Adrian came to Cambridge from the Benefice of Woodstock and Bladon, and from his other ministries in the Diocese of Oxford as Assistant Archdeacon of Dorchester, Area Dean of Woodstock, and Chair of the Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches.
He was born in Wolverhampton in 1968, the son of a taxi driver and a wages clerk. Educated at local state schools, he studied Theology at St John’s College, Durham, and trained for ordination at St Stephen’s House, Oxford. Adrian has served in parishes in Lichfield, Stafford, and Walsall, and was Canon Precentor of Coventry Cathedral. A keen musician, he is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists. His wife, The Revd Dr Megan Daffern, is at present Chaplain of Jesus College, Oxford, and teaches Old Testament at Oxford University.
The vicar of Great Saint Mary’s was a royal appointment from at least 1205, when King John presented Thomas de Chimeleye to the rectory, until 1342, when Edward III granted the living to King’s Hall, which was merged by an Act of Parliament in 1546 with Michaelhouse to create Trinity College. Trinity College remains both patron and lay rector of the University Church of Saint Mary the Great, with Saint Michael, Cambridge.
Great St Mary's has been at the heart of the University from its earliest days and continues to provide pastoral care, intellectual engagement, and worship and liturgy to the University on both formal and informal occasions. The parish also includes Michaelhouse, with its beautiful medieval chapel, pioneer arts ministry, and the Michaelhouse Café. Over 300,000 people visited Great St Mary’s last year as worshippers, tourists, and pilgrims.
'What We Do' Main Pages:
The results of our Young Environmentalist, Photographer and Artist Competitions are now out. Click on the blue text at the bottom of this window for details
moreRotary Clubs worldwide are spear-heading the drive to eliminate polio, which is more urgent than ever
moreWe are supporting this successful and worthwhile cause, currently with £500 of investment in multiple small enterprises
moreWe have been awarded a Bronze Certificate, in recognition of donations to Shelterbox of £2,000 in 2023-4
moreOur annual competition for budding artists - our entrants all won the second stage District Competition last year
moreOur popular event for school choirs and their families & friends raised over £15,000 for local children's charities. The 2024 Concert will be on Friday 13 December at West Road Concert Hall - details coming soon
moreWe organise two-day breaks at a National Trust site in N Norfolk for young people aged 12-15 who probably won't get any other holiday
moreCombating AMR was the focus of our 2023-24 President's Charity, Antibiotic Research UK. We raised nearly £6000 in support
moreThe results of our annual competition - two of our local winners have also won at District level and one has won 3rd prize in the National Final
moreOur Junior Competition entrant has gone on to win at National Level. Our Intermediate Team won third prize in their group
morePast President John Martin uses his building skills to help the locals create a community centre for this deprived settlement in The Gambia, only a few miles from the luxurious tourist resorts on the coast
moreWe raised funds supporting Ukrainians both in Ukraine and in Cambridge & East Anglia from several events in 2022
moreThe East Anglian District and National Rotary Magazines feature the wide range of charitable and fellowship activities that Rotary Clubs enjoy
moreWe and our colleagues in the three other Cambridge clubs celebrated 100 years of Rotary service in 2022
moreWe are part of a worldwide movement of 46,000 Rotary clubs with a total of 1.4 million members. We enjoy a range of informal fellowship events while supporting local and international charities
moreCambridge Aid does great work in support of Cambridge residents in need. In 2019-21 we raised over £12,500 and we continue to support them
moreRYLA offers an intensive 7-day course for 18-26 year-olds, helping them to develop as future leaders
moreA sample of our members' varied interests and significant contributions to the local community
moreA brief history of the Rotary Club of Cambridge together with some records which might be of interest to the wider audience
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