Archdeacon Peggy set to touch down in city; Canon and qualified pilot to take over post at Llandaff.

Byline: Sarah Bunney

LLANDAFF has a new Archdeacon and her name is Peggy.

The Reverend Canon Frances "Peggy" Jackson was appointed by the Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Llandaff, Dr Barry Morgan, to the top church post and becomes the most senior female cleric in Wales.

The Archbishop said yesterday he was delighted to welcome her to South Wales.

"She brings a vast experience of working in widely differing parishes as a priest, is a strategic thinker and will bring fresh insights and energy from outside the diocese," he said.

Canon Peggy, from the Diocese of Southwark in South London, will also be Priest in Charge of the deanery of Penarth and Barry.

The 57-year-old, who will start her new role in June, said: "I'm looking forward to the exciting variety of work that the Archdeaconry of Llandaff involves.

"The wide diversity of parishes, city and rural, poses a real challenge as we try tomake our church life relevant to people in all these different communities.

"I'm very much looking forward to working with Archbishop Barry, and with people at every level of the diocese, while also keeping a firm root in parish life.

"And I'm quite awe-struck at the prospect of worshipping in a place where there has been a continuous church for nearly 1,500 years."

The clergywoman, who was born and brought up in Loughborough, is a newly qualified pilot who enjoys bell-ringing, singing and circle dancing.

Beforebeing ordained asadeacon in 1987, Oxford history graduate Peggy had a 12-year career as a chartered accountant.

The divorcee became a priest in 1994 and is currently Canon of Southwark Cathedral.

"Wales seems an exciting place to be just now-asanation rediscovering its own identity, and developing appropriate institutions to reflect it," she said.

"Yet it also seems small enough for most of the people to keep a close involvement with decisions that are being made in their name.

"I hope I will be able to doagood job, and serve the church as well as I can.

That's all I can hope to do - and the rest will be up to God!

"I would, however, also be pleased if, after some time, women became so 'normal' a part of the church's ministry at all levels that we stopped noticing gender as an issue altogether."

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NEW POSITION: Archdeacon Frances 'Peggy' Jackson