Musical reputation

British rector announces his move to Malta, from the Northampton Chronicle and Echo:

The rector of Northampton town centre's main church has announced plans to leave the country for a Mediterranean life. The Rev Simon Godfrey will move to a new parish in Malta later this year.

His move comes after being based at All Saints' Church in the centre of Northampton for almost two decades. The clergyman made the announcement in a newsletter handed out to churchgoers yesterday. A statement from the church explained that one of the keen musician's initial tasks, once he started work in Malta, would be to boost his new church's musical reputation..

His next post will be as Chancellor at St Paul's Anglican Pro-Cathedral in the Maltese capital, Valletta. He is due to take on the role in June this year at the church, which dates from 1839. The Maltese church was built thanks to a donation from the widow of British King William IV, Queen Adelaide.

After she visited Malta in 1838, she was dismayed to find out the island had no proper Anglican church. To solve the problem, she donated the modern equivalent of £20,000 towards creating the building. Despite Malta suffering heavy bombing during World War Two, the church escaped any serious damage.

It was later visited by the Queen, who was then Princess Elizabeth, when she went to see Prince Phillip while he was serving on Malta in 1949...