Kate Woolven will take up her duties as priest in charge of the two parishes in January

A new vicar has been appointed for Uplyme and Axmouth

The Rev Kate Woolven will take up her post as their new Priest in Charge in the New Year.

Her appointment follows the departure of Rev Gavin Tyte at the end of September.

Mrs Woolven brings with her a wide experience, not only of worship but also outreach work, including pastoral care, working with children and many imaginative activities involving the whole community.

For the past three years she has been assistant curate to the churches in the 5 Alive Mission Community – Dalwood, Kilmington, Shute, Stockland and Yarcombe.

Brought up in the Chalke Valley, near Salisbury, she is married to Jonathan and they have one son, Jamie.

Prior to ordination, they ran a very successful landscaping business near Salisbury for many years. Following this, the family joined the Christian Community at the Lee Abbey Conference Centre in North Devon. It was during this period that Mrs Woolven felt the call to ordination.

She said: “The past three years have given me a rich experience of parish life and I am excited at the prospect of leading the churches of Uplyme and Axmouth, as they reach out with the love of Christ to their communities and beyond.”

Her licensing by the Bishop of Crediton will be on Thursday, January 30, in the evening, at a venue to be announced.