It will be a case of "like father, like son" when the Rev Jimmy Hinton takes over his new church tomorrow.

He has been appointed to the helm at St Stephen's in West Bowling, Bradford - the very same church where his late father David Hinton was curate in the 1960s.

Although he was only young, the Rev Hinton has fond memories of living in the parish - despite once getting caned at school for talking about the bible.

The 41-year-old said: "I began my schooling at St Stephen's School and I remember playing marbles in the playground, and, I'm afraid, being caned by the headmaster. I was talking during assembly telling my neighbour what the bible reading was about. So it will be great to be able to go back to tell bible stories without being caned!"

He said he felt there was a family bond and an extra sense of identity with the area. His father, who went on to be vicar at Denholme and Morton, died five years ago.

The Rev Hinton, a father-of-three and formerly at St Margaret's, Thornbury, added: "It would have been nice for my father to see me installed as priest where he used to work. I do have a strong sense of identity here. I was here from when I was three to seven. The house we used to live in is still there."

He will be formally licensed as priest-in-charge of St Stephen's and assistant minister of St Oswald's and All Saints tomorrow.

A former maths teacher, he taught at Thornton Upper School and St Bede's in Heaton before going overseas to teach in Africa then trained for the ministry.

And he hopes maths may play a role in his new posting.

He is amused that he lives on Newton Street, after scientist Sir Isaac Newton, and there is an apple tree in the garden, symbolic of his discovery of gravity.

"I miss maths desperately and am looking at how I can incorporate them in my work," he said. "It may be I can help people who struggled with maths at school."

His wife, Sarah, is currently a health visitor in Manningham, and they have three children - Joel, twelve, Jack, ten, and Rebekah, who is seven.

His aim is to get out into the multi-cultural community, just as his father did during his curate training more than 30 years ago.