A CHURCH leader who has served his community for 50 years and raised over five figures in essential funding is set to officially retire.

Fr Peter Needham’s experiences come across of that as a man who has lived many lives.

Having celebrated his 70th birthday last Thursday,he is set to officially retire at St Helen’s Church, Athersley on April 30 - and he has now reflected on his life and career in the church and beyond.

Called to be a Franciscan Friar aged just 14, Fr Needham finished school and went to art college before following his religious mission.

He then joined the Franciscans in 1976, devoting 25 years before serving as a chaplain in the Royal Navy during the first Gulf War.

While his connection to St Helen’s Church goes all the way back to the 1990s when he viewed the church with the possibility of a parish mission - he wouldn’t start serving as a vicar until May 2019.

However, in the time leading up to his time at St Helen’s Fr Needham enjoyed an exciting and varied career.

His career pathway includes serving as an assistant priest in Ealing, London, seven years as Barnsley Hospital’s chaplain and ten years as a parish priest in Grimethorpe.

Fr Needham admitted that fundraising goes hand-in-hand with his role in the church, with most parishes being self-funded, something the church leader relayed that ‘most people don’t realise’.

Receiving no help from the Church of England, most parishes are forced to raise key funds themselves.

During his time serving the church in Grimethorpe and Athersley, Fr Needham estimates he has helped to raise over £100,000.

This includes a daring sponsored barefoot walk from Grimethorpe to York, which raised around £30,000.

On his return, Fr Needham carried a cross from York to Grimethorpe, albeit with shoes, raising funds in the number of another £30,000.

During his time at St Helen’s Church, Fr Needham and his congregation were devastated to learn that the church had concrete cancer, requiring £50,000 to repair.

Doing his part to help out, Fr Needham held a sponsored karate session and eventually helped to raise a crucifix in the churchyard, acting as a war memorial.

Fr Needham said: “St Helen’s has been very inventive when it comes to fundraising efforts.

“The role of the church is to encourage someone that they are valued, instead of focusing on material things.

“Because of the luxury of freedom we have here it can be easy to become apathetic about faith because we’re free.

“Money concerns are ongoing, so I encourage people to use their church and be their church.

“When leaving the church, I will not be allowed to function for the next six months but I can still attend church.

“After my retirement I will be finding a church to attend and will keep my faith alive and say my prayers.

“I hope to pick up some hobbies I haven’t done in donkey’s years like calligraphy, singing and playing the cornet.

“Retirement is bittersweet.

“In my role I’ve had the honour of being involved in people’s happiest moments, like baptisms and marriage.

“Alongside this, there is the difficult part of being at people’s bedside and childhood funerals.

“As a prison chaplain in the Gulf War, I spoke to men who had their finger on buttons that could end continents.

“I’ve learnt that in the end all I can do is be beside people and be there for them.”