Ian marries his Ugandan bride in Holy Trinity Woodburn

Wednesday April 14th 2010

Ian and Anette Ringland sign the register after their wedding in Holy Trinity Woodburn. A couple who married in Holy Trinity Parish Church, Woodburn, on April 9, first met at a school building site in faraway Uganda.

Ms Annette Neema, from Kampala in Uganda, was given away by her guardian Kennedy Nkolenta, who is Chief Executive Officer of Fields of Life, a charity which Holy Trinity Woodburn has close links. Her groom was Mr Ian Ringland, and the couple have known each other since they met in Uganda in 2003, where Ian was working with Hope Builders on a new school.

Hope Builders is headed by Mr David Charlton from Kilkeel, a lay reader and a director of Fields of Life.

Annette was the first student at Annette is given away by her guardian, Fields of Life Director Kennedy Nkolenta. Grace High School, the first secondary school opened by Fields of Life. She graduated from university in Kampala in February, one of the first Fields of Life children to do so. Annette is no stranger to Northern Ireland, having visited many times and having conducted the Celebration Choir and the Voices of Life choir tours of Ireland for Fields of Life.

She and Ian were engaged at the end of the Voices of Life tour in October. They had their ‘formal introduction’ at Emmaus Guest House, Kampala, on March 20 this year, followed by their wedding at Holy Trinity Woodburn. The couple will be living in Katesbridge, Co. Down.