Eleven years after he moved from South Africa to settle in Bushey, a priest is moving on again leaving behind a community he says has supported him as much as he has supported it.

Tom Moore, assistant priest of the Holy Trinity, St Pauls and St James churches said more than a decade of service had created close ties and friendships between him and many of the villages’ inhabitants.

Although faced with dozens of difficulties and differences when he took up the parish post four months after coming to the country, he said he had quickly been able to take up a role as what he said was still an “essential part of the community”.

He said: “After 11 years you get to know many sections of the community and it has been a pleasure to get to know them.

“You get to know one section, then another and another and one of the fascinating things is when you suddenly start to see how the sections network and interact with each other.

“All the different layers of the community.”

During his time in the parish, Reverend Moore has celebrated this year’s 50th anniversary of the Holy Trinity Church, in Bushey Mill Lane, the centenary of St Pauls church, worked in the Purcell, Highwood and Longwood schools and with the Royal British Legion.

Although he admitted he had spent his whole life moving from one church to another he said: “This is the longest I’ve been in one job or stayed in one house in my whole life. Moving away will be a mixture of sadness, anticipation and excitement.”

He added: “Essentially I think I’ve done what I can here.

“The parish has to meet with a new challenge and stimulation and I myself need new challenges and stimulation.”

The 58-year-old, who is a keen photographer, stamp collector, runner and skier will be moving to Aldershot in Hampshire to become assistant priest there.

He said he hoped his replacement in Bushey would continue work building links between community groups and attract more young people to the church.

He said: “While I have been here there have been huge changes. The church can never be a static thing. It has to always be evolving. It should always be an anchor point but it should be flexible and not stuck in the mud.

“We are not really attracting young people and the congregation is aging.

“There is no doubt about that. We have to re-educate the existing people and get them to change how they work and hopefully attract others.”

Three years ago, his work spent developing these community links and helping local people was reflected back towards Reverend Moore as he became severely ill with pancriatis.

During his treatment and recovery, dozens of people from the village travelled down to see him in a London hospital, surprising him and many other patients.

He said: “I was overwhelmed by the phenomenal support I was getting. Every day two, three or four people came to visit me. It was remarkable and changed my whole life in North Bushey.”

A farewell service for Tom Moore will be held at St Pauls Church in Bushey Hall Road at 8pm on Wednesday.