ATHERTON born "Vicar of Dibley", the Rev Brenda Catherall, has scored an ecclesiastical double for women.
On Saturday the former Leigh Journal reporter will be inducted as the first female minister in charge at Bank Street Unitarian Chapel, Bolton, in over 300 years.
It was a similar story when she took up her first position at Monton, Eccles, 13 years ago.
Brenda, trained for the ministry after working as a reporter on the Bolton and Leigh Journals in the 1970s and 80s,
She moved to Bolton in December and is looking forward to working with the new congregation.
She has already set up a walkers' group and keen to shed her Dibley tag she is doing a sponsored slim, with the hope of losing two stones, for chapel funds.
Brenda, whose 20-years-old daughter Sophie is studying music and biology at Liverpool's Hope University, said: "The Unitarian cause in Bolton was founded in 1672 and the present chapel in the town dates back to 1856. It is quite an honour to have been the first full time woman minister at Bank Street and at Monton too. But it is not unusual as the Unitarians were the first non-conformist denomination to appoint women ministers 100 years ago."
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