The Archbishop of Canterbury is to visit Weymouth this weekend.

Justin Welby will be the special guest at a worship service at St John’s Church, Greenhill, on Saturday, June 10.

The service will see the dedication of parish youth centre Hope House, which is next door to the church.

The church’s vicar, the Reverend Tom Coopey, said the Archbishop’s visit is a real coup for the area and he will be coming to town as part of a 'mission-led weekend'.

“From time to time the Archbishop does diocese visits and as part of his visit to the Salisbury Diocese, he’s spending time in Weymouth and Portland.

“When we realised he was coming we wanted to see if he would spend time at Hope House.”

Following the worship service at 12pm, from 12.30pm there will be a community fun day in the grounds of St John’s Church and everyone is welcome.

The Archbishop’s visit to Weymouth and Portland will begin early in the morning with a breakfast meeting on Portland with business representatives.

He will then be driven to Weymouth Pavilion where he will meet with representatives of the diocese and will then walk from the Pavilion down the Esplanade to St John’s Church at Greenhill.

The Revd Coopey said: “The Archbishop will then spend time with the children and young people, who will be asking him questions about his job and he will be finding out about Hope House.”

The community fun day in the grounds of St John’s will continue through the afternoon with a bouncy castle, barbecue, cream teas, stalls and with a number of community groups exhibiting – among them community social supermarket The Nest Weymouth.

The Archbishop will also be addressing attendees and talking about his faith, before leaving Weymouth and Portland to attend an engagement in Poole.

“We’re really excited,” the Revd Coopey said. “We’re pleased he’s spending so much time here. It’s easier for people to come to him and this way people can know where to find him. We’re expecting a fairly decent turn-out.”

The Archbishop said: “I am looking forward to sharing in the diocese’s ministry with people from all walks of life.

"A huge part of the Christian mission is sharing the love of Jesus Christ with people as they are, where they are – bringing a joyful and compassionate heart to our neighbourhoods and communities. Whether with those in our armed forces, members of the traveller community, children and young people, I want to talk to people about the transformational love Jesus offers us all.”