Manchester's first 24/7 House of Prayer will open its doors this month. Known as the Manchester Boiler Room, the prayer centre is only the second in the UK to be opened, aiming to be filled with praying people from Manchester and beyond, praying 24 hours per day - 7 days a week.

The Rt Revd Christopher Mayfield, Bishop of Manchester, warmly welcomes the initiative: "Every community needs a special place of prayer and a special time to pray. Without such places and times we run the risk of not praying at all. It will be a wonderful resource for all the churches in Manchester."

Boiler Room resident, Oria Dale, is excited with the start: "It is great to see the support of the churches in Manchester, right across the board. It demonstrates that together we seek to turn the tide in the younger generation through the power of prayer and acting in unity."

The Boiler Room will be continually receiving the latest prayer requests via the Internet, keeping in touch with needs in the city as well as further afield. In addition to non-stop prayer there will also be time and space for quiet reflection. It is expected that the house will receive visitors from around the world, coming with a heart to pray for Manchester.

Oria states that "we're not just here to receive but we hope to be able to meet some of the need on our doorstep. Mission to the poor in the city will be high on our agenda, as well as issues of social justice. Prayer is often the beginning of action."

The opportunity for ongoing prayer is proving to be a model that works. "The 24/7 prayer movement is successful at mobilising people - especially young people - to pray," according to Oria, who leads the project. "Besides prayer, there is a space for creativity to emerge through poetry, music, painting etc."

Although the Boiler Room is situated in Didsbury, it will attract believers from across Greater Manchester. The launch will take place on Friday 22 March.

For further enquiries please contact: Oria Dale on +44 161 434 6721 or email Oria@24-7prayer.com

Article by Marigke Hoek and Oria Dale