Andy Taylor was born in 1951, the youngest of three brothers, in Ealing, West London. His family were regular church goers and he attended Church of England primary schools, being confirmed into the Church of England at 11 years old. However, it was not until he was 18 that he truly met Christ and became a committed Christian.
Andy studied at Sussex University for eight years where he obtained a BSc in Physics with Electronics, followed by a DPhil in Neutron Physics. Whilst at Sussex, he met and married Diane and they had a son & daughter. Today they now have 2 granddaughters, aged 10 & 7 years, with a third grandchild on the way.
The family came to Basingstoke in 1978 when Andy took up a position in medical engineering, expecting to stay here just two years! They joined Basingstoke Community Church, a fast growing church based in Sarum Hill. However, when this church divided into six congregations in 1980, Andy was asked to lead one of them – West Church. He has been in church leadership ever since, going into full time paid employment with the church in 1989. He & Diane presently live in Oakley and are part of the BCCs Town Centre congregation.
At present, Andy does not lead a particular congregation, but works primarily across the churches in Basingstoke to develop projects to serve the local community in whatever way they can. He is presently Chair of the Alliance of Basingstoke Churches and, this year, is one of the Mayor’s Chaplains. Apart from being a wonderful wife, Diane herself serves Basingstoke as a Borough Councillor.
Outside of his work, Andy loves sport, especially football, which he used to play badly. He has been an ardent Chelsea supporter from the age of 8! These days he tries to keep fit by jogging, but also loves walking, reading and doing any sorts of puzzles.
