To Ardrossan on Tuesday evening for the Institution of the new Rector of the North Ayrshire Team ministry the Rev Martin Sofield. It is always exciting to be there when a new ministry starts and Tuesday evening was no exception. All good wishes to Martin as he takes on this new role.

I sometimes wish that there was more chance at these things to hear something from the person themselves. They get to do the intercessions, but that is about all.

I get quite a lot of invitations to institutions and the like and now that the staffing at St Mary’s is making it a bit easier, I’m trying to go to as many things in the diocese that I can like that, if only to make a link between the ministry of the cathedral here and the local ministries wherever they are. The least I can do is to let people in new ministries that we are praying for them.

I never go to an institution without grumpily remembering that I’ve refused the keys at each of my institutions. It is a terrible symbol giving the keys of a church to the priest and one that I’ve had no truck with, to the bewilderment of bishops.