Greetings from Morton and Riddlesden and a very Happy Easter to you all!

We are very excited and really looking forward to coming and joining you in Almondbury and Farnley Tyas. It was wonderful to meet some of you during my interview day and we look forward to meeting you all soon – June seems to be coming quickly! We have begun to organise our move and we hope to be moving in mid-June. We would value your prayers at this time. 

I wanted to write to let you know a little bit about our family as you await our arrival. Katie, my wife, and I met at Huddersfield University while both studying music before going on to become teachers. Katie is now the Headteacher at Baildon Church of England Primary School and up until I trained for ordination, I had been a secondary school music teacher and senior leader at various schools in Bradford. Katie and I have always had a love of church music and we have led and developed music and church choirs in the places where we’ve lived. 

I trained for ordination at St Hild College in Mirfield where I completed a degree in Theology, Ministry and Mission. While training I took on a placement in Keighley Parish, a very different context and setting, before serving my three-year curacy in Morton and Riddlesden. Morton and Riddlesden is a Benefice comprising of two parishes with wonderful people and communities. 

Katie and I have two children, Will and Lottie. Will is studying music at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and is a percussionist with the Hammonds Brass Band. Although he is a first study percussionist, Will is also a great pianist and is studying jazz piano too. 

Lottie is also a musician – we didn’t force them, I promise – and she is studying at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester where she will be taking her GCSEs this summer. She plays regularly for the City of Bradford Brass Band and plays baritone horn and trombone. 

Before Easter we managed to fit in a quick holiday to France where we spent time in Paris and Disneyland, and we are looking forward to our summer break, which this year will be in Italy. We like to get out and about as a family and are looking forward to coming and exploring the local area by you. 

I send this with great affection and excitement, and please be assured of my prayers as we all prepare for this transition. See you all very soon! 
​
Every blessing, Revd Rob 

Make a summer date with the King's Men, a group of choral scholars from Cambridge University who are coming to Farnley Tyas.

Members of this entertaining ensemble are to give a concert of classical and popular music in St Lucius' Church, on Wednesday, July 16 at 7.30pm. 

Although the composition of the group changes year by year, the quality remains constant – as some of our audience will know.

The King's Men are not strangers to the parish, having sung here, to great acclaim, on several previous occasions.

Tickets at £20 are likely to be in great demand and can be obtained from the three churches in the parish or from Eventbrite shorturl.at/5c1HD .

A busy weekend at St Lucius', which began with a WI cream tea on Saturday, continued on Sunday with a service of Baptism followed by Evensong.

It was a pleasure to see a packed church for the joyful Christening of Louie and Rafa, the sons of Caroline and Rebecca, and grandchildren of one of our church wardens, Cath. The service was led by our good friend, the Rev Jenny Barnes.

It was also encouraging to see a congregation of more than 30 for Evensong, conducted by Stephen Dufton, who is on a lay ministry course. It was his first such experience at Farnley and we hope to hear his resonant voice on many more occasions.

That service was followed by a supper with two well received curries – chicken and vegetables –cooked by Pam and Robert and expertly served by our Savoy-trained kitchen team. The mood grew even more sociable when a cache of wine was unexpectedly found by Richard.

Many thanks to all who helped in the morning and evening to make this a special day.

Farnley Tyas Church is nothing if not versatile. The tables were full today for fund-raising cream tea arranged by the village Women's Institute.

The speaker was Yorkshire born Karen Wright, a 2018 finalist in the popular TV baking competition, Great British Bake Off.

Although her first job was in banking, time spent in France had sparked an interest in baking and friends began suggesting she should enter GBBO. 'I never expected to hear back from the application and was astonished when I made it to the final 12 bakers of 2018,' she says.

'It’s been the most amazing experience of my life. I learned so much and at the same time I know that I have so much more to learn.' Meanwhile, the Farnley WI bakers showed their remarkable baking skills with a variety sumptuous cakes and scones.

It was a great pleasure today to welcome into church for an Easter service pupils from
​Farnley Tyas First School.

Supported by parents and staff, they sang hymns and Easter songs to a guitar  accompaniment and took part with enthusiasm in a dramatic retelling of the Easter story.

The school was grateful to Friends of Farnley for organising an Easter raffle that raised £322.  We have close ties with Farnley First school and it is always a joy to see them in church.