Several members of our diocese will be making their way to St Asaph Cathedral on Thursday to attend the Royal Maundy Service.This year’s Royal Maundy will recognise and honour those who have shown outstanding devotion in service to the Church and their communities - from managing food banks to being first on the scene to help when flooding caused massive disruption, managing church finances to running community projects - our nominees are all incredibly special people.The King and Queen will be in attendance and it will only be the second time the special occasion has been held in Wales in its 800-year history. It will also mark the first meeting between His Majesty The King and The Most Reverend Cherry Vann, Archbishop of Wales.The Archbishop says “I am very much looking forward to being present alongside the women and men who will be receiving the Maundy coins this year and to see them being honoured in this way for their service to the church and their communities. To have this service taking place in Wales is a real joy and will undoubtedly be a memorable experience for all involved.”During the service, The King will present the Royal Maundy gifts to approximately 77 men and 77 women mainly from Wales but also from dioceses across the UK. The Maundy Money is a symbolic gift given in recognition of recipients’ outstanding Christian service and for making a difference to the lives of people in their local communities. His Majesty will present recipients with two purses containing the unique Maundy Money. In the white purse will be a set of specially minted silver Maundy coins totalling 77 pennies, to match The King’s age, and in the Red Purse will be a £5 coin commemorating 100 years since Queen Elizabeth II’s birth, and a 50p coin that celebrates the 50th anniversary of The King’s Trust.The service this year will feature specially commissioned music by Welsh composers and musicians, celebrating the return of the Royal Maundy to Wales. In addition, the service will see the use of the processional Cross of Wales, a gift from His Majesty The King to the Christians of Wales. The Cross, which, headed the Procession at Westminster Abbey for his Coronation in 2023, contains a fragment of the True Cross, a gift to The King from His Holiness Pope Francis and believed to be part of the cross on which Jesus was crucified.At the conclusion of the service, Their Majesties will join the Royal Maundy Party for a photograph outside the Cathedral’s West Door before meeting members of the cathedral community.Those nominated from the Diocese of Monmouth:Elizabeth CrawfordElizabeth Crawford moved back to Llanfoist in 2018, following her semi-retirement, although she was not a complete newcomer, having been born and lived here until she was 18. Her career was spent in management in the third sector, mostly in Higher Education. Elizabeth served on the PCC in her church in Oxford and at Holy Trinity, Abergavenny. She was elected Abergavenny Ministry Area Warden in January 2023, a post in which she continues to serve.As you would expect from the former Domestic Bursar of University College, Oxford - and former interim principal of Regent’s Park College, Oxford - Elizabeth has a keen interest in governance and was instrumental in Abergavenny Ministry Area’s creation. She also drove the transfer of the MA into a Charity Incorporated Organisation, providing a template for other MAs in the Diocese to follow.Elizabeth organises courses for members of the MA, including a team-building day and recently, a day centred on spirituality. She is also a discerner for the Church in Wales Provincial Discernment Board. She supports our Ministry Area Leader in all sorts of practical ways. She became a Christian when she was 27 and working in London. Her experience of church has been mostly in low, evangelical Anglican churches, apart from Evensong in my College Chapel, where she was a Sunday evening regular.Elizabeth, a Fellow of University College, Oxford, once had a difference of opinion with one of President Bill Clinton’s Secret Service personnel prior to a visit by the former president, in which he said those at a garden party had to be kept behind barriers and she said that wasn’t the way Oxford did things. She won!Elizabeth is also a member of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales and was recently elected to the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Monmouth.Elizabeth is married with four children.Christine PurkissChris belongs to several organisations and groups in the church and community in Caerleon.She is highly involved in the Memory Café, Toddlers Group and Open the Book Assemblies run by Churches Together in Caerleon, as well as organising Prayer Breakfasts and Lenten Lunches, where all churches in our village meet and work together.With her musical and performance background she executes solo musical productions, written by her, to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society, various other charities and for our local church.She represents the church on the Caerleon Arts Festival Committee, where her input is invaluable.Sue MacKinnonSusan MacKinnon, known widely throughout the Mid Torfaen Ministry Area as Sue Mac, was nominated in recognition of her outstanding Christian service, faithfulness, and lifelong commitment to others.Sue currently serves as Lay Co-Chair of the Mid Torfaen Ministry Area, a role she fulfils with humility, diligence, and deep spiritual integrity. She is married to Alister MacKinnon, and together they are well-known and respected members of their community. Both are now retired from Western Biscuits in Cwmbran, where Sue spent the majority of her working life.During her professional career, Sue demonstrated exceptional dedication and versatility, working across many disciplines within the fast-moving consumer goods sector. Her roles included international client liaison, global shipping of UK manufactured biscuits and confectionery, and ultimately serving as Personal Assistant to the Managing Director, supporting several senior directors. This breadth of experience has equipped her with remarkable organisational skill, discretion, and wisdom—qualities she now places entirely at the service of the Church.Since her retirement, Sue has devoted the greater part of her time and energy to Christian service within the parish of New Inn, initially at St Mary’s Church, Panteg, and now across the wider Ministry Area. She has taken on numerous roles within the life of the Church, including sides person, verger, church warden, and more recently Lay Co-Chair, helping to guide and support a growing and evolving Ministry Area encompassing seven churches and their congregations.Of particular note is Sue’s leadership in ensuring the effective management of St Mary’s Church Hall, Panteg, safeguarding its future as a thriving community centre facility.Through her commitment, the hall continues to serve not only the Church but the wider community, offering welcome, hospitality, and connection to people of all ages and backgrounds.Day by day, Sue works quietly and faithfully behind the scenes, supporting the ministry area’s governance, mission, and Christian witness. She is widely known and deeply respected for her wise counsel, absolute confidentiality, compassion, and selfless care for others. Her faith is lived out not in words alone, but in consistent, practical service, generosity of spirit, and a readiness to place the needs of others before her own.Janet JonesJanet Jones is a lifelong educator and devoted church leader. After a distinguished career as a schoolteacher and Bishop’s Visitor to Schools, she continues to serve in retirement through extensive voluntary work. Janet has been a Church Warden for decades and currently leads safeguarding for her Ministry Area. She advises on educational boards, serves on the Provincial Discernment Panel for The Church in Wales, and passionately supports children’s ministry by running Sunday School and engaging in school outreach. Her vibrant faith and commitment to young people remain at the heart of all she does.Angela O’BrienAngela has been a warden for many years at All Saints Church, Llanfrechfa, she is also a long-standing member of the choir and has been heavily involved with church life and the community, she also just recently project managed a new compostable toilet for the church.Angela is also Ministry Area warden and has been leading the Ministry Area through necessary changes in recent years.Angela is the Chair of Governors at the local Ponthir Primary, Church in Wales, school and lead safeguarding officer.Alice BrennanSister Alice is committed to ecumenism and acts as a bridge between the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches in her role as a spiritual director. Alice is currently working with several members of the ecumenical community on establishing an ecumenical prayer and fellowship group for mothers and children. The Community of St. Joseph has been in Newport for over 100 years and has worked in schools, hospitals, and other settings.Ingrid WilsonIngrid has been deeply committed, for a great many years, to interfaith dialogue and service. She is a long standing member, trustee, and worker at Community House, Newport's interfaith centre.Marilyn PridayMarilyn has been deeply committed, for a great many years, to interfaith dialogue and service. She is a long standing member, trustee, and worker at Community House, Newport's interfaith centre. Marilyn is currently a trustee of the Interfaith Council of Wales.Ivy JonesIvy served the church and the community for many years. She worked A E Hicks Funeral Directors for over 45 years and was well known and loved in the community for her outstanding care and generosity.Ivy was a Methodist but very ecumenically minded - having been brought up a Baptist. A local preacher who regularly preached in Presbyterian, Congregational and other churches around Newport.Note: Ivy Jones has sadly passed away recently, but her children are attending the service on her behalf.Richard HarbottleRichard is a farmer and local businessman, prominent in the community around Monmouth. He has also served the church, both at a local level in Monmouth and in the Diocese of Monmouth. As a member of the local church, he has been a Church Warden and helped to oversee the closure of a church which was taken over by the Friends of friendless churches. He has remained involved in the care of that church and chairs the committee overseeing the churchyard. He was a member of the Diocesan Board of Finance from 2007 to 2019 and served as Chair of the Diocesan Investment Group for many years. He has also served as a Trustee of various local charities.Graham BrownEntered the household cavalry from school, rising to Lieutenant Corporal of Horse. He was confirmed while stationed at Windsor. He left in 1980 having acquired his City and Guilds and went into the building trade, forming his own company. He has served as a civic parish councillor becoming chair of the council. He attended a Pentecostal church and Baptist church. When he moved to Newport with his wife, he started attending the Cathedral 15 years ago and became the verger until 2021. He now serves as sacristan, faithfully assisting with preparing for services and regularly reads and leads prayers. He is also the senior Cathedral server.William LeddingtonBill Leddington has served many years in his local church, St Thomas the Martyr, Overmonnow, Monmouth, as Treasurer and as a Property Steward. Bill has given willingly over the decades of his time and talents to support his local church and the Ty Price Community Centre. Even at a good age Bill has been at the forefront in organising the renovation of the centre after the recent floods and was first on the scene with a shovel to clear away the mud around the church. Bill also makes himself available to give invaluable support to a number of smaller churches with their finance and property challenges.David NealeOrdained deacon 1983 and priested in 1984, David has served in several parishes across the diocese including of Blaina and Nantyglo, Cyncoed, Maindee. He was Area Dean of Newport and became a Canon of the Cathedral in 2012. After retiring in 2016, his background as Video and Technical Officer for the Board of Mission 91-2001, has meant his skills are very much still in demand. He established online live-streaming at Newport Cathedral in 2020 and faithfully ensures that the services are live-streamed each week, as well as maintaining the AV equipment.Les JonesLes is a recently retired Methodist Minister, who trained for ordination at St. Michael's alongside Church in Wales ordinands. He is extremely committed to ecumenism, equality and inclusivity, and has recently started a new role managing the Newport Food Bank.Pat DrewettPat is a Roman Catholic, worshipping at St. Patrick's Newport. He is deeply committed to both ecumenism and interfaith dialogue and friendship. Pat has arranged and hosted interfaith friendship evenings. He also has a passion for building community and social justice.Ivan JonesIvan has been a steadfast and loyal servant of the Lord in Llantarnam for a very long time. He has been both Benefice and MA treasurer, encompassing all that this transition of management style has entailed, as well as the local treasurer in Llantarnam St Michael which he remains to this day. Despite his own challenges and recent illness, he never asks for time off or a day away from his duties. He gives sound advice, a safe direction and sensible guidance on stewardship. He always directs with wisdom and insight and participates in meetings and fellowships with a generous spirit and a supportive attitude. He is a parishioner who offers advice in matters from faculty applications to monitoring the hall usage, from fixing the boiler to contacting our regular tradesmen to ensure health and safety is available for all. He is the quintessential safe pair of hands.Alan JonesAlan was born and raised in the Gwent Valleys. For over 30 years, he has served as treasurer in churches across the upper Eastern Valleys before taking on the complex role of treasurer for the newly formed Ministry Area, bringing together the finances of 11 churches. As a professional accountant, his expertise and calm approach have been invaluable in these demanding roles, and the MAC is fortunate to have someone of his calibre overseeing its financial affairs.Alan was later appointed as a lay member of the Diocesan Parsonage Board and subsequently elected Chair, a position he has held with distinction for over 10 years. Throughout his responsibilities, Alan remains approachable, good-humoured, and committed to Christian values.John HarrisAfter a long career as an engineer for the steel works in South Wales, John Harris has devoted his retirement to using his extensive knowledge and experience to care for a large number of medieval and more modern rural churches in Monmouthshire. He works tirelessly and sacrificially with church committees, government bodies, charities, and contractors to ensure that buildings are safe, well cared for, and beautiful places to worship. He gives as much attention to the detailed repair of a medieval door hinge, as to the shelves of the food pantry, or the complete reroofing of a church, or a reordering to accommodate toilets and kitchens. He is exceptional in both his devotion, and his willingness to listen and respond to the needs of the various church communities.