Plea for churches to play wider role.

Byline: By Tony Henderson

Rural churches should double as doctor's surgeries or shops as a way of serving villages and remote areas, a countryside chief urged last night.

The call came from Dr Stuart Burgess, new Countryside Agency chairman, as he ended a two-day visit to the North-East.

He said that churches and church buildings could be used on different days of the week to deliver all kinds of rural services, including post office functions or as bases for training courses, especially in computing and information technology, which was increasingly important for rural areas. Dr Burgess, who is the Government's new Rural Advocate, is a past president of the Methodist Church of Great Britain.

He said that it was time to reconsider the practice of only using churches for Sunday services.

"The challenge is in using churches and church buildings much more creatively, because many of them are under-used." he said.

"One of the great tragedies is that many are being sold off and once we have lost them they are gone."

He said another major rural issue was that of hidden poverty and homelessness, especially among young people. "There is wealth in the countryside but there is also a great deal of deprivation and I want to bring that out very strongly and be a champion of that cause," he said.

"The problem is that much of the evidence is anecdotal and we should be conducting studies to collect hard evidence which can be given to Government and be turned into policies."

Dr Burgess's visit took in the new Bell View Resource Centre in Belford, Northumberland.

The centre includes five sheltered housing bungalows within its courtyard and also acts as a hub for a wide range of specialist services such as exercise classes, life-long learning, health promotion and leisure activities as well as providing a day care unit.

Dr Burgess also visited the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

He said: "Not only is Newcastle now a very vibrant city but the North-East has some of the best countryside in England. It is absolutely stunningly beautiful and the coastline is superb."