Reverend Craig Manley
I hail from the Northwest of England in what was then a village called Rainhill, home of the Rainhill trials and the early steam engine Stephenson’s Rocket. The closest town of note was St Helens, which cemented my love of Rugby League. As I lived about 08 miles from Liverpool, football was high on any family agenda, and I was born into the blue half of Liverpool, supporting Everton.
I served in the Armed forces for sixteen years before leaving and becoming a police officer serving communities, in the Southwest of England, in a variety of specialist roles for 22 years. I have seen much of the challenging and demanding aspects of life but also bring to ministerial service the humour and patience that those years have taught me.
I previously served in the Somerset Mendip Methodist Circuit for a period of seven years looking after seven of the churches and was the Mid-Somerset Padre of the Royal Air Force Association.
My love of chips is well known by my family, wife Elizabeth, and three grown up children which have also brought us the joy and pleasure of five wonderful grandchildren.
I have lived in this area before, in the 1990’s at Colerne, whilst working in Corsham, and playing football for Atworth Town. I played representative sports of football and rugby for both the military and police, however the demands over time on my body now necessitates watching rather than playing.
Elizabeth and I both love the beauty of nature, and gardening, and for myself, particularly the calmness I find by the sea, which will naturally prove more difficult within Wiltshire on my rest days.
Elizabeth and I look forward to sharing our future years with all in the communities of the Wiltshire United Area. And a motto to live by……. As John Wesley said, Best of all, God is with us!