A FUNERAL director, a tattooed rock lover and a Labour peer are among the people to be ordained at Durham Cathedral this week.

Nineteen people from diverse walks of life will be ordained as priests and deacons in the Diocese of Durham in ceremonies on Saturday and Sunday.

Among them is funeral director Daniel Ackerley, who will serve as a curate in the parish of Croxdale, Tudhoe and Merrington, near Spennymoor.

The 27-year-old, who worked as a semi-professional musician before becoming the principle funeral director at Sunderland firm John Duckworth's, says his sense of calling came while he was at school and was a chorister at St Peter's in Stockton.

He said: "I think it was at that point that people began saying to me have you thought about being a vicar? As a young child that was a petrifying and daunting thought.

"But suddenly everything just seemed to make sense and I couldn't imagine doing anything else in the world. I didn't have an epiphany moment or anything like that, It was just little things that kept bringing me back to this place, that ordination was the right thing for me.”

Former nurse Claire Elwood, will work at St Nicholas' Church in Durham.

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Former nurse Claire Elwood

The 50-year-old, who spent time working with pregnant teenagers, says the experience helped shape her spiritual journey. But it was her time working with students after nights out that led her to become ordained.

She said: "“It was a short walk from the church down to a student nightclub. We would take toast and we would invite students back into church for a cup of tea and some toast, time of chat and sobering up or just looking after them till they found their friends or whatever.

"Often the conversation became about faith and life, they'd be very open and curious. Curious to know why we were up [so late], why we were coming out to the nightclub rather than just being open on a Sunday morning, curious about God and they usually had big life questions such as why there is suffering because they had experienced that in their lives and didn't have answers for it.”

Labour peer Maeve Sherlock, 58, is also being ordained as a priest at St Nicholas'.

Brenda Forrester, from Chester-le-Street, is also being ordained after first having the idea of becoming a vicar 10 years ago.

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Paul Arnold is being ordained as a priest on Saturday

She said: "In 2009, I was working towards opening an art gallery in Chester-le-Street, when God seemed to be saying these words, 'become a vicar'.

I laughed. I had tattoos, listened to heavy rock music and had been a Christian for a year, I did not feel like 'vicar' material.

"After laughing for a year, every time the thought arose, my patient curate suggested I read the criteria for ordination.

"I didn't even know what that meant, but after research, and trying hard to rule myself out, I realised I might be a fit after all."

Paul Arnold, from Stockton, is a former criminal barrister and worked at the Cabinet Office for ten years but decided to become a priest after mentoring someone else who was going through the process.

Also being ordained is Alexander Crawford, who has worked at Durham Cathedral for four years.

The 30-year-old is originally from Melbourne but moved to England at the age of eight. He is following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, who were both priests.