‘It is an amazing privilege as you get to speak to people at the most personal moments of their lives’

‘A great privilege’ is how a leading clergyman has described a career which has spanned four decades - and has made a difference to countless people. The Rev John Bennett has been a pillar of strength in Spalding for 14 years and fought for good causes across the town but now his is preparing to leave St Mary and St Nicolas Church to embark on his next chapter - a well-earned retirement. John will be saying a fond farewell to congregation and the friends he has made across the town during a final service on June 30, when he and wife Mary will walk out of the church together for the final time and move to Bridlington.

Over the years, John has highlighted social issues in the town, such as the much ignored traffic regulation order in Spalding town centre, along with reassuring the public in the wake of a number of tragic incidents in the town. He said: “It is an amazing privilege as you get to speak to people at the most personal moments of their lives - particularly with funerals and sitting with the family to talk about the person. “I have got such an insight into the way people have lived their lives.

I have learned more about Spalding by talking with families at funerals. If you were married in the 1960s there is every chance you met your partner at the Corn Exchange dances. “It is the same with weddings.

Sitting with a couple, we only spend an evening together, asking them questions about their relationships. It is amazing that by building trust with people and t.