I am the Reverend Helen Reeves and I have the pleasure and the privilege to be serving as Assistant Curate in the parish of St George, Gravesend since my ordination in September 2015. I am a Self Supporting Minister (SSM) which means that I work in the parish for a set number of days each week alongside the rector and ministry team.

During my ordination training, I spent two years in the parish of Fawkham and Hartley and one year at St Edmund, West Kingsdown, moving there from my sending parish of St John’s, Sutton at Hone.

My training for ordination was completed whilst still working full time and was undertaken on a part time basis, over three years with the South East Institute for Theological Education (SEITE), now St Augustine’s College of Theology. I am now retired after serving for 28 years as a police officer.

I am married and we have two fantastic children, a beautiful, but mad, Labrador dog and a very aloof ginger cat; who rules the dog (and the rest of us) with a paw of iron! I love the sea, enjoy a good walk, a trip to cinema, a meal out or a glass of wine with friends (not all at the same time!) With all the busyness of life I find setting aside time each day to pray and have some quiet time with God is vitally important; it refreshes and invigorates me for the next task and I thoroughly recommend it.