THE United Reformed Church in Wellington is celebrating the induction of its first minister in five years.

The Rev Jenny Kilgour was appointed to the post at a formal ceremony, filling the post which has been vacant since the departure of Ken Coles.

Rev Kilgour said: “I’m delighted to take the role at the church and the induction was absolutely brilliant.

“It is a fantastic church and has great links to the community, including the foodbank which runs there. It’s great it has a minister again.”

Rev Kilgour, 66, was born in London and joined Queen Alex-andra’s Royal Navy Nursing Corps, qualifying as a state registered nurse and serving in Britain and Germany.

She later moved to Tiverton and joined the United Reformed Church (URC) there before training as a midwife at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.

After entering ministerial training, Rev Kilgour travelled to Africa to work alongside a minister in the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, taking un-paid leave from her job as a midwife.

She then ordained into the Tiverton group of the URC in 2006, working closely with the church in Westleigh as a non-stipendiary minister.

Rev Kilgour added: “I don't know Wellington too well but I did some of my midwifery training here a long time ago.

“From what I have seen so far it is a lovely community town. Some places people live and commute from or just pass through but Wellington doesn't seem like one of those.

“I look forward to getting to know it more and becoming even more involved with the community at the church.”

The Rev Kilgour lives in Cullompton with her son, David, his wife Claire and granddaughters Sophia, six, and Elisia, four.