The Revd. Ann Gurner was officially licenced as Priest-in-Charge of the Link parishes at a service held in Kirtling Church on 9th July 2008. Ann provided the following profile before her arrival.

I was born into an RAF family, the youngest of 4 children, and grew up ‘on the move’ but mostly in country villages in Wiltshire, Hampshire and Denmark. Apart from many schools, childhood memories feature horses and dogs and the village church.

Becoming a committed Christian soon after leaving school I joined a local Baptist church for several years. After college in London I started a career in medicines evaluation and organising clinical trials, which involved travelling widely in this country and to the rest of Europe and USA. In the early Eighties, we moved to Cambridge where I set up a research management company on the Science Park, and later trained and practised as a health economist, also holding Visiting Fellowships at the Judge Institute in Cambridge and University of East Anglia. I spent 20 years living in Coton, a village just west of Cambridge. During that time we were involved in a lively Anglican church in the city centre, and latterly moved to a small church in East Barnwell where I trained as a Reader (Licensed Lay Minister) and later heard God’s call to become an ordained minister. Accordingly, I spent two further years studying at Ridley Hall in Cambridge, and helping in several village parishes.

Apart from the ‘day-job’ for the last 10 years in Cambridge the children and I farmed beef cattle, sheep and poultry and also had a collection of Welsh cobs and Border terriers on a smallholding in our village.

I was sure God was calling me to serve in a rural parish, so on completing my studies I accepted a curacy in 5 parishes in northern Lincolnshire – where we have 6 churches, 4 in small Agricultural villages and two at Woodhall Spa, a handsome Edwardian Spa, with a population of about 4,000. I have loved it here and learnt a lot – not least because the Rector left last year and we have been ‘in vacancy’ for nearly 12 months. I believe being a parish priest must be the best job in the World! I spend about half my time in the community – working in the three schools, six residential homes and with many families preparing for baptism, marriage or a funeral – and am convinced that a parish priest is called to be available to the whole community. Here we have both been able to get fully involved in the community with local sports (this is the home of English Golf), civic organisations, local employers, the Dam-busters (617 Squadron) reunions and considerable tourism. I have been able to start an after-school club for primary age children, a house-group for the younger adults and work with other denominations in mission. I have also been a member of the Bishops advisory group for Prayer and Spirituality, and developed my interest in agricultural chaplaincy. Roger, my husband, has run a Fairtrade campaign in the village – including running a shop one season, and is also involved in providing IT support for the parish – including a website.

For us both, the move to Cheveley is both exciting and also familiar in that we know Cambridgeshire and the Diocese and many local friends, but not this group of villages – yet. So we look forward very much to getting to know you all, and learning about the villages and local businesses – equine and others - and for myself, to serve you as your parish priest.

Ann Gurner

Other Village Personalities
No 2 - Freda Swann
No 3 - Jack & Doris Scrivener
No 4 - Beryl Woollard
No 5 - Sepp and Daphne Krombacher
No 6 - No 7 - Ivor & Iris Brown
No 8 - Roy & Jill Steggles
No 9 - Derrick & Veronica Aspland
Return to Index page