children at St Nicholas Church. I help to lead J.C. Club, play a major part in Family and Parade Services, am part of the team for the recently started ‘Messy Church’ and help with the new Youth Group, Club Theo. I also visit two Infant Schools each month to take part in their Assemblies. I feel honoured to be able to serve my Lord, and that I am given the opportunity to serve God in the way I feel called. I give thanks that He gives me the skills to follow through with this precious work.
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I was born and brought up in East Yorkshire first coming to Norfolk in 1980 to study Environmental Science at the University of East Anglia. When I graduated I worked for two years for the Student Christian Movement as the regional representative in the South East of England. During this time I lived in the East End of London. This was a very formative experience and led me to offer myself for ministry within the Church of England, though opportunities for women were limited at that time.
I was licensed as a Reader in September 2008. My decision to become a Reader was a gradual one.