In a special service held in Abbots Bromley School’s Chapel, Father Graham Bott has been installed as the new Chaplain by the Senior Provost of Woodard Schools Brendan Clover. The pupils, staff and local Hoar Cross parish residents gathered to welcome him and to witness this new beginning in the Chaplaincy at the school. The music, led by the school’s choir, and conducted by Miss Angela Randles, added to the atmosphere of this special occasion whilst other pupils participated by reading lessons.
Father Bott was appointed Priest in Charge of the Church of the Holy Angels at Hoar Cross in September of last year. Prior to this appointment he had been Assistant Priest in the Parish of St. Peter, Rickerscote – a large urban parish with three primary schools and a secondary school. He worked for the Staffordshire County Council for more than forty years and prior to taking early retirement he worked in the Youth and Community Service combining that with his priestly responsibilities in the parish. Father Bott is also Chaplain to the Chairman of the Staffordshire County Council and Chaplain to a Chapter of the Guild of the Servants of the Sanctuary. Before his ordination he was a Trustee for the British Red Cross and more recently a Trustee for the Stafford District Voluntary Services organisation.
Commenting about his new role Father Bott said “My appointment to Abbots Bromley School enables me to continue to work with young people, to provide spiritual and pastoral support as a well as teaching and preaching the Gospel. It is my experience that the pressures on young people are such that they need to have a solid foundation upon which their lives grow and develop; the Christian faith is an essential building block in fostering that growth. To be able to work in a Woodard School provides an environment where such a building block is a privilege, as is working with young people”.
Senior Provost Brendan Clover commented “I am delighted that Father Bott has joined us at the school and re-established the link between Abbots Bromley School and the Hoar Cross parish which has been present since the school began 140 years ago.”