A POPULAR Tavistock couple, who have served Tavistock Parish Church for more than 20 years, were wished a fond farewell after the Easter Sunday service on March 27.

Ian and Lin Jenkins have lived in the area for 42 years and have volunteered much of their time to local causes.

Ian was a churchwarden and founding chairman of The Friends of Eustachius and Lin, a long-serving choir member, helped with the parish accounts, the church website and the parish magazine.

The couple were presented with parting gifts and cards after the Easter Sunday service by the vicar, the Very Reverend Dr Chris Hardwick, who expressed great sadness at the couple’s departure and spoke of their valuable contribution to the church.

Ian and Lin said they would be sad to leave but are looking forward to moving to Arford in Hampshire, to be closer to their son, Nick, daughter-in-law, Debbie and their first grandchild, Amelie – their other son, Tim, lives in York.

Ian, who served in the Royal Navy for 39 years said: ‘Our time here has been very rewarding and has deepened my faith.’

Lin added: ‘Leaving will be a wrench – the hardest thing is leaving the choir.’

Ian also enjoys singing and both are planning to join a choir in their new area.

Plans for the church’s 700th centenary were also recently announced at a lunch attended by 80 people on Palm Sunday.

Over the last 6 months, ideas have been gleaned from a questionnaire for the future, in which members of the congregation were asked for suggestions on how the church could be more effective in reaching out to the town and surrounding com-munity.

At the lunch, hosted by The Friends of St Eustachius Church, the vicar, Chris Hardwick said: ‘The questionnaire has given us great food for thought and we hope to announce our plans in detail over the coming months, once all our wider consultations are also complete.’

Plans include improvements to Tavistock Church to enhance it as a place of worship, prayer and for community use, together with proposals for extending the church’s outreach and mission to the town and beyond.