THE work of a priest who also holds down a full-time job at QinetiQ will be recognised when he is made a canon at Worcester Cathedral.

The Rev. Eric Knowles, of Little Malvern Priory, will be the first voluntary priest in Worcestershire to be given the honour.

He has worked at Little Malvern since 1990, holding down his day job as well as attending to his parishioners' needs.

Although Mr Knowles' faith is always with him, he said his secret was keeping his jobs as project manager and priest separate.

"But sometimes things can be a bit unusual," he said. "In the morning I can be forecasting costs within the company, at lunchtime carrying out a last service for a bereaved family and go back in the afternoon to chair a meeting."

Mr Knowles' work as a priest sometimes means being called out at unusual hours, but he always has to be at his day job at 8.30am.

He remembers coming back from holiday looking forward to sleeping in his own bed, only to be woken at 2am to administer last communion to a dying man. Unable to start his car, he had to bike to the man's house.

"I thought I'd look very interesting if the police came along with my silver communion set on my handlebars and no lights," he said.

Ordained deacon in 1983, Mr Knowles trained at Great Malvern Priory, moving to Holy Trinity and St James's, Welland, when he was made priest in 1983.

He moved to Little Malvern Priory in 1990, becoming priest-in-charge in 2000.

After the service on Saturday (December 10), he will be known as Rev Canon Eric Knowles, an honorary title, as all his work for the church is unpaid.