A BROOME woman has been given an award recognising outstanding contribution to the life of the Church of England in the diocese of Worcester.

Diana Ingham received the Wulfstan Cross from the Bishop of Worcester, Rt Rev John Inge, during a service in Worcester Cathedral.

She was commended by her parish priest, Rev Paul Harrison, for her contribution to the parish of Broome, where she has been involved in the church since singing in the choir as a child.

She has been a member of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) of Broome Parish Church for many years, at different times holding the roles of churchwarden, treasurer and planned giving officer, as well as being the parish representative on Deanery Synod.

Ms Ingham has also been a member of the Movement for the Ordination of Women, the Board for Ordained and Lay Development and a teacher on the Bishop’s Certificate Course.

When the PCC decided to lease the church hall to a new secular charity, instead of running it themselves, she became the first of three holding trustees of the new Broome Village Hall Charity.

She implemented the new constitution herself, as the hall manager - the second holding trustee - died suddenly and the third holding trustee resigned.

There was no committee, so Ms Ingham convened a temporary managing group and called the first annual meeting. She acted as secretary to the management committee from 2007 until 2013 and is currently PCC secretary.

Bishop John said: “This award was established to thank those who have given an exemplary lifetime of service to the Church.”

Ms Ingham said: “It is a privilege for me to be associated in any way with St Wulfstan, who was instrumental in ending the Bristol slave trade of his day, and who ministered to refugees during the civil disturbances of his time.”

St Wulfstan lived from around 1008 to 1095. He served as Bishop of Worcester under the last two Saxon kings and the first two Norman kings.