THE Rev John Cree was literally sent off on his bike when parishioners bought him and his wife a cycle each as a leaving present.

The gifts were presented to Mr Cree and his wife Jenny after his goodbye service at Immanuel Church, Feniscowles, on Sunday.

Mr Cree said he intended to take advantage of the countryside around Chorley, where he will move on September 24 to take charge at St. Lawrence's.

Mr Cree was a Methodist missionary from the late 1960s in places like Sierra Leone and West Africa before going to Immanuel. He entered the Anglican ministry in 1983.

Immanuel had been without a vicar for over a year before his arrival in April, 1986.

One of his most public duties during his time was raising awareness of Blackburn student Paul Wells' plight.

Paul was a hostage of Kashmir militants in the mid 1990s and is still missing. His family were parishioners at the Immanuel Church and Mr Cree launched a series of initiatives to keep him fresh in people's minds.

He wrote a special prayer for him, and visited Jamaica on a bible teaching session, encouraging the locals to pray for Paul.

Now, after 15 years in Feniscowles, Mr Cree had mixed feelings about the move.

"My time here has been very happy," he said, " I'm sad to be leaving. We love the parish and the church. It's a wrench but I believe moving on is the call of God and therefore we don't always do what we want, but what God wants.

"It was a poignant service and we were lucky to have the Mayor of Blackburn present.

"I think it was my daughter's suggestion to the wardens that we be given bicycles. I believe she is trying to encourage me to get fit.

"They were a surprise. I think the idea is that we could ride around the countryside in Chorley."