It's not typical of the inquiries that a man of the cloth has to deal with.

But the Bishop of Bradford, the Right Reverend David James, is getting accustomed to answering calls requesting a couple of boxes of sherbet lemons.

Indeed, sweetshop retailers from across Yorkshire quite frequently find themselves having a one-to-one with the Bishop - after phoning directory inquiries and asking for "Bishops of Bradford".

The Bishop they are intending to get through to is Richard Bishop, managing director of the Bradford-based wholesalers of confectionery, Bishops. A family firm for 79 years, it supplies a huge range of chocolate, sweets and other goodies to stores within a 40-mile radius of the city.

So, in order to apologise for all the calls which are mistakenly put through to Bishop David's office, Mr Bishop thought he would invite him to see the Rooley Lane-based company for himself.

"I often answer the phone and find the person on the other end of the line asking whether he can have three boxes of Mars Bars," explained Bishop David.

"At first it came as a bit of a surprise, and there is also sometimes a bit of annoyance on the other end of the line that I can't be more helpful.

"I just tend to tell them that we deal with more heavenly foods.

"I thought this was a good chance to come and see the company that I am being mistaken for."

Mr Bishop said he was delighted to welcome Bishop David to the company and give him a tour of the premises. He also presented a box of sweets for the Bishop to take to children at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

"We're a long-standing Bradford firm and we are very grateful to the Bishop for occasionally taking our calls," said Mr Bishop, who is the grandson of the company's founder, Frederick William.

"I have to say that we don't tend to get calls for him, so we haven't managed to save any souls in return."

The company was set up by Frederick William, a sales rep for Rowntrees, and his wife Ethel in 1926. It started out in Joseph Street, later moving to Leeds Road and, in 1972, to its current premises in Dudley Hill.

As well as stocking all the well-known names in confectionery, Bishops also owns the Bottomley's Sweets brand, formerly based in Keighley, and a famous name in traditional sweets. In total, the firm stocks about 3,500 different products and employs 25 staff.