Gareth Doodes, Headmaster at the King's School in Worcester, has been appointed as the new voluntary Chair of the Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches (DAC).
The DAC is a statutory body of volunteer specialists who give their time freely to assist parishes in the care and development of their churches and churchyards, also overseeing the implementation of the Faculty Jurisdiction permission system.
Most works of repair, adaptation and improvements to churches are considered by the DAC and the committee also aides churches in fundraising and in the general management of churches. As Chair, Gareth will lead the work of the committee alongside Church Buildings Officer, Mark Carter and his team in the diocesan office.
Gareth has been Head at the King's School since 2020. As both an historian and a history teacher he has a passion for our heritage and regularly attends worship in the Cathedral where, as Headmaster, he has a stall in the Quire, and his son is a chorister.
He said: “I am hugely excited by this role. It is a great opportunity for me to give something back to the community in Worcester which has been so welcoming to my family and I since we arrived in 2020, as well as use my skill set in a completely different context. I’ll obviously have a lot to learn at the start and will be spending time getting to know Mark, the committee, the Diocese, and wider interest groups, and understanding the role the DAC plays in supporting parishes and looking after our churches. It is a real privilege to be the custodians of our amazing historic church buildings for the next generation and I’m looking forward to helping ensure churches remain relevant to the present day and stay alive and in use.”
Church Buildings Officer Mark Carter added: “I am delighted to welcome Gareth as Chair of the DAC and look forward to working with him as he gets to know the wonderful churches in this diocese and the committed people who care for them.”
