A NEW contingent of clergy were ordained at Salisbury Cathedral last weekend. In total 14 priests and nine deacons were at the ceremony including a husband and wife pair who will both preach in the city.

The Revd Dominic Thornton is the new Curate at St Thomas’ – his wife the Revd Heather Leppard will work at St George’s and All Saints in Harnham.

“My first few days as a Rev have gone pretty well,” said Dominic. “I had a stroll down the Town Path wearing my dog collar the other day and got a few smiles which was nice. I was a bit nervous about that beforehand but it feels good.

“Heather and I met at theological college in Cambridge where we were in the same class. We’ve been married just over two months so we’re just feeling our way into being clergy and being a married couple all at the same time. It’s very exciting.”

The Revd Ali Bridewell, has been working as a deacon in Bemerton for the past year and was ordained as a priest on Sunday. Before that, she worked in the defence sector and is a former pupil at South Wilts.

“It’s absolutely wonderful to be ordained a priest,” said Ali. “A real blessing which gives me a chance to be a blessing to others, and it’s the culmination of a journey which started 10 years ago. The best bits are being part of the community, especially with the café at St Michael’s in Bemerton Heath giving us a chance to get to know a cross-section of the community of all ages.”