A prominent Bournemouth church will be re-opened next month by an Anglican church looking to establish a new congregation outside London.

Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), a growing Anglican church that operates from four sites in London, will open at St Swithun’s Church in mid-September, They were invited by the Bishop of Winchester and Bishop of Southampton to work with them to start something new in Bournemouth.

Tim Matthews and his wife Debi are leading the team.

In an interview on HTB’s website, Tim said: “We’ll be re-opening an old church building that is a completely blank slate.

“There’s no existing congregation, no setup, no kit, no nothing. So we’ve got to build everything from zero.

“That’s a huge challenge but also a great opportunity. Church attendance in Bournemouth is below the national average, particularly amongst the younger generations.

“So we’re all about starting a community for people who don’t think of themselves as church types at all.

“We also want to bring hope to the hopeless – St Swithun’s is on the doorstep of one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the south west. We want to be famous for love.”

Since 1985, HTB has initiated more than 20 church plants, establishing new congregations across London and in Brighton.

It offers a range of services from informal evening worship to traditional family services and runs Alpha courses.

For more information on St Swithun’s, email tim@stswithuns.net.