Helensburgh’s newest church rector has spoken to the Advertiser about his first impressions of life in the town – and his hopes for what he might achieve in his new role.

Dom Ind, 54, took up his post at St Michael and All Angels’ Episcopal Church just two weeks ago and says he is settling in well to his new job and new home.

Despite being new in Helensburgh, Dom explained that he has considered some things he hopes to achieve while working in the area – and two of the most important to him are maintaining St Michael’s strong coral tradition and welcoming members of the Royal Navy moving to Helensburgh into the church.

He said: “Traditionally St Michael’s has a strong choral tradition, so the choir is very important. I want us to offer ourselves to the community as a church that does choral music well and to say to the community ‘if you’re interested in choral music, particularly with your children, this is a church which might attract you’.”

Dom added: “The base is going to expand, so if people currently based in England have a church allegiance there’s quite a high chance that they will be Anglican. Coming across the border we would be their church.

“A ministry with Anglicans coming to the area and an expansion of the base and so on, that’s pretty high on my priority list and I will be talking to the Commodore about that.”

More than 200 people attended Dom’s ‘service of institution’ on Saturday, August 4, including a local MSP, members of his family and members of his former congregations in Bridge of Allan, Cambuslang and Uddingston.

“Saturday was a great success,” he said. “The church was packed to the gunwales.

“There was a terrific buzz in the hall after the eucharist, which was lovely. It was a great celebration for the community.”

Dom, a father-of-two and grandfather, studied for “years and years” to become a priest – but it wasn’t the first career path he considered.

“When I was at school I got very keen on politics,” he said, “and I thought I might serve down in Westminster.

“At the age of 17, during my first year of A levels, I felt a great connection with the divine and on one particular evening at boarding school I decided to test my vocation in the church.”

From this, Dom went to study comparative religion at the University of Lancaster and then went on to complete a course in theological studies at Ridley Hall in Cambridge.

Since then he has travelled the world studying religion and since being ordained 28 years ago has worked all over the UK.

For the past 11 and a half years, Dom was the rector at St Saviour’s in Bridge of Allan, while his wife Anna worked as the parish administrator.

“I do the upfront stuff and Anna does what I call oiling the cogs,” he said.

“She does a lot of the behind the scenes work and works hard in the hall.”

And the pair will have a similar set up in Helensburgh with Anna working hard on the administrative side of things while Dom fulfils his duties as the rector.

Dom said: “One of the honours of being a priest is how people share with you.

"Sometimes they will tell you things they don’t tell their spouse in the seal of the confessional and when people are doing that obviously you get very close, so before too long Anna and I will know this congregation very well indeed.”