A new course to help married couples strengthen their relationships is to be launched on St. Valentine's Day by Alpha International, the charity responsible for the Alpha course.

The seven-session course has been pioneered at Holy Trinity Brompton, London, where the Alpha course began, and has already been completed by more than 600 couples.

Now a video set has been produced to make it possible for other churches across the UK to run the course themselves. The videos are presented by Nicky and Sila Lee, authors of The Marriage Book, which was published in 2000 and has already sold more than 20,000 copies.

The course involves a candlelit dinner, a talk and an opportunity for each couple to discuss a wide variety of issues relating to married life. It is designed for non-churchgoers as well as churchgoing couples.

Topics covered by the course include Building Strong Foundations, The Art of Communication, Resolving Conflict, The Power of Forgiveness, Parents and In-Laws, Good Sex, and Love in Action. The course is intended for happily married couples as well as those experiencing difficulties. Leaders' Guides and Guest Manuals are also available.

Official figures now predict that more than half of all marriages in the United Kingdom today will end in divorce.

Nicky and Sila Lee have been married for 25 years and have four children. They have been running The Marriage Course at Holy Trinity for the last five years.

Nicky Lee, who is ordained and on the staff of Holy Trinity Brompton, said, "The pressure on marriages today is greater than it has ever been and our aim is to provide a resource which will help churches set up a Marriage Course of their own."

One couple who attended The Marriage Course were Jim and Lisa Sheffield. Jim said, "We were like two people living in the same house leading two separate lives. The Marriage Course helped us to learn the tools of communicating. We were able to break through that surface level of communication and get back that intimacy and closeness that makes marriage so wonderful."

Lisa said, "The course caused a drastic turnaround in our marriage. We are so much happier now."

A conference to help churches who want to start a Marriage Course is to be held at Holy Trinity Brompton on Friday, March 8.

Sila Lee said, "The Marriage Course is very practical. We hope it will give each couple the tools they need to build a healthy marriage that lasts a lifetime. One day we hope there will be a Marriage Course within easy reach of any couple wanting to do one."

Notes for Editors

The Alpha Course

Devised in the UK, the Alpha Course is supported by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and by leaders of all the main denominations. The course is now running in almost 20,000 churches in 130 countries around the world.

'Alpha' is now running in 130 of the 160 prisons in the UK, and in many of the country's universities. Alpha materials are now available in 42 different languages including Shona, French, Croatian, Chinese and Russian.

A MORI poll conducted in September 2001 revealed that nearly four million adults in the UK have either done the Alpha course themselves or know someone who has.

'The Marriage Course' is a ministry of Alpha International, a registered charity (no. 1086179) and a private company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales (no. 4157379). The Registered office is at 61 Brook Street, London W1K 4BL.

Alpha International is a registered charity (no 1086179) and a private company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales.