Return of the TV vicar
TELEVISION star Rev Jamie Allen is returning to his Suffolk roots to take over as vicar of Great Cornard near Sudbury.Mr Allen, who was brought up in Felixstowe and went to school in Woodbridge, is to be licenced as the vicar of the west Suffolk parish on Thursday.
TELEVISION star Rev Jamie Allen is returning to his Suffolk roots to take over as vicar of Great Cornard near Sudbury.
Mr Allen, who was brought up in Felixstowe and went to school in Woodbridge, is to be licenced as the vicar of the west Suffolk parish on Thursday.
He starred in the BBC2 programme “A Country Parish” when he took over a group of churches in Wiltshire in 2002.
However the pressures associated with the programme prompted him and his family to move from the countryside to help run a group of parishes in Buckinghamshire.
He is now returning to his home county.
Mr Allen is moving into the vicarage with his wife Suzy and three young daughters, Carrie, Dannielle and Katy.
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After the television programme, Mr Allen is looking forward to living out of the limelight.
He said: “The TV series was a great success, and we thank God for that.”
“Well over three million viewers saw the programme when it was first broadcast in 2003. It has been repeated several times in the UK, and shown in a number of other countries.
“I know that the series has deeply touched many people. Only last week I received a card from a viewer, writing from a clergy selection conference. He told me that it was A Country Parish which had prompted him to explore a vocation.”
He added: “We have been waiting for the parish that feels just right, in a more urban environment and Great Cornard was perfect.
“The family are delighted because the move to Suffolk allows us to be closer to our extended families - it feels like going home.”
