HE'S been a clergyman, had his own radio show, been a news reporter and a PR guru--but now Dick Hatch is retiring.

Dick, who celebrates his 65th birthday on Monday, this week retires from his position as assistant public relations officer at Wigan Council.

And he says he has very much enjoyed his council role.

He told the Journal: "I believe in what I have been doing here. Local authorities have a very important role in improving the lives of everybody in the borough."

But he is sad to be going: "I will lose and miss literally hundreds of friends who work in and around the authority, generally in Wigan and Leigh."

Before joining the council's PR department nine years ago, Dick had two varied careers, one being in the Church of England clergy and the other in broadcasting.

Dick started out as a curate, and was based at Leigh Parish Church. After four years he moved to a parish in Eccles and it was while he was there in the 1970s that he first hit the airwaves.

He said: "BBC Radio Manchester was one of the local radio stations and they wanted to have a religion department but did not have any staff involved in religion, so they asked the Bishop of Manchester to find somebody to be a Church of England advisor.

"I was known to be interested in music and acting and I was a member of the diocesan drama group, so the Bishop of Manchester asked me."

It was not long before Dick was asked to start making religious programmes and he had his own programme 'Ever Singing,' which ran for 12 years, in which people chose hymns to be played on air.

He then moved on to doing religious news which led to him reporting general news.

But after 16 years of being a clergyman Dick felt he could not continue to juggle both his radio and pastoral commitments, so he decided to leave his position in the church.

In 1983 Dick was asked by radio bosses to open an office in Wigan for them - for Radio Wigan - where he stayed for more than six years.

Nine years ago Dick moved to his present job as assistant PR officer.

Regarding his retirement, Dick plans to keep busy: "I am very interested in music and gardening.

"I have also put my name down for a retired journalists' network who volunteer to help publicise charities."

Dick and his wife, Gillian, also intend to visit relatives who live abroad. The couple have three daughters who are all now married - Elizabeth, Veronica and Juliet and they have six grandchildren.