Melksham couple offer free hot drinks to ease 'Monday blues'

The church says it wants to be known as a place that is not just open on Sundays

A couple from Wiltshire have started offering free tea and coffee to families to help ease the "Monday blues".

Leila and Mike Sarson-Rowe set up a coffee morning at the Christ Church in the Shaw parish in Melksham.

The couple thought of the idea when they noticed "hordes" of people walking to the local primary school every morning.

Mrs Sarson-Rowe said they wanted to create a space for locals to relax.

"We quite often saw parents who delivered their children to school quite early in the morning, sort of trudging home," she said.

"We just thought wouldn't it be nice, because the church is still warm after Sunday. It's a space that's not being used on a Monday morning.

"It's not for a religious reason, it's not to have a service. It's just simply to say 'come in and just have a chat with your friends and enjoy a nice cup of coffee'."

Leila and Mike Sarson-Rowe said they wanted to create a space where people could stop for a "natter"

It isn't the first Mr and Mrs Sarson-Rowe, who got married in the church a year ago, have done for the community.

Earlier this year they purchased a five-acre field to stop it from being built on, so it could be kept as a community green space.

"People are very positive. It's not a bad way to start a week, " said Mr Sarson-Rowe

"We're also trying to keep the church doors open, so that people know the church is here every day, not just on Sundays."

Reverend Jane palmer, vicar at Christ Church, said the coffee morning is helping to spread that message.

"For a number of years, we've been working on a plan to be more community minded, so that church isn't just about Sundays.

"It's about serving our community and being open, so that people can come and use our beautiful building."