The trustees of the Pilsdon Community have announced the appointment of its newest warden.

The Reverend Nigel Fry is a recent appointment as a member of Pilsdon with his wife Mary and he has stepped up to the challenge of becoming the eighth warden.

Nigel has served for many years as an Anglican vicar in the Diocese of Peterborough.

On his retirement he felt the call of Pilsdon, which is near Broadwindsor, having visited on several occasions, and he and Mary joined as members in July.

Nigel’s appointment is enabling the Reverend Sue Langdon to leave at the end of October, a little earlier than originally planned. 

During her four years as warden, Sue and her fellow members steered Pilsdon through Covid, isolating the community for many months to protect themselves and the guests, some of whom were very vulnerable.

She encouraged the trustees to take the step of investing in new bespoke sustainable and attractive accommodation for members, supported by generous donations from legacies and charitable organisations.

Pilsdon was founded in 1958 to be a community of prayer, hospitality and work, and was founded by the Reverend Percy Smith and his wife Gaynor, with each day characterised by 25 or so people sharing meals, working and resting together.

The community is based upon a model set by Nicholas Ferrar, who formed Little Gidding in 1625, the first Anglican community after Henry VIII's dissolution of monasteries.

Like Little Gidding, Pilsdon is set in a small hamlet and comprises a manor house, small farm and a little church.