Collation Celebration

Undeterred by the rain, more than 300 gathered at St George’s Church last Thursday evening for the long anticipated Collation service. Our new Rector, Tom Darwent, was led through the service by the Area Dean, the Bishop of Guildford and the Archdeacon of Dorking, and was supported by a number of Parish representatives.

There was a definite air of excited anticipation from all those in attendance as our musical Director Esther Jones, the Ashtead Parish Choir and our worship band led everyone through a series of carefully chosen hymns. The Bishop gave an inspiring sermon, encouraging us all to embrace change, be accepting of others and to seek and celebrate unity in our diverse Parish; before he and the Archdeacon led Tom through a series of symbolic actions, oaths and declarations representing the spiritual, legal and practical aspects of his new role.

After the formalities were out of the way, there was a time set aside for ‘Welcoming’ as the Area Dean invited a number of local representatives of the church and wider community up to the front to welcome Tom and his wife Kate.  A heart-warming and amusing time, as Tom received an apology from one of our youth representatives for not being suitably dressed for the occasion, and reassurance from the Bishop that the representative for our local police force was not there to make an arrest. The Reverend Sarah Tapp received a resounding applause for her welcome, which was delivered with an utterance of elated relief for Tom’s long awaited arrival.

Delicious refreshments prepared by the Café team followed in the hall, as everyone gathered to reflect on the events of the evening and discuss what could lie ahead for The Parish of Ashtead as Tom begins his role.

A special thank you to our photographer Paul Dickenson for capturing the evening’s events so perfectly. Visit Paul’s website here to discover more and contact him…