Bishop goes green

2:38pm Monday 16th July 2007

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THE BISHOP of Manchester is going green after taking delivery of a new hybrid car to travel around the diocese.

Bishop Nigel McCulloch is believed to be the first high ranking cleric to opt for a more environmentally friendly vehicle, trading in his older hatchback for a Toyota Prius, which uses electricity as well as petrol to power it.

The bishop, who gave up a chauffeur driven vehicle over 20 years ago in favour of driving himself to appointments and events, is currently in the middle of a three year pilgrimage, aiming to visit every parish in the diocese of Manchester. He drives hundreds of miles every year on the mission.

"Buying a hybrid car made sense, not only is it very economical but emissions are greatly reduced leading to less pollution," said Bishop Nigel.

"These are important issues for any city, I hope others will consider 'going hybrid' when choosing a car for business travel or even the school run."

But the bishop admits driving his Prius, a favourite with Hollywood celebrities such as George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio, is taking some getting used to.

" At traffic lights your engine is switched off by the onboard computer. As you pull away there is still no engine noise as the batteries kick in," he said.