MANCHESTER Cathedral has hosted an evening of "political speed-dating" to enable voters to talk with representatives from the main political parties ahead of May's general election.

A group of about 35 people gathered in the cathedral on Monday, together with Greater Manchester parliamentary and council candidates from the Conservatives, the Greens, UKIP, the Liberal Democrats, and the Labour Party.

In small groups, they quizzed the politicians on everything from devolution and immigration, to the environment and the NHS. Mimicking speed-dating, every ten minutes the party representatives would move on to speak with another group.

Canon David Holgate, the cathedral's canon for theology and mission, said that he was surprised that those who came really enjoyed it. "They said it was so rare to have an opportunity to talk politics."

A similar process is scheduled for a number of other cathedrals across England, including Lichfield, Bradford, Portsmouth, and Derby, under the banner of a campaign called People InSpired.

The initiative is supported by the Theos think tank, among others.