EAST Lancashire's very own 'Vicar of Dibley' is taking Christmas to the streets after gaining inspiration from the BBC TV show.

Church-goers in Huncoat -- and fans of Dawn French's Vicar of Dibley -- have decided to emulate the programme by performing a series of Christmas sketches around the village.

The Rev Christine Leech, the minister at Huncoat Methodist Church, said the street theatre idea had come up in discussions with St Augustine's Church.

She said: "We wanted to do something different this Christmas and we were talking about all sorts before we got on to the subject of the Vicar of Dibley.

"There was a special episode when they took Christmas into the community. They performed a nativity scene in the street and we thought that perhaps we could do that.

"We can't always expect people to come to our churches so going out into the community seemed like a great idea."

Cath Coglan, a lay reader at St Augustine's, added: "We all love the Vicar of Dibley and really wanted to do it.

"They went out into the village for a show. One of the characters ended up giving birth during the performance -- I don't think that will happen with us!"

Parishioners from the churches acting out sketches in pubs, on street corners and in shops.

The 13 humorous stories will be performed on December 18.

The day begins at the Methodist Chapel at 11am and ends in a carol service at St Augustine's at 4pm.

For the sketches the group is using scripts written by a Christian community on the Scottish island of Iona.

Members of each church will be acting in the performances. The minister added: "We have already started our rehearsals and have been full of laughter as we read through the scripts.

"There are a few new estates in Huncoat and there are probably a lot of people who don't know where our churches are. This will help to tell people that we are here and who we are."

To get involved contact Cath Coglan on 01254 387285.