When and where the Bishop of Blackburn will call in on his 14-stop farewell tour of every Deanery in Lancashire including Blackpool, Preston and Chorley

The Rt Rev. Julian Henderson is making visits to every 'Deanery area' across the County – 14 of them – for a series of farewell prayer services which are open to everyone.

He will travel to all points on the compass from Pendle Deanery in the East to Blackpool Deanery in the West and from Tunstall Deanery in the north to Chorley Deanery in the south of the region.

There will also be a series of other ‘final events’ for the Bishop coming up, including a variety of meetings and services to attend.

These include the last ordination weekend in early July; two 'primary visitations' to swear in churchwardens across the county, a final week in the House of Lords as one of the ‘Lords Spiritual’ and a last Diocesan Synod meeting on the morning of July 16.

Later on the same day as the Synod meeting, July 16, Bishop Julian’s final farewell service will take place, from 2pm at Blackburn Cathedral.

There will also be a ‘tent week’ at Bishop's House near Ribchester next week at which the Bishop and his wife Heather will have chance to say a proper goodbye to many of the people they have known and worked with over the past nearly-decade in Lancashire.

Bishop Julian said: “In 2013, I began my time as Bishop with a short prayer visit to each Deanery. I will do the same as I approach my retirement.

“I also plan to affirm my message that we must take the Bible, as the revealed word of God, seriously; ‘useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness’.

"It will be a joy to be able to spend time in each Deanery one more time before I leave and I look forward to seeing as many people as I can from our parishes and the many local communities across Lancashire at each of the services.

"As I travel round this beautiful County which has been home to me and my wife Heather for nearly 10 years, I will be praying for the people who live here. Lancashire will always hold a special place in our hearts."

During his tenure as the ninth Bishop of Blackburn, Bishop Julian has overseen a huge transformative programme to reposition the work of the Diocese.

The full list of Deanery services; dates and churches where they will be held are as follows:

June 16:

10.30am: Service to be held in Slyne with Hest St Luke’s

12 noon: Service in St Thomas', Lancaster

July 5:

1pm: Service at Leyland St James'

3pm: Service in Chorley St Laurence

5.30pm: Service at Blackburn Cathedral

July 7:

10.30am: Service in Accrington St Andrew

12.30pm: Service St Cuthbert’s, Burnley

2.30pm: Service in St Anne’s, Fence

4pm: Service in West Pendleside

July 13:

9.30am: Service in St Stephen’s Church, Preston

11am: Service in Wesham Christ Church

12.30pm: Service in St Mark's Layton

2.30pm: Service at St John’s Little Thornton

4pm: Service in St Helen or St Michael’s on Wyre (TBC)

(Note: The final venue is TBC and will be posted to the Diocesan website www.blackburn.anglican.org alongside the others as soon as possible.