A church charity shop is providing a place for locals to find a listening ear as well as a bargain.

‘The Church Shop’ is the brainchild of the Rev Alison Phillipson, vicar of Coatham and Dormanstown, and has been set up with the help of lay members of her church.

“In a world where people don’t stop and listen, we here will listen,” she said.

To Alison, church outreach doesn’t have to be big to be effective.

“I think a lot of Christian people don’t quite know how to serve and how to live out their faith, the opportunities aren’t always there for them to do high profile projects and [the Church Shop] has given everyone an opportunity to live out their faith, to show people that they are normal people who are living out their discipleship and it is valued by the community.”

She is just one of the individuals living out the Gospel in the north-east of England whose stories will be told on the Archbishop of York’s website in the coming weeks.

Other stories to be highlighted include a former drug addict and school bad boy who now contributes to the spiritual and moral development of school students, and a woman who wrestled with her call to become a vicar and struggled with depression along the way.

Dr John Sentamu said: “How wonderful it is to hear these encouraging stories. Across the country, so many people are proclaiming the Good News and putting God at the heart of their communities. This is where He should be!

“I hope that these stories will inspire you to listen to God, encourage you to live out your faith and help you discover new ways to worship.”