A regional journalist is set to be ordained as a Church of England priest.

James Marston, who works for Archant in East Anglia, will take up the role following a ceremony to be held at St Edmundsbury Cathedral, in Bury St Edmunds, on 6 September.

James, pictured, was made deacon at the end of June last year and starte his ministry as an assistant curate.

He has been a journalist for a decade-and-a-half, working in various roles at Archant’s daily titles in Norwich and Ipswich including education, entertainments and features.  He will continue to work for the company as a columnist following his ordination.

In his latest column, he wrote: “If I look back over the last 12 months, and it has been a rollercoaster year, not only have I begun to understand something of what it means to be a clergyman but also endured a flood in the rectory and then the corona drama.

“However, I can look back and see that it has also been a remarkable year and one I shall look back on with, despite the flood and pestilence, with undiluted pleasure – I have loved every moment and felt a gradual increasing of confidence as I have followed my vocation from hopeful wanna-be to college student to public Christian and clergy beginner.

“Just like newspaper journalism there is a sense that working as a clergyman is about fostering and building up of community, communicating ideas and beliefs, sometimes speaking a difficult truth and being alongside a community in times of trouble and joy – and, just like journalism, being a clergyman is like no other job I have ever had, and one which I couldn’t imagine not doing, certainly now I’m doing it.

“Though it might sound odd, slightly smug even, if I tell you I feel like I’m becoming the person I was meant to be – I’m one of the lucky ones as plenty of people never get to do that which they really want to do.”