EYEBROWS were raised when The Reverend Paul Sweeting told his congregation at St Gabriel's Church in Blackburn he was leaving to take up a post 8,000 miles away in the Falkland Islands.

And the now the man he is replacing is taking up a new post just down the road from St Gabriel's -- in Leyland.

The Rev Alistair McHaffie, 45, has spent the last five years in the one of the world's largest parishes as Rector of the British-controlled islands.

But now he is moving to be the next vicar of St John's Church, Leyland.

Mr McHaffie said: "Life in the Falklands has been a wonderful experience and has given us some unique opportunities that we could never have known had we stayed in the UK.

"The wildlife is remarkable -- the nearest penguin colony being only about 15 minutes drive away.

"My parish is probably one of the largest, geographically, in the world. It includes the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory."