General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Alison Horsey
My church work includes:

West Hatch PCC
member for the past
29 years, apart from 6
years at a large
charismatic Baptist
church 2016 -2022.

PCC Treasurer 2001 –
2016, & 2023 to date.

PCC Secretary 1997 –
2000, & 2026 to date

Churchwarden from
2022 to date

Co-Founder Trustee &
Treasurer of Benefice
Charitable Trust, 2004
to date

Lay Worship Assistant
Jan 2026 to date,
creating & leading
non-traditional services
to build up and inspire

Open the Book team
member 2014 to date

Independent Examiner
of 4 rural churches
from 2006 to date

Sunday Gang Leader, &
Part of Management
Team for Children’s
Schools & Families
Worker 2009-2016

Deanery Synod Rep
2026 to date, Deputy
2023-2025

Alpha Course & Home
Group leader 2024 to
date

And one paid church
role:
Children’s Schools and
Families Worker (mat
leave cover) 2022-2023
My life outside church:

Working class, West Country
roots – youngest of 6
children of farm-worker dad
and stay-at-home mum. Our
house went with dad’s job,
dad changed jobs a lot until I
was aged 11 when we finally
settled at West Lydford, near
Somerton.

1990 to date, married to
Michael, farming small 100
acre dairy/now suckler
family farm. Hard work, but
blessed to work in & with
God’s creation every day.

1994: Qualified as an
Accountant.

1995 to 2015: housewife,
farmer & stay-at-home mum
to our 3 girls.

2000 to 2009: Treasurer of
two local Pre-Schools (one
we very sadly had to close,
unviable after government
funding changes)

2015 – 2022: Employed as
Part time Auditor,
specialising in Solicitors.

2022 to date: Self-employed
Part- time Bookkeeper for
farmers.

2010 to 2015, & 2025 to
date: Hand bell ringing.

My weekly swims & Pilates
are good times to pray and
reflect, and help control my
scoliosis that I’ve had since
my teenage years.

I love walking in the local
area taking in the changing
seasons; listening to Lectio
365 App & all sorts of music;
and slowly teaching myself
to play the piano.

I enjoy catching up with
family & friends.
Standing for the House of
Laity of General Synod 2026
Votes must be in by Tuesday 13th October
Dear Elector
I am writing to ask you to vote for me in this important
election for General Synod.

I love my village church, St Andrew’s West Hatch, & our
benefice family, the Seven Sowers, just south of Taunton.
But year by year I’ve seen the increasingly heavy load
borne by committed volunteers & the much reduced
number of clergy who are giving their all in our rural
churches, and how National Church seems more and
more detached from real life in our parishes and I feel
God is now calling me to stand for General Synod, to
help reverse these trends.

I became a Christian about 25 years ago. It has taken me
years to grow to appreciate our traditional Anglican
services. I loved my 6 years at a large charismatic Baptist
church: I didn’t have to take on any roles, I could simply
attend and absorb, and there were many others there my
age, and many even younger! But after 6 years, spiritually
refreshed and renewed, God called me back to worship
with, & walk alongside, the people who live around me,
hence my return to St Andrew’s and the CofE in 2022.

On my Christian journey, I have learnt so much from so
many loving and kind older Christians who have sadly for
us, gone to be with our loving Lord. The workers are now
indeed few, and the potential harvest is still plentiful. It is
now my turn to take the baton and run that race, using
all I’ve learnt from those saints who have gone before
me. And being on General Synod would be one way to
honour all that these people have taught me: to improve
the church in Jesus’ name, to help it fulfill Jesus’ Great
Commission to go and make disciples across all nations -
across all our parishes in England, including our rural
parishes.

I also believe wholeheartedly in a church that welcomes
everyone - Jesus prioritised time with the working class,
the poor, the vulnerable, women, the outcast, and He
wants us to welcome them now. I support the work of
the charity Together for the Church of England. Their
Inclusive Campaign has taught me a great deal about
how we can make our churches better places for all.

I am a fast learner, curious about how Synod really
works, and keen to work with, and learn from, people
from all backgrounds especially those with differing
views to my own, to collaboratively develop effective
practical solutions.

Do get in touch if you would like to find out more about
me, & please take the time to vote for whoever you feel
will advocate for the issues that are important to you.
[email protected]
Proposer: Kathryn Tucker, General Synod 2015-2021, Bishops Council, Exmoor Deanery.
Seconder: Mal Lee, Bishop's Council, Diocesan Synod, Somerset South Deanery.

Our communities need the church, even those
who never or seldom go into the church building,
in this troubled world we all need a place we can
go for peace & solace, & everyone needs to know
they are forgiven, loved & precious to God.
Supporting rural multi-parish benefices
Rural churches are special. They support our village
schools, halls, pubs, shops, and from personal
experience I can say they are a lifeline to isolated
farmers who care for the land around us.
Rural benefices bring local churches together, sharing
resources and experience. Our Seven Sowers Benefice
Open The Book Team visits all 3 of our benefice primary
schools every week, showing the love of God by acting
out a bible story – we’re by no means professional
actors (!), but we bring enthusiasm, joy and hope, and
we do it with love for the children (all 300 of them), the
school staff & each other.
Valuing Volunteers
I appreciate the dedicated work that all volunteers give so
freely to keep our churches running. My principle in any
decision at Synod would be to make sure things are kept
as simple and effective as possible, always considering
the volunteers who work diligently & lovingly.
An inclusive church for everyone
We are all made in God’s image, we are all invited to the
Lord’s Table. I fully support women’s ministry, equality
for LGBT+ Christians, and for Christians from all races
and ethnic backgrounds, at all levels and in all roles in
the church. Our churches must be more accessible to
the disabled and neurodivergent people.
I was shocked and moved when Kat D’Arcy Cumber,
Churchwarden at St Nicholas, South Ockenden, and
member of Together for the Church of England, recalled
an event at General Synod just after she had begun her
quinquennium on General Synod back in 2021: General
Synod were discussing co-opting Global Heritage
Majority members to the House of Laity. Some
members used the phrases “slippery slope”, “where will
it all end”, Kat could not believe what she was
witnessing, she says it felt like she was a child in the
1980’s again. It was such a painful experience that
afterwards she sat in tears in Parliament Square.
I will work to ensure General Synod welcomes Global
Heritage Majority members. We are all part of the body
of Christ, and without everyone from all walks of life,
without every part we cannot fully be Jesus to those
around us.
Alison Horsey General Synod 2026
So why vote for me?
My love of Jesus & the church, & the joy it gives me, is why I
spend so much of my free time volunteering for the church.
My lay worship assistant role has shown I am confident in
preparing & speaking out my message.
The accountant in me makes me pay attention to detail and
specialising in Solicitors for 6 years means I know how to
read rules & legislation.
The farmer in me makes me resilient with determination to
persevere until I get the job done to the best of my ability.
This combination of my faith, 29 years of church
volunteering, and my business experience makes me
an ideal candidate for General Synod.
Don’t forget to vote!
Votes must be in by Tuesday 13th October
A better deal for the local church
The Finances of the CofE are top heavy, with millions of
pounds from the Church Commissioners being spent on
questionable projects. If elected I will work to ensure
greater focus on resources being used to support the
12,000 parish churches we already have.
Improving Care of our Clergy - a joyful, supported priest is the most effective vocations officer for the Church.
The CofE has experienced modest growth in the last few years, but this has not been true for many rural churches.
In the past 5 years our Benefice Ministry Team, like many others across the country, has shrunk significantly - we’ve
lost our House for Duty, an Associate Priest and a Lay Reader. As much as volunteers try to help, we are not filling the
void left by less clergy serving in the benefice. Hence clergy life is tougher than ever - 35% of incumbents exhibit
symptoms of depression, 40% of clergy experience chronic illness (Living Ministry Survey, 2025).
I will do all I can to promote changes that will protect our frontline clergy from mental & physical exhaustion.

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