Mr Harold Bowron

Circuit Steward

I was born in Whitby, North Yorkshire, grew up in a Presbyterian family in West Cornforth, County Durham then Haltwhistle.

As young people we were given responsibility around the church, firing up the coal boiler on Saturday evening, organising our own youth club opening and locking the premises.

Educated at The Gregg School in Carlisle then began a 35 years career with British Rail, beginning as a booking clerk at Haydon Bridge and Brampton retiring in Edinburgh as Area Operations Manager, East of Scotland.

On moving, with parents, to Hexham I met the love of my life. It was at St Aidan’s Church Hexham that I became an Elder of the Presbyterian Church at the age of 21. Here again the young people of the church ran our own Fellowship of Youth on Sunday evenings. We organised junior and senior badminton clubs on a Friday evening in the dual- purpose hall. It was our responsibility to prepare the room for Sunday Worship.

When I married, we began a series of moves around the country, Winlaton County Durham, when our daughter was born, Pilson Green, Norfolk where our son arrived then on to Dunstable, Bedfordshire. Duffield in Derbyshire followed then Edinburgh. In each of these places we joined a local church be it Presbyterian which became U.R.C., Free Church or Church of Scotland and always involved ourselves in church life.

Moving to Kirkandrews on Eden we took the decision to attend our local Methodist Church, Monkhill where we were made most welcome, the rest they say is history.

I am Treasurer of Monkhill Church as well as North Cumbria Circuit, Chairman of the local Parish Hall committee and Chairman of the British Transport Pensioners Federation, Scotland.