It’s been a month since Rev Jacqueline Drake-Smith gave her final service to more than 270 friends, family members and worshippers at St Peter’s Wrecclesham.

But although she’s leaving Farnham to begin her retirement on the Dorset coast, she’ll never stop singing the praises of her Surrey congregation.

She said: “That final service at St Peter’s on August 10 was probably the second-best service of my time there – the first was my induction in the parish seven years ago.

“There were 270 people there and I knew them all, so you can imagine the loving energy in that place.

“When I was writing the service I found that it was turning into a joyous liturgy rather than a lament that I was leaving. It was a celebration of the joy of those years.”

Jacqueline was given a send-off worthy of any saint. Senior figures from the church, village and town gave speeches during the special leaving service, while she was also presented with flowers, a stunning glass bowl and a painting of the church.

She is especially grateful for the sense of togetherness in Wrecclesham that was evident in her send-off.

She said: “St Peter’s is a community of communities, standing in the centre of the village and extending love, welcome and hospitality in Christ’s name.

“I see it as a church without walls – anyone can receive that hospitality and it is a safe space for all.”

“Everyone was there from the Mayor of Farnham to pupils from St Peter’s School.

“There were people from my family, from my recovery journey, from all the different groups in the village. You could feel the love and vibrancy of the whole parish that day.

“I will miss everyone but, as I laid down my keys, I felt that I had done my job there. What we achieved together in those seven-and-a-half years was built on the work of the previous incumbent, Anne Gell, who did the reordering of the church. The person who comes next will build on my time here. We pass on the baton.”

St Peter’s will be without a vicar for at least a few months as the church is ‘in vacancy’, the term for the period between vicars. However, Jacqueline said she had every confidence in the future of the church.

“The opportunity was right for me and it is time for a new season for me,” she said, adding: “I have retired from being a vicar, but I will always be a priest and I will wait to see what is next.”

“I will miss the fellowship and the friendship and the way we have been together, walking the road in those years, with a lot of joy even the difficult times because Jesus has been at the centre of it all.

“I will always carry Wrecclesham in my heart and I want to say thank you to everyone, to the people of St Peter’s Church and the people of Farnham. It has been a privilege and joy to serve them.”