The Chancellor is Mark Ockelton. Mark was appointed as Chancellor of the Diocese in September 2021, having previously been Deputy Chancellor from 2009. He is also the Chancellor of the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham.
Mark was called to the Bar of Lincoln’s Inn in 1977; he has degrees in Law and Theology. He spent the first half of his professional life as a university law teacher, before becoming a full-time judge in 1996. He is Vice President of the Upper Tribunal; he sits also as a judge of the Crown Court and of the High Court; and he has been closely involved in judicial training in the UK and many other countries.
Mark is a member of the Parish Clerks Company; he has long-standing interests in the architecture, fittings and furnishings of churches and particular expertise in bells and silver.
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As Hereford Diocesan Registrar, Jeremy acts as personal legal adviser to the Bishop of Hereford as well as providing a range of legal advice to the Diocese and to its clergy and parishes.
Jeremy was a chorister at Hereford Cathedral and he attended the Cathedral School. After reading law at Oxford University (Magdalen College), he decided to swim against the tide and return to Herefordshire where he has practised as a solicitor throughout his legal career. He is a director in the local firm of Gabbs Solicitors, which has offices in Leominster and in Hay-on-Wye as well as in Hereford.
He has been involved in a number of regional charities over the years, including the Three Choirs Festival (of which he was Festival Chair on three occasions and Society Chair between 2015-2020). In 2011 he was appointed Under Sheriff of Herefordshire (an office which he continues to hold). He has now taken on the additional role of Diocesan Registrar – a new challenge to which he is looking forward enormously.
On a Sunday morning, you will generally see him at the cathedral, but he enjoys a variety of worship styles and traditions. In his spare time he likes to walk the hills of Herefordshire and south Shropshire, visiting churches on the way, as well as trekking in the Black Mountains. He is a long-suffering supporter of Aston Villa and of the England cricket team.
Jeremy Wilding is a member of the Ecclesiastical Law Society, the Charity Law Association, the Selden Society and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. In 2016 he was awarded an MBE by Her Majesty The Queen.
E: jwilding@gabbs.biz | T: 01432 353 481
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As Hereford Diocesan Registry Clerk, Michelle acts as clerk to the Registrar.
A background in business with a foreign language, Michelle began her career with a management consultancy firm in London before moving to Hong Kong. On leaving a very cosmopolitan lifestyle to return home to rural Herefordshire, she joined a well-respected property sales company working in London, Cardiff, Bristol and Hereford, earning a wealth of experience in office management, sales & marketing, accounts and property database management systems.
New to the position of Registry Clerk, her mission is to apply the level of service she has learned to value so highly, to this new role and looks forward to building strong relationships with the Bishops office, the Diocesan office and local clergy.
A member of the Association of Diocesan Registry Clerks, Michelle is an efficient and approachable individual. She enjoys cooking, travel, yoga and walking in the beautiful Herefordshire countryside.
E: mwilmot@gabbs.biz | T: 01432 353 481
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Rachael is an Associate Solicitor with Gabbs Solicitors based at the Leominster office specialising in Agricultural and Residential Property. She has over 25 years of experience advising thousands of clients during her career on:
Rachael qualified as a solicitor in 1996 after completing her degree at Manchester Metropolitan University and Legal Practice Course at the University of Wolverhampton. Rachael trained in the West Midlands and after qualifying worked in Herefordshire for a short time before joining a Shropshire firm where she was a partner for over 15 years. Rachael obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in Legal Practice Management with Merit in 2015 from the Manchester Metropolitan University.
Married to a South Shropshire farmer, Rachael is well versed in dealing with the Rural Payments Agency as she helps out on the farm at home. In the little spare time she has, Rachael also enjoys gardening, cooking for friends and family on her AGA, reading and walking her rescue Westie/ Patterdale cross terrier Trixie.
E: rhughes@gabbs.biz | T: 01568 616 333
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Melanie is one of the Directors at Gabbs Solicitors and has over 20 years’ experience in property work.
She has a degree in history from the University of Lancaster and completed her legal training at the College of Law in London. Her Articles were carried out in a small firm in Lincoln’s Inn Fields in London and she qualified as a solicitor in 1994. She worked in the Commercial Property department of Farrer & Co until she moved to Herefordshire in 2004.
Melanie has been at Gabbs since 2009, becoming a Director in 2017. She works from our Hay on Wye office where she deals with all types of property matters including residential and commercial properties.
Outside the office Melanie is Clerk to the Governors of Eardisley Primary School.
E: mtree@gabbs.biz | T: 01432 353 481
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Gabbs Solicitors,
14 Broad Street,
Hereford, HR4 9AP
T: (01432) 353 481
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