THE Bishop of Wakefield, the Rt Revd Stephen Platten, is giving every church in his diocese £100 to use for a community project. He handed the money out on 22 September at a special anniversary service in the cathedral, to mark his ten years as diocesan Bishop, and to mark the Hope 2014 Year of Mission project.

It will be up to each church how it uses the money, he says, but it has to be for a community project that must be recorded in pictures for everyone to share at an event later in 2014. He says that he had been inspired by what had been achieved by the Parable of the Talents initiative in Kirkheaton parish, when the Rector, the Revd Richard Steel, gave his parishioners £10 each as seed capital to help boost the church's fund-raising project (News, 5 April).

"People were doing all sorts of clever things - dog-walking, bird boxes, chocolate truffles - it really inspired people. I encourage all the churches to look outward into their communities, and use this money to provide something that will touch and connect with those around them for some time to come."