Switching from being a partner in one of the largest accountancy firms in the country with earnings "well into six figures" to being the rector of a small rural church at Hever is not an obvious career move, but one which Simon Braid said he had been waiting to make for much of his life.

Last month, Mr Braid was installed as Rector of the Three Spires Benefice by the Bishop of Tonbridge, Simon Burton-Jones, throwing away his top salary - and indeed any salary - in the process.

That means in fact that Mr Braid has not one, but three churches to look after: St Peter's at Hever, St Paul's at Four Elms and Holy Trinity as Markbeech.

Mr Braid, 67, grew up in Sevenoaks and admits to being a "militant agnostic teenager" until he heard there was a chance to meet girls at a youth club held at the St Nicholas Church in the town.

His parents were not churchgoers, but at 16 Mr Braid said he "was not doing too well in the girl department" so thought he would take a chance.

He soon found that not only were the girls attractive, but so was the club's religious teachings, and he became a committed Christian.

That did not stop him going off to read history at Cambridge and afterwards starting a 33-year career in accountancy, initially with Thomson McLintock, and then after the companies merged, with KPMG - one of the four largest accountancy firms in the country.

His clients included chemical giant ICI and aerospace engineers BAE Systems, as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross.

He was made a partner at KPMG in 1988 and then led the firm's work on social housing. KPMG was paying partners an average of £572,000 last year, down from £640,000 two years before.

But while working there he increasingly felt the call of the church and eventually began a three-year theological training course ahead of his ordination in 2009.

That year he retired from KPMG, but until March this year, he continued to work as a consultant and as a director of the Clarion Housing Association and a finance director of the YMCA Downslink in Sussex.

He said: "It may seem like a big leap, but in fact there were a number of skills I had developed in my career that assist me now.

"I used to do a lot of presenting and public speaking, which comes in useful for my sermons.

"In addition, the business was all about developing relationships, which is very much what I do in my ministry."

Mr Braid was first made Priest In Charge of the three churches in April 2020. He replaced Rev Wendy Izod who had left the year before. He has now been confirmed in the more permanent position as rector.

He said: "When I arrived it was in the middle of Covid. The churches were not open. I had to broadcast my services live from my living room."

Today he divides his time between the three churches. He said: "I try to do a main service in each church each week as well as perhaps three family services."

He does find that if they are not due a service that day, some of the congregation in one church will travel to another.

He said: "They all have slightly different characters: Markbeech is more choral, Hever with its close links to the castle attracts a lot of visitors, while Four Elms is perhaps a shade more formal."

Mr Braid's visit to the youth club had a big influence on his life in another way too. It was where he met his wife, Susie.

They married in 1980 and now have three grown-up children and five young grandchildren.

They have lived in Penshurst for the past 30 years.

Mrs Braid is also a committed Christian and led the worship at Chiddingstone School for more than 30 years.

He said: "She is a tremendous help to me.

"We're both dedicated to attracting younger people to the church, and I'm pleased to say we have seen an increase in the number of families attending."

Mr Braid is a non-stipendiary priest - that is he is self-supporting and receives no pay.

He said: "People often seem surprised that I gave up my career to become a rector, but the truth is I love it.

"For Susie and me, following Jesus is the most important thing in our lives."

He said: "Life as a rector can be challenging, but I feel happy and fulfilled.

"Susie and I have been wonderfully welcomed into the Three Spires and feel this is where God has called us. We look forward to seeing what He has in store for all of us in the years ahead."