A CHURCHMAN who stood up to the BNP -- and won -- today heralded the victory as his greatest achievement as he prepared for a new challenge.

The Rev Richard Atkinson, who has been a Methodist minister for six years at both Trinity Church in Clitheroe and Paythorne Methodist Church, is to leave in July to become a school chaplain in Bradford.

Mr Atkinson stepped into the political arena to campaign against the BNP as they were attempting to get five councillors elected to Ribble Valley Borough Council in May last year.

The vicar wrote articles against the right-wing party's policies in the church's monthly magazine the 'Trinity Bugle' and encouraged people to vote. He said his stance led to him receiving hate mail and abusive phone calls.

But Mr Atkinson said his stand paid off when a high voter turnout of 50 per cent returned no BNP candidates as councillors.

The 39-year-old said it would go down as his greatest achievement in his time at Clitheroe.

He said: "It started when I got a leaflet from the BNP in which there were stories that I thought were basically untrue.

"That catapulted me into the situation. I just couldn't sit by and allow discrimination to be represented as accurate.

"I am not a political person with a big 'P' but racism, whichever way it is disguised, is wrong.

"It was my time to stand up and be counted.

"I received hate mail and abusive phone calls. One letter said they had been going to St James Church for years but won't be going again.

"Half the job, I think, was to encourage people to vote. I like to think we made a difference, I like to think we made people think.

"It showed that people of faith can speak and make a difference."

Mr Atkinson also carried out a symbolic exchange of the Bible and the Koran in a bridge-building exercise between Christian and Islamic communities during the Iraq war in March last year.

On top of his political activities Mr Atkinson also performed the everyday tasks of a minister for the Ribble Valley, such as weddings, baptisms and funeral services.

In his spare time the minister also trod the boards for the Trinity Church annual panto and enjoyed the Ribble Valley countryside.

Mr Atkinson and his family, Louise, a teacher in Blackburn, and children Ben, nine, and Frances, six, are looking forward to the new challenge at Woodhouse Grove School, which has more than 1,000 boy and girl pupils.

Mr Atkinson said: "Clitheroe has been very interesting and we will look back on it with great fondness. The people are kind and friendly and there are some real characters."

Sheraz Arshad, group secretary of the Medina Islamic Education Centre, in Clitheroe, said: "Richard has not been afraid of putting the message about that it's OK to welcome other faiths.

"With the BNP, Richard took a very brave decision to speak out against racism and hate in general.

"I think he has been an asset to community cohesion in the town and the Ribble Valley, and he will be missed."