Church turns to web shopping

The church website directs people to shops in return for commission

Church-goers in south Wales have turned to the power of the internet to raise money for vital repairs to their place of worship.

Shirenewton Church, near Chepstow, needs money to pay for maintenance work and improvements.

So parishioners launched a website with links to more than 100 online shops - which pay the church commission on every purchase made by shoppers directed to their sites via the church web pages.

Shoppers can choose from a variety of high street stores to buy their goods from. They do not have to pay any more for their purchases, as the retailer foots the bill for the service.

Church webmaster David Cornwell hopes that online Christmas shopping will help raise enough cash to carry out the repairs needed on the 13th century building.

This scheme has just been set up we launched it at the village fete in June but we are now up and running ready for the Christmas rush David Cornwell, Shirenewton Church

"We have a list of shops on the website on the Shirenewton Church shopping portal and we provide a service which allows people to click on the name of a high street shop which takes you to their particular shopping site online," he said.

"Because we provide that reference, we are an affiliate of the shop, and they then give us a commission based on the purchase.

"Obviously if people start purchasing holidays or computers - all of which are available through our portal - then those are the big ticket items, and the small percentage of the commission we get from that makes a big difference to the church.

"We launched the scheme at the village fete in June, but we are now up and running ready for the Christmas rush."

The church has dismissed suggestions that it could be encouraging Sunday shopping by setting up the website.

"We like to think we are taking a pragmatic view," Mr Cornwell said.

"Rather than trying to stop people shopping, we are providing a way for people to support the church and shop at the same time.

"We are simply asking people to make their online purchases through our website."