Methodist minister Terence Isherwood is leaving his church for pastures new next August.

Rev Isherwood has been minister for Malvern's Lansdowne Crescent and Somers Park Avenue Methodist Church since September 1994. He is moving to take up an appointment at Pontyprydd in the Rhondda Valley.

The Rev Catherine Campbell Hyde has been appointed as the new Superintendent Minister of the Malvern and Ledbury Circuit and will be moving to Malvern in August.

The mid-Glamorgan mission will be Rev Isherwood's fourth and last appointment.

"We've had seven years here in Malvern and in the Methodist Ministry we have a system where we move on," he said.

"Seven years is the average and moving on just goes with the job. We came here from the Isle of Man and before that we were in Somerset.

"We've enjoyed our time here and we'll miss the people and the area.

"My circuit has been in Malvern and Ledbury and we've drawn closer together over the last few years. I was chairman of Churches Together in Malvern for two years and one of the big things during that time was Pentecost 2000 at the Three Counties Showground, which went very well."

Rev Isherwood said his wife, Jean, a nurse at Malvern Community Hospital, would also miss the area and her work.