A CITY centre church hopes to reach out to the workers and shoppers who pass its doors every day.

St Nicholas Church, in Durham Market Place, has launched its Market Place Project and appointed former Church of Scotland minister Grant Maclaughlin as its director.

The church hopes to develop closer links with the large number of workers and shoppers who come into the Market Place, and find ways of serving them as well as businesses in the area.

The project will run for three years, and it could be extended. It is being funded by the Diocese of Durham and the church.

The vicar of St Nicholas, the Rev Dale Hanson, said: "As a Christian community at the heart of the city, we are committed to serving those who come into the city centre in whatever way we can.

"Over the years, we have expressed this commitment in a variety of ways, for example by ensuring that the church remains open during the day for visitors, providing fairly-traded products through our shop and offering our premises for charitable and other activity."

Mr Maclaughlan, who is married with three young children, was previously a minister in Edinburgh, where he developed a number of initiatives to serve the local community more effectively.

He said: "This new initiative is a marvellous opportunity for the church to discover new ways of serving those who work, shop and socialise in the heart of Durham.

"I am very much looking forward to developing contacts with city centre businesses and the local authority and to working in partnership with them."

Councillor Fraser Reynolds, leader of Durham City Council, said: "The city council fully supports the initiative.

"It will make the city a better place to be in."