Matthew and Grace met and fell in love 30+ years ago when they were students at Newcastle University where Grace did her teacher training (having studied English & Drama at Exeter) and Matthew was studying zoology. While Grace did teach for many years, Matthew ended up in church ministry rather than becoming the agricultural research scientist he expected to be! They now have four daughters in their 20s and their first grandchild was born on Christmas Day 2025.

For the past 19 years they have been based at Gateway Church in Poole, Dorset [www.gatewaychurch.me]. Matthew leads the team at Gateway and Grace is very involved in leading across many areas of church life – in worship, youth and pastoral ministry. They also serve as part of a team that helps plant and strengthen churches in many contexts and often minister in other churches in the UK and overseas.

Matthew and Grace feel blessed to live in such a beautiful part of the world and spend as much time enjoying it as they can! They are both looking forward to spending Easter in the mountains with Richmond.