Congratulations to the recipients from the Newcastle Diocese who have been chosen to receive this year’s Maundy Money! His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen will attend the service on 17 April, at Durham Cathedral, where they will present Maundy Money to 152 recipients—76 men and 76 women—honouring their exceptional Christian service and reflecting the King’s age.
Read more about some of the inspiring individuals receiving this special Maundy gift.
Carol Griffiths
Carol’s home church is St Paul’s, North Sunderland, where she has served as PCC secretary and safeguarding officer. She also worships at St Aidan’s, Bamburgh.
At both PCC and diocesan level, Carol is utterly committed to all things green and eco. She was delighted when St Paul’s recently received planning permission for solar panels.
Carol is a member of the Diocesan Environment Working Group, the Diocesan Mission and Pastoral Committee (DMPC), the diocesan minor repairs group, and attends both deanery and diocesan synods – duties she describes as “real red-letter days.”
As deanery secretary in Bamburgh and Glendale, Carol has a great sense of community and is currently sharing in the Authorised Lay Ministry (ALM) core module training, which she hopes to follow with pastoral ministry.
Empathy and good listening are among her many qualities. Carol has experience of pastoral visiting for people who are housebound due to illness or age.
Carol works at Bamburgh Castle, where she is entranced by the history, and volunteers weekly as a Citizens’ Advice Bureau advisor.
“Never, in my wildest dreams did it cross my mind I would be invited to receive Maundy Money in Durham Cathedral,” said Carol. “It was the biggest shock of my life and such an honour.”
Janice Robinson
Janice is a lay minister in the Benefice of Mitford and Hebron and the Upper Wansbeck Churches, and a churchwarden in the parish of Mitford.
She is Morpeth Deanery lay chair and has taken an active part in supporting the Deanery Development Plan, helping to build up relationships between laity and clergy and facilitating the sharing of resources across parish boundaries.
In addition, Janice is a hospital chaplain for Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust at Alnwick Infirmary and serves as an Anna Chaplain in the churches she serves.
She has an active funeral ministry too throughout the deanery and feels that supporting and helping people through bereavement is both rewarding and a privilege.
Over the years, Janice has been involved in Tritlington Church of England first school in the parish of Hebron, where she served as a governor, helping with collective worship and supporting pupils and staff.
“It was overwhelming to find out I am to receive Maundy Money”, said Janice. “It's such a wonderful honour”.
Liz Kerry
Following a career in public service, Liz retired from Yorkshire to Northumberland and played a key role at both parish and diocesan level.
In the Parish of Upper Coquetdale, Liz has served as a PCC member for 17 years in roles including PCC secretary, vice chair and churchwarden.
She served in various diocesan roles until stepping down last year. These included chair of the Diocesan Mission and Pastoral Committee, vice chair of the Diocesan Board of Finance, trustee of the Diocesan Society, as a member of Bishop’s Council and both deanery and diocesan synods.
Liz had a distinguished career in civil service regional offices – including a number of external secondments – finally serving as Director of Regeneration for six years.
Liz left the civil service when she was appointed chief executive of the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly. She was also a non-executive director of Yorkshire Water plc, a university governor, a member of various national public policy forums, and a commissioner developing standards of good governance.
This range of experience all fuelled Liz’s interest and commitment to partnership working, ‘joining up’, governance and service.
Liz, who remains active at Upper Coquetdale, said: “I was absolutely stunned when the letter came from the Palace. It is most certainly a huge honour.”
Peter Brown
Architect Peter Brown has used his professional skills in support of the Diocese, its churches and schools over many years.
Peter is deputy chair of the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC), a role in which he advises parishes on architectural matters.
Although now retired from his day job, Peter was a partner with Darbyshire Architects in Newcastle and during a fascinating career, he worked with both English Heritage and the National Trust on conservation projects.
His main expertise, however, was in school buildings. He undertook many projects, designing new schools, school extensions, alterations and repairs in both Church of England and catholic schools and was architect to St John’s College and Cranmer Hall, Durham, for quarter of a century. In retirement, he is a member of the St John’s College Estates Committee and continues to offer advice on building matters.
Peter has a long association with Newcastle Central deanery. He was a member of the PCC at All Saints Church, Gosforth, for 41 years, most as lay chair, until stepping down last year, but he remains an active member of the church and continues to worship there.
Peter’s membership of Newcastle Central deanery synod lasted for over 30 years, serving as lay chair for six years overlapping as deanery finance officer, a post he then continued to hold for almost 25 years.
“I was absolutely astonished to receive a letter from Buckingham Palace,” said Peter, “but it is a tremendous honour.”
Sally Milner
Long-serving chaplain Sally Milner is among those from Newcastle Diocese to receive Maundy Money this spring.
Over the years, Sally’s listening ear and compassionate tone have supported many people, including school pupils and staff.
Sally has served as chaplain to Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust since 2012, working across seven primaries, one secondary, and one specialist school.
The honour comes 20 years after Sally initially joined the diocese as secretary to the director of education, a role she held from 2005 to 2008, before moving on to work as school chaplain at St Aidan’s Church of England Primary in Darlington.
“It is a blessing to be a chaplain,” said Sally. “I have two ears and a mouth, and people have to be really listened to. You must give them time and space and look at them with compassion and the steadfast love that God shows so supremely.”
Originally from Coventry, Sally studied theology at Durham University and she feels at home in the North East.
Her local parish is Seaton Hirst, Ashington, where she is a member of the PCC and occasionally gets invited to preach. She is also a member of Morpeth deanery synod.
“I would never expect to receive Maundy Money,” said Sally. “But it’s nice to have that recognition.”
Canon Alan Hughes
Canon Alan Hughes MBE TD VR was nominated directly by the Crown “for service in diverse disciplines over many years”.
Alan served as Vicar of Berwick upon Tweed for 18 years, instrumental in the restoration of the Church, initiated the visit to Berwick by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2001 and The Freedom of Berwick for The Coldstream Guards.
Originally from Yorkshire, Alan joined the Coldstream as a soldier in 1963, serving in Aden, East and North Africa, guarded Royal palaces in London and Windsor and was an early free fall parachutist.
Ordained in 1974, Alan first served in a new Edinburgh Council Housing Estate, the family flat the ‘church’ - followed by two parishes in North Yorkshire, effecting with his wife Susan the restoration of five churches, building a Parish Hall and Vicarage, before moving to Berwick in 1994.
Throughout Alan maintained his military links, as Chaplain to active standby regiments during The Cold War. He trained in Germany with The Royal Signals, The Parachute Regiment and Queen's Own Yeomanry as Chaplain to The Duke of Westminster. Casualty Notification and Visiting Officer for the recent conflicts. Alan was also Chaplain to Northumbria Police, Northumbria University Officer Training Corps, Army Cadet Force, The Guards Parachute Association of which The King is Head and Colonel in Chief of The Coldstream and Parachute Regiments. Alan has also been Chaplain to Berwick Infirmary for over thirty years and Chair of two Schools. Awarded MBE for services to Berwick in 2014, which he dedicated to his wife for her ‘unpaid curate’ role throughout.
Alan first worked in Berwick in the late 1960s and felt his call there serendipitous. His boyhood Vicar had been Curate of Berwick and The Coldstream carried the stones down from the 13thC Castle to build the Church in 1650. His other roles include that of Sheriff of Berwick, Chaplain and Press Officer to successive High Sheriff’s of Northumberland and promoting local organisations and businesses in the press in the absence of local reporters. Asked how he felt he replied…”greatly honoured”