Ruth
Williams

I was born and raised in Southport on the coast in the North West of England; my family still live there and I return regularly for vowel flattening purposes. As a family we attended St Simon’s and St Jude’s  church and I worked my way up through the crèche, Sunday School, Pathfinders and CYFA, as well as being involved at various times with the Girls Brigade, badminton club, a Church linked climbing and walking club and the youth club.

I made my own commitment to follow Jesus when I was 12 years old, when I realised that I needed to make my mind up and was confirmed in Liverpool Cathedral when I was 14. I went to Greenbank High School for Girls (which backs onto the Royal Birkdale Golf Club – though I can’t stand golf...) and attended KGV 6 Form College. I went on to do a degree in Geology at St Peter’s College, Oxford, during which time I met my husband to be, Stuart, who was studying Engineering Science at the same college. We were engaged at Christmas 1995 and were married in September 1997 at St Simon’s and St Jude’s.

After leaving university and before getting married I spent a season working as a trainee instructor at the Christian Mountain Centre , at that time in Tremadog (it has since moved to Llanbedr).

We moved to Hampshire after we married as Stu had a job in Basingstoke, we rented for a while in Tadley, then moved to Overton in early 1998, at that time I was working as a temp in the inorganic lab for the Environment Agency. We went along to St Mary’s and were immediately made very welcome, we had found a church we felt at home with.

I stopped working shortly before the arrival of our daughter Rowan in Autumn 1998, but went back to University in Reading to do a Masters course a year later. Euan arrived in 2001 and I then had my hands very much full with 2 small children.

I was appointed as Church Administrator in June 2003, taking over the reins from Laurence Chambers who had filled the post until then. The job has evolved over the time I have been in post as I have worked alongside different people (incumbents, curates and wardens) and survived the challenges of an interregnum. Callum arrived early in 2007 and Paula Potter ably stepped in for 6 months to provide maternity cover. As ever I look to support and enable to the ministry here at St Mary’s.