Meet the team: Catherine has been part of the Leading your Church into Growth team for about 18 months now, and has been a big help in particular with our Estates Conferences - as well as being involved with Leading your Church into Growth in Diocese of Newcastle. Find out more about our new team member:
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What is your full name?
Catherine Pickford

What do you do as your day job?
I am priest in charge of Stannington, a Northumbrian village and clergy and reader training officer for the diocese of Newcastle.

Describe a key life moment where your faith became more real:
When I was 7, we were living in the South Yorkshire mining town of Wath Upon Dearne when the miners strike broke out. There was a food bank set up in the vicarage for the striking miners and their families. I suddenly understood that Christianity was not just about the stories of Jesus I heard in Sunday School, but about what Jesus calls us to do for one another in response to his love for us.

What major event has happened for you this year?
This year we got a puppy, a tiny 8 week old westie called Meg

What do you love to do in your spare time?
In my spare time I like walking and drinking coffee, but I find it doesn’t work to do both at once

Which animal best describes you and why?
I am a collie, loyal, energetic, and good at working as part of a team. I also don’t like being kept on too tight a leash.