A Baptist church that runs a drop-in centre for the most vulnerable in its area will be the venue for a national radio programme at the end of the month.

BBC 5 Live's Breakfast will be broadcast from the Pier Avenue Baptist Church in Clacton, Essex on Friday 31 January from 6 - 9am, with a phone-in the following hour.

BBC presenter Nicky Campbell will visit the church on the previous day. There he will interview people involved with the Enfold Project, which each week supports around 55 people with a cooked breakfast and access to a wide range of services.

The project is the reason for the broadcast, with the programme wishing to shine a light on deprivation in coastal towns. The BBC approached the local council, which in turn suggested Pier Avenue.

The church has been running the Enfold Project for the last two years, which launched as the church developed its buildings with a desire to its community. The project was developed alongside the Tendring District Council and other service providers.

Each person who visits is offered a cooked breakfast, shower facilities and help from a number of support groups based there on a Thursday. 

Around 12 volunteers from the church are involved each week, from a rota of 20. Initially around six people used it, but this has grown to 55 users each week.

‘Of these, there is a regular core of around 35 and the rest come and go,’ said elder Duncan Wood. ‘The Project usually sees four to five new faces each week, so there are probably 200 -250 new faces over the year. 

‘There is a very relaxed atmosphere, and the support groups love coming to us.’

The Project has been widely praised. Tendring District Council Leader Peter Halliday said, ‘The Enfold Project has had a direct and significant impact on improving the lives of a significant number of people in the Pier Ward and is making a real difference to many lives.’

Both Mr Wood and minister Sean Fountain will be among the panel during the 5live phone-in. ‘This will be a big day, and we’d certainly value prayer,’ said Mr Wood.