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When did you move to Forncett?

In 2019. I was a priest in Winscombe, Somerset and saw an advert for the job of priest at the Upper Tas Valley benefice. It appealed to me because an important part of the role was developing relationships between the church, four schools, families and children.

Why did this appeal to you?

I was ordained in 2008, but before that I ran a consultancy training people to be adult education tutors and others working as playworker and early years educators, so the idea that much of the work I would be doing was focussed on children was a big attraction.

Soon after arriving, I discovered that it was still possible to continue my interest in the church’s response to climate change when I was invited to become part of the Diocese of Norwich Environmental Working Group. The Group is active in helping churches reach net Zero Carbon emissions by 2030 and becoming Eco-Churches – which involveslooking at all aspects of churches from simple things like using eco-friendly cleaning products, to better energy management.  It’s exciting to know that the churches in the Upper Tas Valley Group, including the churches in Forncett, are working towards Eco-Church status with one about toget the Eco-Church Silver Award.

So, you applied and were offered the job – what have you enjoyed most about it?

Without doubt, it’s been the people – everyone has been so welcoming and supportive. That’s the joy of my job. Over the years there have been so many joyful occasions and I’ve been lucky enough to get to know many generations of the same families for events such as weddings, baptisms and of course, sadly, funerals.

The great sadness of my time in Forncett has been COVID. It’s affected so many lives and has meant that we’ve not been able to have the face-to-face contact that over the years I’ve found to be so important. It’s good that we are at last getting back to some sort of normality.

And what are your hopes for St Peters?

I can see a great future for St Peters. There’s so much support from the community and with the extra creativity and imagination this brings, there is every possibility of a truly dynamic future for both the church and community as they work together. If we look back to how churches were part of their communities in the past, I can see something similar happening in the future. St Peters could run a dementia café and be a hub for many other activities. There are even churches that run shops and licensed bars!

And sadly Lydia, we’re going to lose you next year as you head off into retirement.

Yes, Chris and I will be moving back to Somerset just after Easter, but we’ll be taking with us some lovely memories of our time in Norfolk. My last service is on 23^rd April.

What are your plans?

We hope to travel and catch up with family and friends – the rest is an unknown adventure!

Thank you for all the great work you’ve done in the area and best wishes for a full and fun-filled retirement!

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Written by: Peter Schmidt-Hansen

Published: 01 November 2022

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!

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Written by: Peter Schmidt-Hansen

Published: 06 October 2021