Ana Moskvina – Historic Church Building Support Officer

Meet Ana Moskvina who is helping Friends of St Peter’s in her capacity of Historic Church Building Support Officer for the Diocese of Norwich.

How did you become involved with Friends of St Peter’s?  My job is to help and support local communities look after their churches. This is a wide-ranging role covering many things from understanding the historical significance of churches to helping with grant applications to supporting communities look after their churches. In the case of St Peter’s one of my first tasks was to put the church on the ‘At Risk’ register. Since then, I have been working with the Friends on grant applications, publicity and looking at ways in which the community might use the church in years to come.

How did you get your current role in the diocese?  I originally studied architecture in St Petersburg, my home city, which fired my interest in historical buildings. As a result I came to UEA to do a degree in History of Art with Gallery and Museum Studies, followed by a Masters and finally a PhD. During this time I researched a medieval cathedral in Russia, religious buildings in Jordan and finally Anglo-Saxon churches in the UK! I was working as Head Verger at St Peter Mancroft in Norwich when I was offered my current role and the chance to once again indulge my passion for old churches!

What is special about St Peter’s?  The people! The church has fantastic features such as the herringbone flintwork, Drake’s tomb, the carved pews and the wooden staircase, but what has amazed and delighted me most are the people involved with the Friends of St Peter. There’s such a sense of community here with so many people involved who are friendly, enthusiastic, skilful and helpful.

What are your plans for the future? I love my job and over the years I’ve found that working with and helping people has been the most rewarding aspect. That’s one of the reasons that in September [2021] I’m starting a new phase of my life when I train for the ministry!

 Thanks Ana, for all the help and support you’re giving us and we look forward to seeing how your new career develops!