A vicar is literally giving money away - in the hope it will go forth and multiply in aid of church funds.

The Reverend Graham Buttanshaw, vicar of All Saints Church in Otley, is offering the children of All Saints Junior School £2 each, and praying they will put it to good use to generate more cash.

Mr Buttanshaw said: "We are giving away the money to see what they can do with it. It all goes back to the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25) in the bible."

The parable relates the story of a man who puts three servants in charge of his money while he is away. Two invest their share and make more money for him. The third servant merely buries his coins in the ground.

The church has set aside a fund of £1,700 to invest in the Use Your Talents scheme and the vicar is confident it will recuperate the money.

"We're not going to end up with any less than we started with," he said.

Mr Buttanshaw said some of the children could use the money to buy a jar of coffee and run a coffee morning, others could buy paint and sell their pictures and others could buy seeds and plant sunflowers to sell.

The church is facing a £22,000 bill for repairs, including mending a couple of stained glass windows which are now badly bowed.

Churchwardens have been told that a strong easterly gale could easily blow the windows in. Now the church is turning to the bible for inspiration to repair their church.

The Use Your Talents fundraiser is also open to the parents and guardians of children at All Saints Junior School, who will be offered £5.

The children can return the money any time within the next three months, but Mr Buttanshaw no questions would be asked if the money was not used wisely.

"If you do your best and it doesn't work, we won't ask for our money back," he said. "That's our risk."

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