A keen Angus hillwalker is scaling new heights as a Church of Scotland minister.
Tim Mineard from Carnoustie has been inducted into his new charge in a ceremony attended by Kirk moderator the Rt. Rev Martin Fair, with whom the 47-year-old former charity worker shares a passion for Munro-bagging.
Mr Mineard, who grew up in Gravesend in Kent, and his wife, Fiona, a midwife from Dundee have lived in Carnoustie since 2005.
The couple have two daughters, Lucy, 19, and Emily, who is 15 and are members of St Andrew’s Parish Church in Arbroath, where Dr Fair is the minister.
St Andrews University graduate Mr Mineard is taking up his new role at St Andrews Church in Barrhead and the Moderator will be ‘preaching in’ his hillwalking pal his first service as an ordained minister on Sunday.
“I built a friendship with Martin Fair based on our love of hillwalking,” explained Tim.
“Our high point together, literally, was camping on top of the South Glenshiel Ridge and walking the whole ridge of seven Munros in one day with full backpacks .
“We were completely and utterly exhausted and I’ve never seen anyone down a pint of ginger beer as quickly as Martin did at the end of that walk.”
Dr Fair said: “There’s little to match the excitement of ordination, it is such a huge moment in the life of the individual and for the whole Church.
“I’m thrilled for Tim and for the many others who in these days are stepping out on this journey of a lifetime.”
The peaks of Ben Hope, Sgúrr na Banachdaich, Ben Lomond and Mount Keen are the most northerly, westerly, southerly and easterly mountains over 3,000 feet in Scotland.
He and two chaplain friends completed the feat on the summit of Mount Keen after what Dr Fair described as a challenge involving “four mountains, 750 miles, limited sleep, lots of rain and midges.”
