IT'S a long way from Kimberley to Kidderminster, but bridging huge gaps is all in a day's work for Wyre Forest's very own bagpipe-playing church minister.

The Rev Gerald England was born in the famous diamond province in the heart of South Africa in 1961 at the height of the apartheid years - and now opens the doors of Baxter United Reformed Church to the people of Kidderminster.

It has been a long and rocky road for Gerald, who draws inspiration from the work of CS Lewis and welcomed in the new millennium with his bagpipes.

"When I was born, segregation was a fact of life. South Africa is now having a hard time redressing the balance - there are still terrible problems with unemployment, homelessness and poverty," he said.

Gerald intended to be a teacher until he felt a "strong calling" from the church when he was about 17. He cites Kimberley minister Denis Van Der Spuy as a profound influence on his decision. After that, his time at university in Rhodes led him to discover the different political pressure groups and he realised there was a different side to life.

"I met my wife, Lynn, in my final year at university. I did a two-year internship at a church in Johannesburg after being ordained in 1984. Two years compulsory military service provided me with some challenging ethical issues, but I had to be strong as there were 17 and 18-year-olds in the same situation as me who needed guidance."

Gerald's belief that "a ministry needs to be lengthy to be effective" was encapsulated in his subsequent 11-year spell as a minister at the Congregational Church of South Africa in Cape Town.

It was during this period he first began to get itchy feet and the desire for a new challenge set in. In 1996 he took a six-week sabbatical at a congregational church in Scotland, an experience he described as "formative, very positive".

This was the start of a process which led to his current position in Kidderminster. He also holds a position at Bromsgrove United Reformed Church.

Gerald says it has taken two years for himself, his wife and their two children - Garren, 12 and eight-year-old Bethan, - to adjust to life in Wyre Forest.

"I very much like it here, but we're still scratching the surface in terms of getting used to the lifestyle. My son misses the South African cuisine quite a bit," he added.

"I'm fairly proficient on the bagpipes, and I'm very keen on rugby and cricket. It's great for me when South Africa beat England at these sports - which happens quite a lot!