Costa Coffee is offering customers some ‘deeper healing’ with their coffee.

Healing Rooms has launched at the back of the shop on South Street in Dorchester and will be available on Monday afternoons.

It was previously based at Poundbury Doctor’s Surgery, but moved to the coffee shop in the town centre, in a bid to engage with more people.

Each Healing Room ministry team consists of a group of volunteer Christians from several local churches who pray for people free of charge.

Phil Childs, a Healing Rooms volunteer, said: “We heard Costa Coffee and Healing Rooms were working well together in Manchester and in other areas, so we thought we would try and give it a go here.

“We were invited by the manager and have a small team , which we hope to expand.”

Mr Childs’s wife Frances added: “It’s different because you are in a public place rather than a surgery. But it will be more impactful, and people will come for prayer on whatever issues they have. It might only be five minutes, but those five minutes may change a situation in a person’s life.

“Loneliness and depression are huge issues. If in some small or significant way, we can impact lives, that’s why each of us is here.”

Karen Long, another volunteer of Healing Rooms, said: “people can come in and have a coffee and approach us if they want to.”

Mr Childs added: “It’s amazing what the power of spoken word can do it encourage and help people. It can lead to a deeper healing.”

n Healing Rooms will be available every Monday from 2.30pm to 4pm.