chaplaincy,isolation,loneliness,marriage,ordination,orthodox,poverty,scripture,tradition,young people

For the first time, I am offering myself to serve on General Synod. I am standing because I love the Lord Jesus and
passionately believe in the Church of England as a body of believers, rooted in Christ and present in the real lives of the
people and communities we serve.
I would bring to Synod the experience of parish ministry, chaplaincy, education, counselling, family life and working
alongside people whose voices can too easily be overlooked. I want to champion the diocese’s strategic priority: Children,
Young People and Families.

About me...
I am married to Mark and a mum to Faith (22) Luke (20) Joy (16) and Daniel (13). I am an ordained minister, an Associate
Priest in North Devon and the Flourish Lead Worker for the Diocese of Exeter. I have worked as both a prison chaplain and
a school chaplain and before ordination I was a teacher and trained counsellor.
These various parts of my life have shaped the way I understand ministry. I have sat alongside people in prison whose lives
have been marked by trauma, disadvantage, and difficult circumstances. I have worked with children and young people in
schools and seen how education, encouragement and someone believing in you can change the direction of a life. Parish
ministry has shown me again that behind every situation is a person, a family, and a story.
As a mum of children with SEND, I also know something of the reality faced by families who must fight hard to get the
education, support and benefits their children need. It has given me a particular passion for children and families who can
easily become exhausted, isolated, or overlooked.

Children, families and SEND.
I want to be a voice for children and families, particularly those living with additional needs. I believe better SEND provision
matters enormously, both in society and in the Church.
I want neurodiverse children and their families to know that they belong in our churches. The Church should be somewhere
families can come as they are. A child who finds noise overwhelming, a young person who struggles to sit still or a parent
who is exhausted from meeting their child's needs should not feel that church is somewhere they cannot belong. I would
like to see clergy and congregations better equipped with practical resources and understanding so that neurodiverse families
can worship and grow in faith together rather than becoming isolated or divided because their needs are not understood.

Education, rehabilitation, and breaking cycles.
Education is a particular passion of mine. Having been a school governor, teacher, and Chaplain, I have seen the difference
a good school can make. I want Church of England schools to be places where children are safe, known, encouraged and
given every opportunity to learn, grow and flourish, with Christian faith and values forming part of the bedrock of their
communities.

My experience as a prison chaplain has also given me a strong commitment to trauma-informed rehabilitation. If we want
to reduce reoffending, we need to understand the person as well as the offence. Trauma and disadvantage do not remove
personal responsibility but understanding them can help us find ways for people to change and build a different future.
I want to see the Church continue to be involved in this work, helping to break cycles of disadvantage and supporting people
towards restoration and new beginnings.

Women, children, and families.
l stand for the dignity and safety of women and children. I want our churches to be places where women and children are
heard, protected and valued, and where their particular needs are taken seriously.
I am also passionate about fostering and adoption. There are children in our communities who need safe and loving families.
I would like to see fostering and adoption brought much more intentionally into the life of the Church of England, with
churches having the information, encouragement and practical resources needed to support those who may be called to this
ministry.
I believe family matters. I also hold to the Church's orthodox Christian understanding of marriage, rooted in Scripture and
the Christian tradition. I believe we should be able to speak clearly about our convictions while treating every person with
dignity, kindness and respect. I am not afraid of difficult conversations, but I believe disagreement does not have to become
hostility.

Rural and small-town ministry.
Serving in North Devon has strengthened my conviction that rural and small-town ministry matters. Poverty, loneliness,
isolation and lack of services can be hidden in communities that look very different from the outside. Parish churches are
often uniquely placed to notice what others miss because we are there for the long term.
I also strongly believe in the importance of intergenerational worship and church life. In my own parish ministry, I have
seen the joy and growth that comes when children, young people, families and older people worship, serve and learn
together. We have seen God move as different generations have found their place within the life of the church, and I believe
this is a vital part of what it means to be a flourishing church.
Through my work as a Flourish Lead Worker, I have also seen what can happen when churches and communities are
encouraged to recognise the gifts and possibilities God has already placed among them. I want to see flourishing
communities across the whole of the Church of England — rural and urban, young and old — where everyone is valued,
everyone has something to contribute, and people can discover and grow in the gifts God has given them.

If I’m elected to General Synod.
I will listen carefully, speak honestly and seek to represent the experience and concerns of clergy in our diocese. I will bring
the perspective of a parish priest, wife and mother, teacher, counsellor, school chaplain and prison chaplain, together with
my experience of SEND, rural ministry and community work.
I want to see a Church of England that is confident in Christ, faithful to Scripture and generous in welcome; a Church that
takes children seriously, supports families, values women, welcomes neurodiverse people, strengthens our schools,
encourages fostering and adoption, takes rehabilitation seriously and remains present where people are struggling.
I also want us to be able to disagree well. We will face difficult and important questions on General Synod. I believe we
need people who are willing to hold convictions firmly, listen well and speak graciously, remembering that the person with
whom we disagree is also someone made in the image of God.
I am not standing because I think I have all the answers. I am standing because I care deeply about the Church, about the
people we serve and about the future of the Church of England. I would be honoured to serve and to work with others to
help our communities flourish.