A LANDSCAPE gardener from North Yorkshire has been ordained to take up training within the parish of Sherburn-in-Elmet.

The Rev Martin Otter, 45, was ordained as a Deacon at a ceremony at York Minster, and said he hoped to build on the work of the rural dean, Chris Wilton.

Mr Otter said: “I was ordained as Deacon at the Minster on July 3, and have started my four-year curacy, or training, at my home parish of Sherburn.

“I have been part of the parish for 15 years, so I know what goes on, and now it’s just a matter of being able to take assemblies at the local primary and high schools, and just to build on the good work that has already been done by Chris Wilton.”

Mr Otter, originally from Oxfordshire, moved to Sherburn-in-Elmet with his wife, Jane, who works in Leeds, and registered as a childminder to look after his children, Daniel, Joshua and Helena, now aged 16, 14 and ten.

Once they were old enough to go to school, he started working as a landscape gardener just half a day each week about ten years ago, after enjoying working in the garden with his children.

He said: “I just loved gardening, it’s not like work.

“I’ll still carry on, although not full time. I’ll be dedicating a couple of days each week to the parish, and breaking off occasionally for parish work too.”

Mr Otter said he had grown up in an environment which celebrated God, as his father Anthony was also a priest.

He said: “I want to be able to help support what Chris has already done as Sherburn gets bigger.

“Fewer and fewer people are going to church, partly because vicars have less time to dedicate to the individuals in the parish. The more of us there are, the more we can share our beliefs and bring people to a place in their lives where they are comfortable believing in God.”