Pastoral Team & Church Volunteers

Vicar - Revd Richard Magrath (becomes the new Vicar at his collation on 3rd April, 2025)

Churchwardens - Errol Furlong & Paul Betts

Pastoral Assistants - Pat Dockree & Ruth Slater

Deputy Wardens - Atim Robinson, Claudette Mills & Elaine McNaughton

Ed’s Kids (Sunday School) - Simona Kavaliauskaite

Treasury Team - Pat Dockree & Ruth Slater

Stewardship Secretary - Jennie Furlong

Events Administrator and DBS Officer - Ruth Slater

PCC Secretary and Electoral Roll Officer – Elaine McNaughton

Parish Safeguarding Officer – Atim Robinson

Fire Marshall - Steven Punt

Deanery Synod Reps - Elaine McNaughton & Nana Akyereko

Friday Lunch Leader - Pat Dockree

Foodbank Manager - Danny Cooper

Community Garden Manager - Neal Long

Parish Administrator - Sam Kapp

Other Church Trustees: David Mouqué, Julie Betts, Philippe Denoual, Thelma Mouqué, Wendy Jacobs & Yvonne Frazer-Browne 

We're excited to welcome our new Vicar, Revd Richard Magrath, due to join the St Edward's team in April 2025! Please find below a message from Richard himself...

Hi, I’m Richard, and I am really delighted to be coming to join you as your next Vicar at St Ed’s.

I know your area a little already: a few years ago I worked for a church in Lewisham and volunteered at Trinity School in Lee. On my day off I used to enjoy exploring the area and visited Eltham Palace more than once. One of the people I worked with back then was Katie, who would later be your curate - a really amazing and inspiring person I'm still in touch with.

I am married to Kayleigh and we have two daughters, Elowen (3 1/2) and Rowan (9 months). Our two cats are called Shakespeare and Marlowe. Kayleigh is a curate at another church, but also hopes to be involved at St Ed’s. We’re both really grateful to Southwark Diocese for being so supportive of us as a clergy couple.

My last role was as a priest in Cornwall, where I had five churches to run. It was very busy, but we still had time to do some fun things; I was once interviewed by Radio 4 about planting a vegetable plot in a village churchyard. And we did get the chance to go outside and bless the cows and sheep on Rogation Sunday. I am particularly looking forward to your Together Outside service.

I am more of a town person than a country person though. I grew up in Warrington, between Manchester and Liverpool, and have lived in London on-and-off for about a decade; I did my own curacy here. Before that I had various jobs, including writing online adverts for the government persuading people to take up teaching, not drink and drive, and check themselves for the warning signs of bowel disease.

Over the last 18 months though, I’ve mostly been a stay-at-home dad, and spending more time in the children’s corner than behind the altar. It has been wonderful having so much time to be with my children, but now they are a little older I am looking forward to getting back to work. (When not working or juggling daughters, I enjoy cooking, reading, and a little light computer gaming).

So it is really exciting to be invited to be your next Vicar! I have never looked forward to April so much. Until then, please pray for me, Kayleigh, Rowan and Elowen, as we prepare for some big changes and the always fun task of moving house. And do have a think and pray about your own hopes and dreams for St Ed’s, and anything you would like to do, or ask or tell me about, because it will be Spring before too long.

Yours in Christ,

Richard Magrath