One of the country’s largest Methodist and United Reformed Churches is about to bid farewell to the minister who has served Ilkley for the past five years.

The Rev Chris Sharp retires from Christchurch, The Grove, as he and his wife, Marian, move to Knaresborough to be closer to some of their children and grandchildren.

Mr Sharp has been a minister for 29 years and has served Christchurch, which has more than 300 members, for five years. He has also held office in the West Yorkshire District of the Methodist Church, as deputy chairman, chairman of the Grants Committee and a member of the District Policy Committee and District Strategy Team.

Mrs Sharp, who is also a Methodist diaconal minister, has worked at Touchstone in Bradford, a Methodist organisation which reaches out to the different communities in Bradford.

Mr Sharp said: “Ilkley is a beautiful setting with a vibrant community life. I will miss it greatly. I don’t think I’ve ever been in an ecumenical setting as lively and as varied as Churches Together in Ilkley. There is a real sense of togetherness within the Christian community in Ilkley.”