FROM the battlefields of Iraq and Bosnia to ministering on Cockfield Fell, Revd Brian Whitley, the vicar for the Gaunless Valley, has led an interesting life.
Sadly, however, the popular priest retired last month bringing to an end services filled with magic tricks and jokes.
Best known for his wonderous Christingle services, the vicar was priest in charge for St John the Evangelist Church, in Lynesack, St Mary’s, in Woodland, St Paul’s, in Evenwood and St Mary’s, in Cockfield.
Trained originally as a nurse, Revd Whitley joined the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps, and was posted to Northern Ireland, Germany, Iraq and Bosnia, before going into nurse training.
He said: “I was the first male matron for the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.”
It was during the last 18 months of his military service that he began studying part time towards becoming a priest.
“I think I was having a midlife crisis,” he said.
“I said to my wife Brenda I didn’t know whether to get a motorbike or become a vicar, and she said, because we were both nurses originally, if you get a motorbike you will end up killing yourself so why don’t you go into the church.”
Revd Whitley was ordained at Christchurch Cathedral, in Oxford, and went on to be curate at East Hampstead, in Bracknell, for three years.
He said: “That is where I learned to do the children’s work because in the army you don’t do a lot of children’s work. When I was there I did a lot of school stuff and that is when I became interested in school ministry and being a parish priest really.”
He also began a project called Church4U aimed mostly at children and their families, weaving puppetry and magic into his sermons.
He said: “It is still running and they have about 60 kids even now coming, usually on a Sunday afternoon.”
Later he took up a post at Woodplumpton, near Preston, but took a break after the death of his son Gareth due to a brain tumour, before returning to part-time ministry .
He was then asked to take over as priest-in-charge at Evenwood. During the seven years in the post he also served as chaplain to Durham Army Cadets, a role he will continue into his retirement.
He described his time in the dale as often challenging, particularly during the Covid pandemic, followed by the prolonged power outage caused by Storm Arwen.
Along with Evenwood church organist Richard Ellis-Hawley he produced online-services during lockdown which were viewed all over the country.
A particular favourite for the priest has been visiting the five schools in his patch.
He said: “I’ve had an excellent school ministry, where a lot of kids have got to really know me – they call me Magic Brian – and I’ve got to know the kids really well at all the schools.”
He was also known for walking his black Labrador along Cockfield Fell, ministering to those tending their sheep or walking through the country’s largest scheduled ancient monument.
He said he will miss many of the special services, such as Easter, harvest, Christmas, and particularly Christingle.
Revd Whitley said: “The Christingle over here has grown from about 20 people when I first came here to nearly 200. It’s like a Cockfield pantomime now with all the adults squeezing in.
“They love it at the end when I fire a confetti cannon over them. I think the churchwarden regrets it because they are still digging confetti out of every cushion in the church for weeks afterwards.”
His retirement service was held at St Paul’s Church, in Evenwood.
Revd Whitley said: “I was amazed. I only expected about five people, and the church was packed. I said I could tell a story about each one there, and what a privilege.
“I thought what a great privilege it is to be a people’s priest.”
