Former Christian Aid staff member Rob Pearce will be the speaker at the annual Christian Aid Week ecumenical service, which takes place on Sunday, 12 May at St Mary's Church, Dorchester at 4pm.

Rob, who lives in Wimborne, worked for Christian Aid for 32 years including a stint as regional director in the Southwest, before leaving the organisation in 2010. Since then, he has been a regular and much in-demand speaker across the county. The service will be led by the vicar, the Rev. Jimmy Holden in the presence of the mayor, Councillor Alastair Chisholm.

This year's theme is around helping people pushed to the brink of poverty so that they find the strength and opportunity to push back harder and fulfil their hopes and ambitions.

There will also be a street collection taking place in South Street, Dorchester on 17 May, running from 9.30am-4.30pmas well as the return of some house to house collections.

Tony Boyden, chair of the Dorchester and District Christian Aid, said Christian Aid Week was the perfect opportunity for people to reflect on how we can contribute to reducing global inequality.

Part of this year's Christian Aid focus is on the East African country of Burundi, where more than 70% of the population live in poverty, and where the Covid pandemic has hit the economy badly.

"We all know that Britain has been through a pretty tough time in recent years with rising levels of economic and social deprivation. But our Christian Aid partners in Africa, for example, are facing challenges we can scarcely begin to guess at: communities living in impossibly overcrowded conditions, with no safe water for washing or drinking; communities where you can't rely on consistent public health provision of any kind."