A FORMER Archbishop of Canterbury will visit Okehampton on the weekend of March 10 and 11.

Lord George Carey, who was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002, will be at a reception in the White Hart Hotel from 8pm on Saturday March 10, and will preach at the 11am service at All Saints Church the following day.

He will be accompanied on his visit by his wife, Lady Eileen Carey.

The Rector of Okehampton, the Rev Stephen Cook, has a long standing relationship with Lord and Lady Carey: 'George and Eileen are old friends of ours. He was my principal when I was at theological college and we have remained in touch ever since.

'It has been a strange experience to see someone I know well promoted onto the world stage, but fame hasn't changed him and he is still the down to earth person he always was.

'I have been asking if he fancied a weekend in Devon for some time and I am very glad he has accepted. It will be a privilege to welcome such a renowned international figure to our town.'

Lord Carey was born in 1935 in London's East End. Leaving school at 15, he began working at the London Electricity Board as an office boy, and served with the RAF in Iraq during the 1950s.

By the age of 20, he had decided he wanted to be ordained as a minister in the Church of England. After graduating from London College of Divinity and King's College London, he served as a curate in Islington.

During this time he went on to research the early origins of Christian ministry and earned both M.Th and Ph. degrees.

He then taught at two colleges before becoming a parish priest at St Nicholas' Durham. In 1982 he became principal of Trinity Theological College in Bristol and, in 1987, Bishop of Bath and Wells.

In 1991 he was invited to take up the post of 103rd Archbishop of Canterbury and served 70 million Anglicans around the world until his retirement in 2002.

He was the first modern holder of the office not to have attended Oxford or Cambridge University, and during his time as archbishop the Church of England ordained its first women priests.

He has been in the news several times recently, speaking in support of the Government's welfare reforms and against the ban on prayers at Bideford Town Council meetings.

Everyone is welcome to both the reception at the White Hart and to the service at All Saints to meet Lord and Lady Carey.