Priest set for final sermon

The Revd Canon Keith Turner and his wife Jane with guests at the reception to mark his retirement

Keith, who looks after St Michael’s in Linby and St James’ in Papplewick, is retiring after 32 years, during which time the church has grown and developed.

“I will miss the people enormously and it will not be easy, but I cannot maintain the pace,” he said. “While I have been very happy here, I have been here a long time and I think it needs someone else now.”

He served his first curacy in Cockfosters, London, focusing on youth work at a large, eclectic church. He then moved to Chilwell, where he met and married Jane, a teacher who is now retired. They have two children: Hannah, recently married at St Michael’s, lives in Nottingham, and Matthew, in London.

On his move to Linby in 1983, Keith started a varied ministry in a parish that ‘was not monochrome’ - he worked in the countryside and in parts of Hucknall, and met people from all sectors of society.

He said: “There has been on-going growth and development. We started the Emmaus course and that had a tremendous impact, and from that house groups developed and Away Weekends every other year– we have never stood still; it has been right to stay here. Chairing our church school’s governors for some 30 years has also been an enormous privilege.”

He said Jane had always been very involved in his ministry: “She has done an enormous amount of organisational work and much more besides – with children and women’s work and music. When we got married we expected to work together and it has been a great joint ministry.”

The churchwardens organised a farewell lunch and an evening reception on September 27 to give people the chance to say thank you and goodbye. Keith conducts his final service on October 18.