A CHRISTIAN who left behind the world of industrial chemistry for pursuits in faith and charity died at the age of 89.

Charles Wickham-Jones, who lived with his family in Oxford, spent years working for Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) before growing disillusioned with the industry.

The Oxford University graduate changed course and went on to found an agency, Christian ReLay, which helped find work for churchgoers.

Mr Wickham-Jones was born in South Norwood, London, the son of fur trader Edward Wickham-Jones and his wife Rosa.

His mother passed away a week after he was born and he and his sister, Shirley, were raised by their father, who suffered with trauma following his experiences in the First World War.

Mr Wickham-Jones went to Cordwalles school, Camberley, at seven, followed by Sherborne school.

He then studied at Oxford University, where he graduated in chemistry before joining ICI as an industrial chemist.

It was while at work he met Prim, a former nurse. The pair would wed in 1954.

The couple enjoyed a time of progress in their work, with ICI soaring from economic success to success in Teesside in the mid-20th century.

This would change in the 1970s, however, as unemployment rose and ICI struggled to adjust in a post-industrial environment.

The change had a big impact on Mr Wickham-Jones, who did not like the Conservative Party’s shift to the right while under the control of Margaret Thatcher. He abandoned his former conservativism and voted Labour for the first time.

In 1981 he became a supporter of the newly-formed Social Democratic Party.

He left behind his position of management economist in petrochemicals at ICI and looked for a new role.

His Christian faith was an important part of his identity, but with no wish to be ordained, he looked for a position suitable for him within the religion.

Eventually he created one, establishing an agency, Christian ReLay, in 1980, to find lay work for churchgoers. For a while the project was very successful, though ultimately ran into some difficulties.

Mr Wickham-Jones continued to work with a range of charities and as a governor at a Church of England school. After Prim’s death in 2006, he moved to Oxford to be close to his family, where he settled. He enjoyed the company of his grandchildren and encouraging them to have the kind of childhood fun he had missed out on.

He is survived by his three children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.