Councillor Jeyan Anketell

What motivated you to become a councillor?

I want to help make the world a better place for all to live in.

Background outside the council

I grew up and went to school in Sri Lanka (Then called Ceylon). I came to the UK to study Physics at University and obtained both a BSc and a PhD in Physics at Imperial College, London. I then carried out two years of postdoctoral research in physics at York University in Toronto, Canada, before returning to the UK to train for the priesthood (C of E) at the College of the Resurrection at Mirfield while concurrently studying for a Postgraduate Diploma in Theology at the University of Leeds.

I then carried out three years of postdoctoral research in Physics at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne while serving as an honorary university chaplain, having been ordained a priest by the Bishop of Newcastle. I then returned to Imperial College to carry out research in physics for a further two years, while serving as an honorary university chaplain there. I have published a number of scientific papers over the course of my academic career. Finally, I trained for a postgraduate Diploma in Science Education at Avery Hill College, London, before starting a career teaching physics and science at Dunraven School, South London for eight years, before becoming Head of Science at Chasetown High School (now Erasmus Darwin Academy), where I taught for 21 years before retiring from full time teaching. Post-retirement, I continued to teach physics part-time at a number of local schools, including Netherstowe school and Maple Hayes school.

I retired from teaching physics professionally altogether in 2015, and for some of the time since then I have been a volunteer “Reading Buddy” at Scotch Orchard Community School. I have been living in Lichfield for the last 37 years, and during this time I have continued to be an honorary member of the Ministry Team at St Michael’s on Greenhill, my local parish church.

Hobbies or interests

I am interested in sport generally. I was particularly good at hockey and played for Imperial College, for the combined colleges of London University, for Blackheath Hockey Club and for the University of Leeds.

I am also interested in going to the theatre and to the opera. I am particularly interested in Theology — I am a member of council and a trustee of Modern Church and have published a number of theological articles in their quarterly academic journal “Modern Believing” and their quarterly magazine “Signs of the Times”.