Pokemon Go: Churches in Carmarthen become Pokestops

Sulin Milne welcomed the chance for the church to use Pokemon Go to reach out to new people

Two churches in Carmarthenshire are among those who have joined the Pokemon Go phenomenon by becoming Pokestops.

Players can visit St Peter's and St John's in Carmarthen for free items in the augmented reality game.

Pokemon Go launched in the UK on Thursday and uses a smartphone's GPS location and real-world maps to track players as they move around.

Rev Sulin Milne said: "Church... needs to be a celebration and fun and Pokemon can be fun, so bring it on."

The purpose of the game is to use a smartphone to catch Pokemon.

Players look at the phone screen and the game superimposes the creatures on top of the real world view, captured using the camera.

Pokestops are typically landmarks or buildings. There are also gyms, real-life locations where players meet to battle each other.

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Digital Pokemon (pocket monsters) are superimposed over real life locations so players can catch them

Rev Milne said: "Pokemon is bringing in people, so the church can throw its doors open and get people to come in and make people feel that the church is a building they can access and is there for them.

"I came out today after a service and saw these two lads and thought 'I bet I know what you're doing'.

"It's a fun way of engaging with a number of people. It was lovely to see those young lads coming across to this church.

"It's a useful way of starting a conversation - it's nice to see people having fun in a church building."