A HATHERLEIGH vicar must be wondering what he has to do to spread the word, after his latest set of posters promoting a church initiative were pulled down.

The Rev Alex Welby said the posters advertising the forthcoming Alpha Course were put up by his colleague Pastor Pat Legg-Bagg around Hatherleigh and the surrounding villages.

Mr Welby returned from holiday last week to find that in Hatherleigh many of the posters and a large banner had been removed and needed to be put back up again.

Last year, Mr Welby saw a similar poster he had put up near his church torn down three times. Bearing that trouble in mind, the vicar has not been relying on posters alone to get the message out ? he has also delivered leaflets about the course to homes in Hatherleigh, Meeth, Exbourne, Jacobstowe, Inwardleigh and Petrockstowe.

The introduction to the Alpha course for people in the area will be held at a ?Beacon Supper? in Okehampton?s Charter Hall on Wednesday, September 22,

A separate course in Hatherleigh will run from Wednesday, September 29, at the Bridge Inn.

Mr Welby said hosting one of a series of national beacon suppers was quite an honour: ?I am really thrilled to have one taking place on our doorstep.? He said the Archbishop of Canterbury would be speaking at another such supper in London.

The Alpha Course provides an opportunity for people to discover the Christian faith in a discussion-led environment. The popularity of the course continues to grow. It is now used in 150 countries around the world.

For more details about the course contact Mr Welby on 01837 810314.