THE Rev. Douglas Nicol is settling well into his new role as Minsiter of Hobkirk and Southdean linked with Ruberslaw, with his family already feeling at home in the Manse in Denholm.
Douglas, who hails from Fife, was ordained as a Minister of the Church of Scotland in 1974, and has served as a parish minister in Dumfries and Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire. For the last 18 years he has worked in the central administration of the Kirk in
the church offices in Edinburgh, as secretary of the General Assembly's Mission and Discipleship Council.
But he told the Hawick News: "Even during these years my heart has always been in parish ministry and I am delighted to have been invited by the two congregations to be their new minister."
Douglas is married to Anne, and they have three grown-up children – Fiona, Stuart and Calum – and a Springer Spaniel called Patch.
The Rev. Douglas Nicol and his wife Anne
It's set to be a busy summer in the Nicol household – and not only is there the move to Denholm, but Fiona and her husband Fraser presented Anne and Douglas with their first grandchild, William, last month. Stuart gets married mid-July, and Calum moves off to university in Glasgow in September. Patch, meanwhile, has taken well to a change of scene and is enjoying walks in the countryside around the village.
Visiting the congregations is a key task for Douglas, and over the coming months he and Anne look forward to getting to know residents in the parishes of Bedrule, Denholm, Hobkirk, Minto and Southdean – all of which are part of his charge. And Douglas quipped that the local area Ordinance Survey maps are proving invaluable in helping the couple find their way about!
Moving to the Borders takes family life 'full circle' for the Nicols. Anne's father, Adam Gillespie, was born in Jedburgh, and though the family moved to Coatbridge, he spent many of his boyhood summers in Hawick. So there's 'border blood' in the family, and Anne and Douglas are looking forward to many happy years in Denholm.
Douglas added: "The first two weeks have gone well. We are feeling at home in Denholm, though still understandably with some packing cases to empty, and are enjoying getting to know new faces and places."
