Three members of Diocese of London clergy have been installed as Prebendaries of St Paul’s Cathedral by the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, in recognition of their valuable ministry in the Diocese of London.

The Reverend John Wood MBE of St Ann’s church in Tottenham, The Reverend Graham Noyce, Vicar of St Martin’s church in Kensal Rise, and The Reverend Francis Adu-Boachie, Vicar of St John the Evangelist church in Wembley, were awarded the positions.

Prebendaries are appointed by the Bishop after consultation with the Dean of St Paul’s in recognition of their work in the Diocese. As part of the roles in the Greater Chapter of St Paul’s, they are each given their own stall in the quire, are invited to preach once a year and are given a portion of the psalms to recite each day. They also play a valuable role in maintaining the Cathedral’s close links with the parishes of the London Diocese.

The Reverend John Wood, who takes up the Prebendal Stall of Wildland, has contributed over 20 years of service at St Ann’s church in Tottenham. Under his leadership the service team at St Ann’s have helped plant three estate churches and have worked to develop Hope in Tottenham (HiT), an organisation which provides ‘faith-based, not faith-biased’ support and counselling services for children and young adults in Haringey. HiT’s work is ecumenical and brings in key partners from across the community. John is also Organising Chaplain to Haringey Police Service. He received his MBE in the Queen’s Birthday honours in 2014 for his work on community relations following the 2011 riots.

John commented: “Being appointed a Prebendary is an honour that I need to share with the amazing staff and congregation of St Ann’s who I’ve worked with over so many years.”

The Reverend Graham Noyce takes up the Prebendal Stall of Neasden. Graham has served in the parish of St Martin’s for nearly 21 years, guiding them through a major refurbishment programme which has also brought a renewal and growth in numbers, confidence and stability, enabling them to become an independent parish again in 2011. Graham was the Willesden Area Spirituality Adviser 2005 to 2012 and has been the Area Dean of Brent since January 2013. He is a veteran member of the Diocesan Cricket Team.

Graham commented: “I count it as a great honour and privilege to become a Prebendary of St Paul’s and look forward to sharing in the life of the wider cathedral community. It’s very exciting to be able to accept this honour on behalf of the people of St Martin’s and the parish.”

The Reverend Francis Adu-Boachie takes up the Prebendal Stall of Cadington Major. He was ordained in 1995 and served his curacy at St Michael’s Stonebridge until his appointment as Vicar of St John the Evangelist in Wembley in January 2001. Francis has led a growing congregation at St John’s, including a Francophone Congolese group, and the integration of the Gujarati Christian Fellowship into the Anglican Communion. He has made valuable contributions to the training of preachers and encouragement of lay ministry. At his initiative, St John’s have partnered the Diocese in the construction of the 2012 BREEAM award-winning vicarage, the first of its kind in the country, alongside the BREEAM award- nominated high performance sustainable church hall.

Francis commented: “I am delighted to accept the Bishop’s invitation. It is a great honour for me and I share this with the people of St John’s in Wembley.“

The new Prebendaries were installed during Choral Evensong at St Paul’s at a service attended by their friends and families.