PAUL Jones is certainly no stranger to East Lancashire – he has headlined Burnley Blues Festival and is a regular act at the Great British Rhythmn and Blues gathering, just down the road in Colne.

But the original lead singer of legendary Sixties blues-men Manfred Mann will be arriving in Briercliffe next month for an entirely different gig.

The 72-year-old will share his experiences with the congregation at Hill Lane Baptist Church on how he went from becoming a ‘militant atheist’ to devout Christian, with his wife Fiona Hendley on Monday October 6.

Church secretary Iain MacIver said: “They are coming to sing a few songs and tell us how they found their faith in God and the way He changed their lives.”

Jones, who is now the driving force behind The Blues Band, found his faith after being invited to an evangelical gathering by Sir Cliff Richard in the 80s.

He appeared on the BBC’s Songs of Praise last Decem-ber and chatted with host Aled Jones about what his faith means to him.

His wife Fiona was a TV and stage actress, app-earing in Widows on ITV and performing in roles in Guys and Dolls and Jesus Christ Superstar, who became a committed Chri-stian speaker.

Mr MacIver said admission will be free and there will be retiring offering and he is urging those inter-ested in the night to arrive early.

The church’s doors will be open at 6.30pm for a 7.30pm start and there will be refresh-ments available.

For more details, contact the church on 01282 623805.