Mary Reid

Vicar in ... 

We'll have to get used to calling him Priest-in-charge, and eventually Rector, but I expect many will still be referring to him as the Vicar of Kingston.

On Tuesday, in a service which was both warm and dignified, Rev'd Jonathan Wilkes was formally welcomed to his new role, which gives him oversight of All Saints and St John the Evangelist. 

All Saints (Kingston Parish Church) holds a very special place in the life of Kingston - kings were crowned here and many great civic occasions have been marked here.

My task in the service was to welcome him as Mayor, alongside representatives of other churches and, in an innovative move, other faiths. We all look forward to working together in the future.

Kids Out ...

Kids Out saw 400 children from Kingston enjoying themselves at Thorpe Park, hosted by the three local Rotary clubs (Kingston, New Malden and Surbiton)  I have been bumping into Rotarians at many events around the borough - their determination to put something back into the community is well-known and we seemed to be blessed with a particularly active and imaginative lot.

It was the Kingston branch which dreamt up Kids Out many years ago, and the idea has been taken up nationally, so on Wednesday some 14,000 disadvantaged children were being entertained across the country.

I had a great time chatting with the children. I'm afraid I didn't venture on anything more exciting than the Teacup Ride...