Rev'd Helen Bailey: Vicar
I became the Vicar of St John’s in March 2018 and have found both the church and wider community a great place in which to minister. Broadstone is a lovely town and it has been great to get to know Dorset better.
Originally from Lancashire, I then lived in Yorkshire for many years, firstly working with probation services and the homeless in largely voluntary capacities. I trained as a teacher of English and then became Assistant Head and Acting Head of English. Although I loved teaching, the call to become ordained had been with me in some ways since my late teens, and in 2007 I began training at Westcott House in Cambridge, taking my Theology Degree through Sidney Sussex College at Cambridge University. I was also fortunate enough to enjoy a year’s studying at Yale University in the USA. A curacy placement in Tanzania also left a profound impact on me. I served my curacy in Yorkshire and a first incumbency in Gloucestershire, so I have gradually been moving south!
When relaxing, I love reading literature and I enjoy being part of a book group. I spend time off listening to classical music, enjoying the garden, visiting local sites and I especially enjoy walking the Dorset coast and the New Forest trails with my husband Tony. Our cat Henry prefers climbing trees and surveying his lands from the garage roof! Each to their own…