Carol was born and brought up in Portsmouth, so, she says, "the delight in the sea and in all things 'watery' is in my blood. That must be why I'm a Baptist!"
Church was also always high on her agenda, and she made her own profession of faith as a teenager. Carol was involved with all aspects of church life, including offering herself to BMS for service in the Kond Hills (India) after a real live mission worker had come to speak. She was told to wait a bit!
Carol went to college in Coventry to train as a teacher. She then went on to get a job in a secondary school to teach RE and work with slow learners. That was followed by jobs teaching those with severe learning difficulties and physical disabilities, after taking further training in Leicester.
During that period she felt called to ministry and went to Bristol Baptist College. From there she had a very happy ministry at St George Baptist Church, Bristol, for nearly 12 years, before moving to her present position as minister of Haddenham-cum-Dinton Baptist Church and tutor in pastoral studies at Regent's Park College in Oxford - which, she says, is a stimulating combination. Her particular areas of expertise are in loss, death and bereavement, and spirituality, but aging also interests her. She is also involved with the London Mennonite Centre in their work of Conflict Resolution.
Throughout all of this time Carol, who is passionate about mission, has been involved with BMS World Mission, serving on many committees. She was BMS President a few years ago, and has visited many places where BMS is working - Brazil, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Angola, South Africa, Poland among them.
Carol's other interests include cycling, travelling, gardening and gargoyles.