Revd Katie Tupling

Where Little John meets Jane Eyre

Like most National Park parishes, Hathersage in the Peak District's Hope Valley presents opportunities for the Church of England to serve both local residents and visiting tourists.

'I’ve got an urban head but I've got a rural heart,' muses Revd Katie Tupling, vicar of St Michael's in Hathersage, St John's in Bamford with Derwent, and St Helen's in Grindleford; this cultural combination means she is equally comfortable pointing out local attractions to townies and meeting unusual requests at the Longshaw Sheepdog Trials: 'The vicar always gets invited to come along and bless the sheepdogs - which from my urban mindset was quite a surprise.'

Challenging rural issues range from the isolation parishioners can feel living in a small cottage, to the problems associated with the emergence of Foot and Mouth disease and Blue Tongue; whatever Katie faces in a working week a life-long disability due to Cerebral Palsy means her congregations have to alter their perception of how a vicar does things - especially when it comes to Communion.

'When I first arrived people said, "Well how are you going to do this; we come and kneel at the rail and you come to us with the Communion." I said, 'Well with my hands full of crutches I can't do that,' so we're having to re-jig how we approach some practicalities.'"

As well as being a busy parish priest, Katie is a member of General Synod - the Church of England's 'parliament' made up of elected clergy, lay (non-ordained) representatives, and members of the House of Bishops; it meets twice a year, in London in February and York in July.

'It's a fascinating time of the business of legislation and the nitty-gritty,' she says, 'but also debating big issues like the Green Footprint, like ethical investment.'

Married to a primary school headmaster, Katie felt a calling to ordained ministry at the age of seven, but had her first serious conversation with her vicar on the subject at 19, whilst doing schools work for the George Muller Foundation; she trained to be a priest at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and was a curate at Belper near Derby.

Those first four years as a market town/semi-rural curate provided valuable experience although Hathersage is quite unique as a parish as thousands of tourists drop in every year - for one reason to visit the sites that inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre.

'My church in Hathersage actually has Little John buried in the churchyard - so they say,' reports Katie with a trademark smile, 'and who am I to argue?'

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