WHEN the Reverend Paul Smith was a vicar in the Portsmouth area, local yobs tried to set fire to his vicarage.

But he got a much friendlier reception from churchgoers in Abingdon after he was appointed team vicar at St Michael’s and St Nicolas’ churches in the town.

Wantage-born Mr Smith, 44, has been appointed after the Rev Dr Peter Doll left to become canon librarian of Norwich Cathedral.

Mr Smith was ordained in the Oxford Diocese in 2000 and served as curate in Buckinghamshire.

But he said it was his appointment as vicar of St Alban’s in West Leigh, Havant, in the Portsmouth Diocese, that presented challenges.

Mr Smith said: “I worked on a large housing estate where there was a lot of social deprivation. It was quite an isolating experience and my vicarage was almost under attack on a weekly basis from vandalism and arson – it was quite cutting edge.”

Mr Smith, who uses a wheelchair after cerebral palsy affected his mobility, said: “I’m really looking forward to my new role.

“I was something of a one-man band there and now I will have quite a few colleagues to work with across Abingdon.

“I would particularly like to help the congregation of St Nicolas give the church a greater presence in the market place.

“It would be nice if people could drop in to the church at certain times of day to find some peace and quiet.

“Although my work will be focused on the two churches I will try to work across the team ministry in this vibrant town.”

Mr Smith will work with Charles Miller, the team rector, and members of the Abingdon ministry, which covers all the town’s Church of England congregations.

Before he became a curate, Rev Smith worked for the Baptist Missionary Society in Didcot between 1989 and 1998. He grew up in the Wantage area before attending school in Hampshire.

A ceremony to welcome him was conducted by honorary assistant Bishop Henry Scriven.