John was born and bred in the Fylde area of Lancashire going to school in Kirkham near Blackpool. He took a Honours Degree in Physics and a Doctorate in Nuclear Power at Imperial College London. From there he worked for 23 years in the nuclear power industry as a research and development scientist at Berkeley near Gloucester, living in Bristol and attending St Andrews Methodist Church, Filton. In 1995 he took early retirement from industry and candidated for the Methodist ministry. John’s first circuit appointment was for the five years in Swindon to an LEP serving three Urban Priority Area estates. He is now in the Bath Circuit with charge of four churches (Weston, Bathampton, Batheaston and Box with a total of about 150 members). He is also chaplain at the local MHA residential home, Stratton House.
John is the Bristol District Ecumenical Officer with particular responsibility towards Somerset Churches Together. He is a member of the Connexional Faith and Order Committee which he represents on the equivalent URC Committee called Doctrine Prayer and Worship.
John gained a Masters degree in Theology and Ministry from Bristol University (Wesley College) with a dissertation on some similarities between science and religion, a topic in which he has a special interest through reading, writing, giving presentations and attending conferences.
John is married to Pauline, a research nutritionist at Bristol University. They have two children. Clare has degrees in Psychology and now studies and works in medical research at Bristol and Gloucester. Colin took a Masters Degree at Cardiff University in Civil Engineering and currently works in that discipline for WS Atkins. Both children live in the family home in Bristol.
John’s interests are most sports, having played but now only watches football on TV, but he actively enjoys cycling and walking, particular on the Northern fells near from where he originally came. He is a train enthusiast (traveling on, modeling and spotting them) He enjoys, though not at the same time, cooking, especially curries, and drinking real ale, - in moderation of course, being a Methodist!