New FoSE Trustee - Irene Wolstenholme

Irene Wolstenholme October 2026

I went up to Oxford in 1984, to read mathematics at Lincoln College. I come from a Christian family and had known the saving love of Jesus from quite young, but was struggling slightly in my Christian life at the time - so I knew that it was important to get stuck into church and the Christian Union. At the time, the OICCU was quite big and we had weekly Bible Readings and evangelistic talks at the Northgate Hall. We also did our Bible studies in colleges, and the churches did not offer regular midweek sessions for students.

However Sundays were really important to me, with the 11am service at St Ebbe's followed by the student lunch - always baked potatoes, mince, flapjack and apple. The rector when I arrived was Keith Weston, who I remember as a gentle, godly man with a real passion for teaching the Bible and a lovely sense of humour! I found my time at Oxford, though not always easy, set me up with a very strong foundation for life as a Christian, with the teaching, regular prayer including world prayer groups, and community both with students and with the "town" family of St Ebbe's. When I finished my degree I stayed at St Ebbe's for another year as a lay assistant. By this time David Fletcher was Rector and I learnt a lot from his family, especially reading the Bible with Susie.

After Oxford I moved to London where I trained as an accountant. I now work for a Private Bank, talking about tax and wealth structuring. I married Peter in 1992 - we think we first met at the back of St Ebbe's, he had been a lay assistant before I was at Oxford and had stayed there to train as an accountant too. We got married at St Ebbe's but he moved to join me in London - he said he'd give London 2 years but we are still there 34 years later. We live in Battersea, near Clapham Junction station, and have three sons. Two of them spent their student days at St Ebbe's, as did their wives, so the connections continued - it's been interesting to see the developments through the years. (Our middle son went to the "Other place" and had to make do with STAG!)

We spent a short while at St Helen's (particularly memorable for the "Read Mark Learn" Bible studies) but went to more local churches once the children were born. We now are part of a small church called St Peter's Battersea with a very mixed and vibrant congregation.

Alongside work and church, I have been a trustee in a couple of education and church charities. I have recently become a trustee of FoSE, and am hoping that I can use my experience - both technical and general life! - to support and encourage a church which has been such a formative part of life and faith for all of our family.