After more than a year without a Vicar, the Reverend Dr Adrian Hough was appointed priest in charge of the new United Benefice of Badsey with Aldington, Bretforton and Offenham on 18th March 1997.
Adrian was born at Wombourne near Wolverhampton, but part of his childhood was spent living in Ireland and on Cannock Chase. Six years of study at The University of Oxford followed where he gained a first-class Honours degree in Chemistry and then carried out research into inter-molecular forces for his Doctorate. From there he spent six years at Harwell where he did research into atmospheric pollution and became a Chartered Chemist.
The decision to become a priest was taken over a period of around eight years. Adrian trained for three years at theological college, Ripon College Cuddeston. He was ordained deacon in 1992 and priest in 1993. His first curate position was at Broadwas on Teme, involved with the running of five parishes. On being appointed as Vicar of Badsey in 1997, Adrian came to live at Badsey Vicarage with his wife, Kathryn, a doctor, who was a partner in a General Practice surgery in Evesham, and their daughter, nine-month-old Rachel.
Adrian, Kathryn and Rachel left the Vale in March 2004 to spend 12 months in Lerwick in the Shetland Isles where Kathryn was employed on a one-year contract as a temporary general practitioner. Adrian spent the year as Assistant Priest at the Churches of St Magnus in Lerwick and St Colman at Burra Voe on the island of Yell.
The family returned to Evesham after a year where Adrian assisted at St Andrew’s Church, Hampton. In 2006 they moved to Exeter where Adrian took up an appointment as chaplain to the Bishop of Exeter. In 2016 he left his role as Bishop's Chaplain to work in the Diocesan Mission and Pastoral Office. In 2021 he became Diocesan Consultant on Church Governance.
Adrian is the author of two books:
God is not 'Green': A Re-Examination of Eco-Theology (1997)
The Flaw in the Universe: Natural Disaster and Human Sin (2010)