THE Rev Dr Jim Garrard will be officially welcomed as priest-in-charge of Balderstone and as warden of readers for the Blackburn Diocese at a service on Friday.

The licensing, at St Leonard's Church, Commons Lane, begins at 7.30pm and will be carried out by the Bishop of Blackburn, the Rt Rev Alan Chesters.

Rev Dr Garrard succeeds, in both roles, from the Rev David Ashworth, who retired recently.

His job as warden of readers involves providing pastoral care for lay people.