My name is Ann… Rev. Ann Anderson! Hartlepool is my home town, and I attended the very ostentatious Henry Smith Grammar School but didn’t really achieve well, finding the whole five years of secondary education a complete ordeal.

I went on to take qualifications at the College of Further Education, Hartlepool, this time successfully. I then went to Leeds where I acquired the best nurse training at St. James’ Hospital, but the actual reason I went to Leeds was my husband Jeff, he was studying Illustration at Leeds Polytechnic.

Here, we settled, I qualified and got a job as a Staff Nurse at Chapel Allerton Hospital and Jeff got a job at Rustcraft Greeting Cards. Life was good, though I knew there was something missing from my life; we started a much longed for family! In fact, we loved being a family so much we had two girls in two years.

It was while our second daughter was very small that Jeff lost his Dad, suddenly, to a massive heart attack. Within a few months it became clear that Jeff’s Mam was also very sick; she was diagnosed with cancer. I travelled home to Hartlepool and took her to every radiotherapy/doctors’ appointment.

While I was nursing Jeff’s Mam, Jeff’s sister arranged for me to attend a Billy Graham event at Roker Park, Sunderland; Billy Graham spoke powerfully about Jesus, I just about ran to the front of the meeting as I realised that everything that was wrong in my life, everything that was missing, could be made good by the love of God.

Sadly, Jeff’s Mam still died, but not before I shared God’s love with her too, so I grieved, but not as someone who has no hope. Jeff and I went onto have another three children, we have three daughters and two sons, we are so very proud of them!

We returned to Hartlepool and soon I realised God was calling me to full time ministry. Me?! A girl from Hartlepool who didn’t even do well at school? You bet!

I served as a Curate at St. Mary and St. Cuthbert’s Church, Chester-le-Street and as Rector at St. Michael and All Angels Church, Hetton, Lyons with Eppleton for the past eleven years, and now God has led me to Great Aycliffe.

So, who am I? I am a Christian, a wife/Mum/Grandma, a church leader, a lover of people, walking, sewing, knitting, reading, food, films and chocolate… and God’s not finished with me yet!

You can find me at our four churches in Aycliffe, St. Andrew’s Church, St. Francis’ Church, St. Elizabeth’s Church or St. Clare’s Church, where you can find the Parish Office. I look forward to meeting you!

Rev. Ann Anderson.

Editor:

On behalf of residents of Great Aycliffe, Newton News extends a warm welcome to Ann and her family. We hope they will be happy here and look forward to receiving the whole family into our community.

Pictured: Rev. Ann with husband Jeff