CHURCH community projects in the diocese of London benefit the capital by £33 million a year, a new study suggests.

The report Beyond Sundays says that more than 1000 such projects, involving about 10,000 volunteers, helped 200,000 Londoners. It suggests that church groups raise £17 million a year, but that their involvement, often volunteer, almost doubles the projects' value - and that is without costing the use of church premises.

The Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Richard Chartres, said that the report illustrated "the remarkable support that churches provide for so many in their parishes: practically, for the mother who can't afford to put food on the table; emotionally, for the young person who is being bullied; spiritually, for the family who have lost a parent.

"The church community gives the opportunity to belong, to be known, and for lives to be transformed in a unique and sustainable way."

The projects include the IntoUniversity Hammersmith centre, which provides support and guidance to help disadvantaged young people - about 10,000 school-leavers annually - to enter higher education. Last year, 77 per cent went to university.

The SPACE Project at St Peter's, West Harrow, offers a listening and mentoring service for young women and girls who struggle with issues of self-esteem; and a partnership between St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe, in the City, and the charity Suited and Booted, provides interview clothing and interview-technique training for the long-term unemployed.

www.london.anglican.org/mission/beyond-Sundays