LEIGH Vicar Canon Jack Finney bids farewell to his parish on Sunday for the second time (writes BRIAN GOMM).

But this time Canon Jack won't be returning since on the last day of the month he turns 70 - the Church's retirement milestone.

And the man who didn't go to church until he was in his late 20s says of his half-a-lifetime's Leigh connection:"I've loved it, when I look round the congregation I see our family."

The popular parson's Leigh parish connection goes back 35 years when, fresh from training at Oxford's Ripon Hall he returned to his native north-west.

As an ex-RAF equipment assistant he got a grant to study at Sheffield University and four years later tucked his BA Dip Ed. degree and diploma under his arm and began teaching.

Three years later he began to wonder about life again and at the age of 28 the man from a non-practising C of E family started to go to church.

He recalled:"I began to ask 'was there anything in it?' Then I saw an ad in the Times Educational Supplement.

"It read something like 'If you have any religion, or none at all, think about it, come to us for a year'. I hoped I had a vocation."

Bags packed he took up the intriguing challenge training at Ripon Hall Theological College, Oxford in 1960. Ordained in 1962 his first clerical appointment came that year as Curate at Leigh. He arrived in town with another fresh-faced curate - Dick Hatch (now a Wigan Metro PRO).

Jack was at Leigh when he and his Canon Salde teacher wife, Barbara, married. They met on a blind date in Birmingham and the next time he saw her she accepted his marriage proposal. They were wed in the Midlands in 1964.

In 1965 the Finneys said their first goodbye to Leigh when he became Vicar at St Paul Peel, Little Hulton. He had his hands full there on the occasion when he had to baptise 20-plus babies at one session - including one of his own!

In 1969 the Finneys travelled south when Jack became Chaplain at Hockerhill College in Hertfordshire. Five years later it was back on home ground again as Vicar at Astley St Stephen's. After a further nine years came the move to Leigh.

Mr Finney said:"I have particularly enjoyed the roles of hospital chaplain first at Astley then at Leigh Infirmary, and my time as Police chaplain.

"I had the good fortune to be chair of the board of two very good schools with excellent staff and good results at Leigh CE Infants and Leigh CE Juniors.

"But I couldn't have done these things without Barbara.

"I have enjoyed working in the community and working with the CAB- a much under funded organisation."

He has no regrets about his enforced retirement.

He said: "Without curates, a man of my age can't do proper justice to the job - although the lay support has increased almost immeasurably to help me to do so.

"I can't thank everyone individually, but Canon Alan Gawith and his wife have been tremendously supportive in every aspect of my life."

Father-of-two Canon Finney and his wife are retiring to Blackrod where the Manchester City fan and shareholder might get time to take in a game or two.

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