A SPECIAL service is being held to mark the retirement of the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev Richard Harries.

His farewell forms part of a service of Holy Communion which will be held at Christ Church at 11am on Tuesday.

The service is an annual event, which takes place on Tuesday in Holy Week.

This year, the Bishop will preach and the service will end with a farewell presentation.

The Rev Canon Vincent Strudwick, former director of ministry in the diocese, Penny Keens, the Lay Chair of the Oxford Diocesan Synod and Hugo Brunner, the Lord Lieutenant of Oxford, will express their appreciation on behalf of the clergy, the laity and the wider community.

The Bishop of Dorchester, the Rt Rev Colin Fletcher, will then make a presentation to Bishop Richard, before inviting him to unveil a specially commissioned portrait by the artist Charlotte Harris.

Bishop Richard said: "It has been a huge privilege to serve as Bishop for so long."

Churchgoers in Oxfordshire have been asked to help choose who should be the next Bishop of Oxford.

The Rt Rev Richard Harries retires on June 2, his 70th birthday, and the selection process is now under way to appoint his successor.