WHEN a teenage Peter Burch was asked if he had thought about being ordained he told his vicar "no thanks, I'm going to be a Chartered Accountant".

But the lure of the ministry was too strong for the newly-qualified financial expert and almost 40 years on, the parish of Broadway has been marking its vicar's retirement.

Services held last Sunday at Wickhamford and St Michael and All Saints were followed by a farewell gathering for the 66-year-old at Broadway's Lifford Hall.

A love of the area means the vicar is not moving far. He and wife Penny, a chiropodist, are moving down the road to Willersey, where Mr Burch hopes to carry on helping with parish work and to indulge his love for his football team, Crystal Palace.

It could have been very different if he had followed his original career path.

Concerned

"I did my accountancy articles and am very glad I did," said the father-of-two. "But I was very concerned about the importance of spiritual life and the Christian faith in a very real way for everybody."

The Londoner trained in Oxford where met his future wife, popping the question after a six-week courtship.

His first post was in Brixton, and after a spell in Sierra Leone as both an accountant and chaplain for the Church Mission Society, Mr Burch spent 22 years in southern parishes including Chichester and Tunbridge Wells.

Eight-years-ago the Burches escaped the "claustrophobic" south-east to take up the ministry in Broadway.

"It's great, we've enjoyed it terrifically," said Mr Burch, who has recovered well from a triple heart bypass two years ago. "I could have retired 18-months-ago but I'm glad I carried on.

"There's on-going work which I've enjoyed doing."

The west end of St Michael's is being developed, with contracts for the work due to be placed next month.

During his tenure in Worcestershire there have been a series of improvements at all three of Mr Burch's churches - St Michael's and St Eadburgha's in Broadway, and St John the Baptist at Wickhamford.

These include a colourful millennium banner, increasing links with overseas churches, new hymn books, redecoration, and the development of Wickhamford's popular flower festival.