Deacon is ordained

A WOMAN who was appointed deacon for Goring and surrounding villages last year has now been ordained as its priest.

Wendy Middleton, who has lived in Goring for more than 20 years, attended a ceremony at Dorchester Abbey conducted by Colin Fletcher, the Bishop of Dorchester.

She was accompanied by regular worshippers from St Thomas’s Church in Goring, St Andrew’s Church in South Stoke and St Mary’s Church in Streatley.

When she returned, the bell-ringers at St Thomas’s rang a quarter peal of grandsire triples before Rev Middleton and her husband Robin, whom she met through bell-ringing, served chocolate cake.

Rev Middleton, who is now licensed to preside at services of Holy Communion, will continue to work as part of the Goring ministry team and as a part-time teaching assistant at the village primary school.