From Craig Austin Tilbury Forum

AFTER 30 years of service to the community of Tilbury, the Rev Tim Codling will soon be taking his last service at Tilbury's St John the Baptist CoE church.

Known across the interdenominational secular community as 'Father Tim', Rev Codling will be retiring shortly with his last service at St John's being Sunday, 4 October at 11am.

The vast majority of his time in Thurrock has seen Father Tim working across the local community, playing a key and supportive role in the lives of generations of Tilbury families.

He gained national media attention around 2011 for working with police and immigration officials to crack down on organised sham marriages targeting his parish.

Father Codling told BBC Panorama's My Big Fat Fake Wedding programme that the sham marriages were the work of crime gangs involved in prostitution, drugs, money laundering and people trafficking.

The popular priest has also been actively involved with local community support, including the Thurrock Foodbank.

Tributes to Father Tim will be manyfold, but among those ahead of October's service, local man Craig Austin summed up his impact and contribution to the town.

Mr Austin said: "As a community we need to give him the send off he rightly deserves by giving him the biggest Tilbury congregation he's ever had.

"Having served our community for nearly 30 years with countless weddings, blessings, baptisms, funerals & Sundays services he's seen us all on our very best days and also our very worst.

"He has been Tilbury's constant.

"I am not religious at all, something Father Tim is aware of, but recently when my Dad passed away he said something to me that I'll never forget nor repeat.

"I was in a tailspin for three weeks at that point, he knew that and spoke to me on a level that I didn't know existed.

"Despite knowing my views on religion his words immediately made me feel better & gave me the reset I needed. It got me thinking of how many people and families he has done that for over many many years.

"On Sunday, 4 October, I think we should take a moment to give thanks to someone who came into our community, embraced it as their own, and served it with compassion, dedication and distinction.

"Someone whose contribution has meant so much to so many, and who, right now, feels quite simply irreplaceable."