Worcester Deanery

Area Dean: Diane Cooksey

Born in the Black Country, I grew up in Netherton where I was a chorister for many years before developing a living faith in Jesus in my early 20s. I served as a churchwarden for six years and as the Lay Chair of Dudley Deanery from 2005-2009 before leaving teaching to train for ordination.

I have served in the parish of St Nicholas, Warndon since 2014 and have been part of the DDO team since 2016. I consider it a privilege to be the Area Dean of Worcester and I have enjoyed visiting parishes across the Deanery. I have a desire to see the Deanery become a real network of churches supporting each other and enabling growth through more collaborative ministry.

For relaxation I enjoy gardening, completing jigsaws and playing the piano, and have recently taken up the challenge of couch to 5k to improve my fitness level.

Lay Chair: Sue Rowlands

I moved to Worcester with my husband  in 2019 from Bristol where I’d been a member of St Matthews, Kingsdown for more than 30 years.

I’ve spent my working life in the field of speech and language therapy, as a clinician, a researcher and an academic and served as Chair of the national professional body.  In my previous church, my husband and I hosted a home group for about 15 years.

Our ‘escape to the country’ coincided with the rumblings of the pandemic but fortunately we had already started attending Christchurch, Lower Broadheath and been warmly welcomed into this lovely community. At my first attendance at the PCC AGM, I became one of the Deanery Synod reps. This was my first time on a Deanery Synod, so I had lots to learn – a bit tricky at first as my first few meetings were all on Zoom.

At the end of my first term of office, Diane asked me to consider being nominated as Lay Chair. After various discussions, including with Kalantha, Priest in Charge at Christchurch, I decided to put myself forward. I see my role as being a lay support to Diane and representing the laity in the deanery leadership team alongside Rob and Paul. I still have lots to learn but I am looking forward to getting to know the deanery, understanding our aspirations and challenges. I want to find ways to support and be a voice for the laity.

Deanery Treasurer: Robert Pearce

Deanery Secretary: Paul Fulbrook

Paul Wilcox

I moved to Worcester from Lichfield with my family in 2004 to be part of All Saints Church in the city centre, but following a sabbatical in 2018, and a nudge from God, I moved to Hallow Church. The church family of Hallow and the wider West Worcester Beacon have been fully loving and embracing. They have also provided a secure, caring and prayerful ‘home base’ from which I have been able to pursue ordination training and I was ordained as a priest on 1st July 2023 in Worcester Cathedral.

I work part-time in the Benefice and the rest of my time is taken up with running a small retreat centre, Chapel House, in Hallow, as well as working as a freelance mentor/coach and chairing the Board of Governors at the Chantry School in Martley.

I am relishing being part of the DLT as we learn and grow together as Kingdom People. 

Anne Potter

Born in Nyasaland (Malawi since 1966) I spent many hours of my childhood on Scottish Mission Stations and some of it attending St Paul’s C of E church in Blantyre when my father played the organ.  On returning to UK in the mid-sixties was a regular attender of the Congregational (later the United Reformed) Church, being my mother’s preferred denomination.   As an adult I lived for two years in South Africa and a further four in Singapore.  I have had a variety of careers including PR and Journalism, Church Community Worker, Primary School Teacher, Bookkeeper and Company Secretary, Proprietor of Offenham Village Shop and Post Office and finally Clerk in Holy Orders.

As a result of moving next door to a Parish Church, within the Diocese of Coventry, in the late nineties and answering God’s call to serve in the Church of England I trained as a Lay Reader.  Having moved into the Diocese of Worcester in 2006 and following my part-time training at Queen’s Theological College, I was ordained in 2011. I served my curacy in the Vale of Evesham from where, after selling my business, I moved to the ‘wild west’ (Worcestershire West Rural Team, WWRT) to become incumbent of the four parishes of Leigh & Bransford, Alfrick-w-Lulsley, Crown East (including Rushwick) and Suckley.  Following the retirement of David Sherwin I was subsequently licensed as Team Rector with an overview of the WWRT Benefice which also includes the parishes of Lower Teme Valley (Broadwas, Cotheridge and Knightwick), Martley and Wichenford. 

Having served as Rural Dean prior to the reorganisation of the deaneries within the Diocese I am fully committed to the work of the Deanery in supporting parishes, enabling collaborative ministry, improving communication across the Diocese alongside offering opportunities for prayer and sharing together.

I am married to my long-suffering husband, Mike, and we now have nine grandchildren with whom we love spending time, when we can!!