A RETIRED Bolton vicar was killed when his car collided with a lorry during a trip to Wales.

The Rev Clifford Fane, who spent nine years as vicar of St John the Evangelist in Breightmet, was visiting his twin brother Bernard in Powys when his Ford Fiesta crashed into an oncoming articulated lorry on the A483 at Builth Wells.

Firefighters were called to release 70-year-old Mr Fane from the wreckage, but he was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. No one else was injured.

The accident took place last Tuesday. Mr Fane had been due to return home to his wife Christine in Little Lever the following day.

London born Mr Fane, who has three grown up sons and two grandchildren, first came to Bolton from Kings Lynn in Norfolk in 1981 when he became vicar of St John’s in Breightmet.

Mrs Fane said: “He was attracted to it because it has a community centre as well as a church.”

The family remained at St Johns until 1990 when ill health forced Mr Fane to retire and the couple moved to a new home in Little Lever.

After leaving school Mr Fane became a photographer at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, and although photography remained a lifelong passion he gave it up to spend five years training for ordination.

He moved to his first parish in Heston, Middlesex with his wife and then served in parishes in Bristol and Norfolk before moving to Bolton.

In retirement Mr and Mrs Fane enjoyed spending time in the Lake District and with their sons Simon, David and Andrew and were looking forward to the birth of their third grandchild at the end of next month.

Mr Fane also became a volunteer for the Neighbour Dispute Service, helping families resolve problems with their neighbours, and the couple were also involved with activities at their local church, St Matthew’s in Little Lever.

Mr Fane was a keen amateur photographer who had some of his pictures published in a Devon guide book.

His funeral will be held on Friday at St Matthew’s Church at 1.45pm when the service will be followed by committal at Radcliffe Crematorium.

The family, determined that the occasion should be a celebration of his life, are requesting that the congregation should not wear mourning clothes.

Son Andrew said: ”He was genuinely positive all the time and was always smiling.”

jrowe@theboltonnews.co.uk