Mr Watson was inducted into St Wilfrid's Church in Brayton by the Bishop of Selby the Rt Rev Martin Wallace and assisted by Archdeacon of York the Ven Richard Seed during a service on Tuesday evening.

More than 250 people attended from the local parish and from Boston Spa, where Mr Watson had been working as a curate for the past three-and-a-half years.

The 40-year-old has now moved to the parish with his wife Charlotte and three children. It's the first time he has been a vicar of a parish.

Speaking about the service, Mr Watson said: "It was a super evening. There was a lovely turnout locally and a great turnout from the parish where I was – it was a great gathering.

"I'm looking forward to getting stuck in and getting to know the people, and working and living alongside them, and we're looking forward to supporting our faith together."

Mr Watson was born in Bangladesh to Baptist missionary parents and went to school in India before becoming a teacher. He then trained for the ministry at Durham University.