YOUNGSTERS who leave the Church of England after confirmation are causing concern.

At the annual Sedgefield Parochial Church Council meeting, the Reverend Martin King, Rector of Sedgefield, said the parish, like most others, was unsuccessful in keeping teenagers interested in the church after confirmation.

But on a brighter note, the shared ministry, launched last year, was one of the most heartening things in his 36 years of ministry, he said.

He said that the idea of Sedgefield and Bishop Middleham becoming partner parishes was at a stage where they should start thinking and planning together