Tadley rector to become Archdeacon in Ely

The rector of Tadley with Pamber Heath and Silchester is off to pastures new.

The Rev Richard Harlow, who is area dean of Basingstoke, has been appointed as Archdeacon of Huntingdon and Wisbech.

He will become part of the senior leadership team of the Ely diocese, working alongside the two bishops and another archdeacon in the area.

Reverend Harlow and his wife, Kayla, moved to Tadley in 2013 to become rector of the parish after 12 years as an NHS chaplain in Sussex, and he has become a well-known figure in the community.

On his emotions on leaving Tadley, he said: “We’ll be really sad – we’ve made lots of friends here and it’s been a privilege to work in the churches.

“I’m responsible for four different congregations but five church buildings and we do a lot in the schools and community generally, so I’ve made a lot of friends and it’ll be sad to say goodbye.”

Reverend Harlow said the move was an “opportunity” to pass on his experiences in Tadley to a wider community.

He added: “I’ve been ordained for 32 years, so it’s an opportunity to use that learning to help clergy and church congregations across a much wider area to be the good news of Jesus in their communities.”

Reverend Harlow’s friend and fellow Tadley reverend Steve McKay paid tribute to him, saying: “If you take a Catholic view of priesthood, they believe that priests act on behalf of Jesus and Richard is as much like Jesus as I could imagine anyone being.

“He’s kind, generous, and gives so much of himself at great personal cost.

“He’s the best friend and mentor I could ever have hoped to have had.

“I think God put me and Richard in the right place at the right time and I’m going to really miss him.”