AFTER 30 years of living in Monmouth, The Revd Canon David McGladdery, vicar of Monmouth, is retiring.

He came to Monmouth School as a young English and drama teacher, but, influenced by “by a wonderful school chaplain and former RSC actor, The Revd John Hencher and his ‘mate’ Bishop Rowan Williams”, David was encouraged to train for Anglican ministry as a priest.

“I was a chaplain at Monmouth school for 10 years, during which I was ordained by Bishop Dominic Walker”, he said.

Unexpectedly, he was asked to apply for the post of Vicar of Monmouth and was appointed to the post in 2009.

“For the last nine years, I have had the privilege of serving the people of Monmouth in many ways. I have celebrated with them at their weddings and the christenings of their children. Also, I have accompanied Monmothians in their grief at many funerals. It has been a privilege, too, to be part of the civic life of our community, leading services of remembrance and being chaplain to eight mayors – one of them twice!”

David has always called Monmouth his home; it was where he married Lesley and where their three children, Ed, James and Lizzie were born and brought up.

Lesley was head of mathematics at the Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls.

“Our children have played in the town brass band and undertaken voluntary work in the town and enjoyed fishing in the town’s rivers and walking our dog on Vauxhall and the Kymin. Our daughter, Lizzie is now training to be a medical doctor in Bristol. Ed is a motor cycle engineer and James is completing his Ph.D in scanning electron microscopy at Loughborough University.”

He and Lesley will be moving to Bristol where he has been appointed Rector of Holy Trinity Church, Horfield, a large urban parish in Bristol which was looking for a priest to develop links with the community and its schools.

David has been very pleased with some of the projects he leaves behind. When he arrived St Mary’s Church desperately needed a heating system, which was installed thanks to a legacy of £60,000 left by his predecessor Rev Richard Pain.

For the last seven years he has been Area Dean and found he was trying to run 22 other churches “which I can only do for so long.”

“I have just started to do some doctorate research in the relationship between collaborative ministry building teams and church growth and I need some time do that, and I cannot do that as well,” he says.

David’s last service will be on Sunday 14th October.