The parish priest with a surprising side hustle

A parish priest has revealed how he juggles his pastoral role with a surprising second career - weighing jockeys at the races.

The Reverend Jeremy Lind works part-time at St Mary's in Newmarket, Suffolk and also as a clerk of the scales across UK racecourses, including at Newmarket.

He initially started working in the racing industry at the age of 18, but said later in life he wanted to pursue his call to the church - and was ordained in 2019.

Asked how he balances his two jobs, Lind said: "Sometimes it's hard. I finish my service here, say goodbye, dash out the door, get in the car and end up at a racecourse."

He added: "That's how it works, but I wouldn't change it."

Lind said he initially felt a calling to the church as a child, but said life got in the way and he instead turned to working in the racehorse industry.

"Horses are a bit like a disease, once you've got them in your blood, you don't really get rid of them," he continued.

"I've done all sorts of things in my life, I've managed studs, managed other people's race horses, broken into some very good horses."

His work at racecourses entails weighing the jockeys, but he also carries out welfare checks to make sure riders are mentally and physically healthy.

"My faith and my love of God is my cornerstone, is my bedrock, that's how I live my life," he said.

"And racing, I just love the people. I always say I work with the finest sportsmen and women. I rarely have anybody who I can honestly say I don't like; that is so rare.

"I consider myself very lucky, not just with the jockeys but I mean my own colleagues, because we are a team on the day.

"It is important that we recognise one another as a team because we all have bits to give."

He admits he is not allowed to place bets.

"We all make informed decisions, and there's a lot of nonsense talked about it over sins and all that," he added.

Champion jockey Oisin Murphy described Lind as "extraordinary".

"Not only is he a great person and obviously a holy man, he puts in a bit of time into being the clerk of the scales," he said.

"He's in charge of weighing the jockeys out and ensuring we're all in a good state of mind and healthy."

He said Lind worked "very hard" and was a "real friend of everyone in racing".

"We have a lot of time for Jeremy, and personally, he's been fantastic to me," he added.

According to the Jockey Club, each horse in a race has to carry a certain amount of weight, so jockeys and kit are weighed before and after a race to ensure each carries the same.

Katie Margarson, assistant to the clerk of the course at Newmarket, has known Lind for years and says everyone at the racecourse relies on him for support.

"He's certainly somebody you lean into, and I'm not surprised he's ended up doing the role he's doing as his second job because he's somebody you often gravitate toward to talk to whenever you've got problems.

"The jockeys really need that in that weighing room, somebody to talk to, and he's just fantastic."

When a local jockey died last year, Margarson explained Lind had led the service for them, which was a "very hard" day for all.

But she said having him lead, as someone who understood the sport and people involved, was "amazing".

Janet Ramsay-Helie, one of the church wardens at St Mary's, said Lind was "very important" to the community.

"He's very much a people person as well, very compassionate and feels for people's problems," she said.

"Being a small congregation, we couldn't have got a full-time priest because we can't pay a full quota now, and a lot of people wouldn't want a part-time job with it."

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