Video: Fire-eating vicar father Edward Martin takes charge at church in Edenham near Bourne

Parishioners have welcomed a fire-eating vicar with a passion for bargain hunting to their church in Edenham.

Father Edward Martin isn't your average clergyman having made national headlines for his trailblazing baptisms and an appearance on Bargain Hunt.

His colourful character was a hit at his old parish in Grimsby and looks set to take the village by storm.

He said: “I’ve had a very warm welcome and everyone has been very encouraging. It’s busy but they're giving me time to find my feet.”

Religion wasn’t always part of Fr Martin's life but after moving to Girton as a child, there was little else to do but go to church. He went on to study politics before taking up theology and becoming ordained in 2003.

Fire-eating crept into the job after attending a circus skills workshop 15 years ago. He pulled it out of the bag when faced with the challenge of getting non church-goers to become more involved in baptism services.

He said: “I had to come up with something to get their attention and put across the themes of the service. Fire is a symbol of the Holy Spirit and incorporating the fire-eating worked.

“We’ll see whether I use it here. It’s got to be used for getting a message across rather than just for entertainment value.”

Having settled into his new home with wife Lesley, Fr Martin is looking forward to the variety of a rural ministry and setting up an intern scheme to attract young people to the church.

In his spare time he enjoys running and reading classic novels.