St Aldhelm Cross Recipients Recognised for Exceptional Service Church Life

Six people from across the Diocese of Salisbury were presented with the Cross of St Aldhelm at a service in Salisbury Cathedral over the weekend.

Inaugurated in 2005, the year that marked the 1300^th anniversary of the consecration of St Aldhelm as the first Bishop of Sherborne, the Cross of St Aldhelm was established by the former Bishop of Salisbury, the Rt Revd Dr David Stancliffe. Selected by the sitting Bishop of Salisbury, the crosses are awarded every year to a small number of Church members from across the Diocese of Salisbury who have shown exceptional commitment and service to the shared life of churches and the Christian community in Wiltshire, Dorset and the Channel Islands.

The Bishop of Sherborne and Acting Bishop of Salisbury, the Rt Revd Karen Gorham, awarded the crosses on Sunday during a special Choral Evensong at the Cathedral. The recipients were: Peter Troughton, Sue Chandler, David Robilliard, Bill Smith, Carole Goddard and Angie Wheeler.

Peter Troughton joined the Diocesan Board of Finance’s Finance and Resources Committee in 2018 and chaired the Investment Review Group until his retirement in 2025. Bringing insight, clarity and good judgement to the financial challenges facing the diocese, he led improvements in the management of glebe and investment assets. Quick to grasp the heart of an issue and unafraid to offer constructive challenge, Peter did so unfailingly with good humour.

After a long career in training and mentoring with multinational bank, J.P. Morgan, Sue Chandler started working for the Diocese of Salisbury in 2009. In her extraordinary contribution to diocesan and local church life, Sue has supported clergy, served on Diocesan Synod, acted as Lay Chair of the Blackmore Vale deanery, and served as churchwarden of Holy Rood Church, Shillingstone, as well as Lay Canon of Salisbury Cathedral since 2022.

Elected to Guernsey’s Deanery Synod in 1972, David Robilliard has long served as churchwarden of Torteval and oversees the deanery’s administration and finances, a voluntary role that is performed by paid staff in England. His many gifts were recognised through his election as a Jurat of the Royal Court of Guernsey, the Island’s highest civic honour, and by the award of an MBE in 2024 for services to the Church and Guernsey.

After a career in Local Government and teaching modern languages, in 1987 Bill Smith trained as a Baptist Minister, serving at churches in Chipping Norton and Amesbury, as well as being involved in several chaplaincies in Wiltshire. He currently heads up the Chaplaincy team at Salisbury Cathedral, where he supports and oversees more than 60 ecumenical chaplains, and where he has also served as a chaplain since 2010.

Carole Goddard has devoted much of her life to prison chaplaincy, serving offenders, prisoners and their families with compassion and commitment. From youth offending work and family support at Chelmsford Prison to chaplaincy roles in Essex and at HMP The Verne, her ministry has spanned decades. Alongside this, she has faithfully served as a Licensed Lay Minister, nurturing young families and helping many people encounter the Christian faith

A lifelong resident of Poole, apart from her years studying mathematics at Oxford, Angie Wheeler has served St Mary’s Longfleet, the Poole and North Bournemouth Deanery and the wider diocese with remarkable dedication and quiet distinction. For nearly three decades she has provided faithful financial leadership as parish and deanery treasurer. Generous with her time and expertise, she has supported countless others, using her gifts to strengthen the Church’s life, ministry and mission.

Bishop Karen Gorham said, “This year’s Cross of St Aldhelm recipients embody the very essence of Christian service. Through their faithful dedication, generous spirit and quiet commitment, they have enriched the life of the Church and their communities, often without recognition or acclaim. It is a privilege to celebrate these remarkable individuals whose witness and service continue to strengthen our shared life in Christ.”