Andrew Thomas writes a weekly column for The Westmorland Gazette. This week, he addresses his fascination with space and those who have been there.

The recent trips to space by businessmen Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos and the continuing superb images of the Martian surface from NASA’s Curiosity rover, which Westmorland Gazette Skywatch columnist Stuart Atkinson is processing and posting online, have reminded me of this area’s own space connection.

Only 12 people have walked on the surface of the Moon and I am lucky enough to have met two of them – and, somewhat unusually, both times were in the north Lancashire village of Over Kellet.

The village’s vicar at the time, the Rev Ken Clapham, was a huge space enthusiast and had made connections at NASA. Several of the astronauts were religious and Mr Clapham knew some of the famous Moon-walkers.

In 1988 the man a Gazette sub-editor once dubbed ‘Space vicar Ken’ in a headline invited Colonel Jim Irwin to Over Kellet and I was the Gazette reporter covering his visit to Wilson's Endowed Church of England Primary School.

Col Irwin, the eighth man on the Moon, was one of the crew of the Apollo 15 flight in 1971 and was the first person to drive one of the special Moon buggies on the surface. He returned with a renewed faith and later formed a small church foundation, High Flight, in America. He had spent 15 years travelling the world sharing his faith in God.

I recall a tremendous calmness and stillness about him. He carefully answered questions from the media. One reporter asked his view about the possibility of alien life. Col Irwin said the search would continue. The reporter, referring to the 1987 novelty song Star Trekkin’ by The Firm, jokingly said: “So it’s a case of life, Jim, but not as we know it?” Col Irwin clearly did not understand the reference but remained polite and engaged.

In 2005 I met Charlie Duke – the tenth man on the Moon – at a service at St Cuthbert’s Church in Over Kellet. During an interview with me and during the service, he spoke vividly about what it was like to travel to the Moon.

I feel very privileged to have met these two pioneering heroes.