After leaving the Navy, he studied at Salisbury and Wells Theological College before ordination in Exeter Diocese where he served his curacy in St. David’s parish, Exeter, and was also part-time Chaplain to the Exeter College of Further Education.

In 1996 he moved to Derby Diocese as vicar to the ex-mining community of Marlpool on the Derby/Notts border and as Chaplain to Heanor Memorial Hospital.

During his six years in Marlpool Paul realised that full-time Hospital Chaplaincy was for him and in December 2002 he moved to Mansfield as the PCT Trust Chaplain. With his team he provided spiritual and pastoral care and bereavement support for Mansfield and Ashfield community hospitals, the Sir John Eastwood Hospice as well as setting up a community based chaplaincy.  With the current cuts to his services Paul now works with the Chaplaincy team for Sherwood Forest Hospitals Foundation Trust with a specific remit for being the Hospice Chaplain, though still overseeing the work in the Community hospitals. 

Paul is a member of Diocesan Synod and of the Bishop’s team for Wholeness and Healing. He has led courses on spiritual and pastoral care within the local deaneries, spoken at conferences on ‘End of Life’ care, and regularly leads worship in local churches, notably those of St Lawrence and St Mark in Mansfield.

Paul is married to Sandra; they have two children, Sarah and David, and grandchildren James, William and Lucy. Apart from the grand-children, Paul’s hobbies include caravanning, motorbikes, playing the guitar and armchair rugby union.

Alan Howe was born and raised on a council estate in East London in a family with no church links. Coming to faith at 16 through a school friend he became part of a faith revival in the small ‘sink’ school seeing 60 fellow pupils come to faith. He studied Chemistry on day release and worked for 5 years as a lab assistant in a London sewage works before gaining a promotion to London County Hall to monitor toxic wastes!

He studied at St John’s College and was ordained in 1980 and served curacies in Portsmouth and Bexleyheath. He moved on to be Team Vicar in Camberley and to help organise Pastoral Assistant training for Guildford diocese.
In 1993 he moved to Mansfield as Vicar of St. John’s and from their moved to St. Mary’s Wollaton Park where during 9 happy years he also served as Area Dean of Nottingham West and helped form the diocesan certificate in lay ministry. Joining Bishop’s Council he helped with a major Infrastructure review and served a term as chair of the House of Clergy. He also helped deliver clergy leadership programmes.

After gaining an MA in Evangelism Studies he moved to the bustling setting of Christ Church Chilwell and has recently taken on additional responsibility as Priest-in-Charge of Lenton Abbey.
Alan is married to Hilary a school IT technician and they have four adult children all living locally. Alan loves sport of all kinds and is a lifelong cricket fan. He and Hilary are committed all weather (mostly wet) tent campers. He enjoys reading for fun, cycling, dog walking and gym sessions for exercise.

Two other local clergy, the Revd Canon Tony Walker and the Revd Canon Sylvia Griffiths have come to the end of their terms as Honorary Canons and have both received the title Canon Emeritus of the Cathedral.
 

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