THE Bishop of Durham is hosting a series of chat shows this week in a bid to confront some of society’s toughest issues.

The Right Revd Paul Butler is hosting a session in Durham each night this week, with some of the issues tackled including money, food and relationships.

He said: “We want to engage people in thinking about the Christian faith, areas of life and living and show how the Christian faith is relevant.

“That is why we are tackling subjects such as food and money – so we try to help people see that the Christian faith is about all of life.”

The first event on Tuesday included special guests Nikki Dravers and Mim Skinner, the founders of food waste charity RefUSE Durham.

The soap opera section of the show opened up questions about faith, food, poverty, celebration, feast and deeper questions on indulgence and waste.

During the second half, the audience quizzed the panel on a range of food-related questions, including the moral role of TV celebrity Chefs in the food waste debate as well as body image and food poverty.

Other guest speakers include Arun Arora, the vicar at St Nicholas’, Mags Vaughan, director of County Durham Community Foundation, Jonathan Ruffer, from The Auckland Castle and Eleven Arches Trusts, Ruth Plummer, professor of experimental cancer medicine and oncologist to the late Sir Bobby Robson and Martin and Mel Stand, youth workers and school chaplains in Darlington Area Churches Youth Ministry.

The free events at St Nicholas’ Church, in Market Place, Durham, continue until Saturday, starting at 7.30pm each night.

For full details visit www.aegies.org/bishop-durham-faces-tough-questions/