Chris’s journey to priesthood was certainly not linear and certainly was not expected. He originally qualified as physiotherapist and had a career pathway mapped out working in sports rehabilitation and orthopaedic medicine.

Born in South Africa and moved to the UK in 2001, he retains his South African accent and heritage and credits his upbringing post-apartheid there as seeing the God given potential in all people.

Chris’s calling came out of working with the disenfranchised in London and recognising with a little encouragement and whole lot of compassion, those outliers in our society can find a hope. He’s worked with addicts, the homeless and ex-offenders and looked for entrepreneurial ways to turn their lives round.

Recognising the common theme of incarceration in the people he was working with Chris became called to serve prisons and especially how prisons leavers are rehabilitated back into society after release. Reoffending costs the country £23 billion a year and Chris is passionate to helping reduce that cost through innovative approaches to housing, education and employment.

Chris was ordained in 2017 and is now the Vicar of Tanworth in Arden. He is married and has 2 boys. A lover of all sports and is an Ironman triathlete, single figure handicap golfer and is the captain of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s cricket team using cricket to unite faiths and people.

Chris is humbled to serve as the High Sherrif’s chaplain and is excited to support her work in empowering change and wellbeing for all in the coming year.