A PROJECT to help residents improve Shildon has been praised by its MP.

Helen Goodman said the Shildon Alive project was the "most successful community project" she had seen in the town in 20 years.

Set up earlier this year and run from St John’s Church, it has helped create a credit union, community gardens and an alcoholic’s support group.

“It’s fantastic," she added. "There are more people involved and I wonder if that is because it is church-led. You have people with a strong sense of mission and it is more purposeful

“It is important that this is a long-term project, not just a quick fix. The church has been in Shildon for 180-years and it will be here for another 180-years.”

Reverend David Tomlinson, of St John’s, said: “This project is possible because the legacy that we have in this community makes it possible.”