A vicar is swapping the lofty spires of Cambridge for the moors and mill chimneys of Bradford.

The Reverend Nick Jones, 44, is looking forward to a very different life as the new vicar of St John's in Great Horton.

The father-of-four, pictured, has a parish of 3,000 as vicar of Harston with Hauxton and Newton, three villages on the outskirts of Cambridge, which is flat, rural and predominantly white.

His new parish has 12,000 parishioners, a large Asian Muslim population and an urban hilly setting.

He said: "I'm thrilled to be coming to St John's where I'm particularly attracted to its commitment to mission and community ministry.

"I will be leaving the countryside for the city, but there is lovely countryside near Bradford and also, ethnically it is very different."

Mr Jones read Classics and Theology at St John's College, Cambridge, then trained at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. He began his career as a curate at the Holy Trinity, Cambridge, under Dr Christopher Hancock, who is now the Dean of Bradford Cathedral, so he is pleased to be returning to work with his former boss.

For five years in the 1980s he taught at the Theological College of Northern Nigeria and can speak fluent Hausa. Last autumn he returned to Nigeria to study Christian-Muslim relations.

"I'm particularly pleased that the Great Horton parish includes a significant Muslim community and the opportunities for friendship and dialogue that presents," he said. "I have a certain knowledge of West African Islam but being alongside Asian Muslims will be a learning experience."

In his spare time he "sorts out the garden", enjoys cricket and football and is a theatre and cinema fan.

Although he is a Nottingham Forest supporter, he plans to buy a Bradford City season ticket and has been following the team's fortunes since he heard of his impending move at Christmas. His wife Janice, an occupational therapist, has even knitted him a claret and amber scarf.