Gorleston's Pavilion Theatre - currently home to its annual pantomime - will ring with the sound of Christmas carols on Sunday morning when Cliff Park Community Church takes over the Edwardian theatre for the morning.

Gorleston's Pavilion Theatre - currently home to its annual pantomime - will ring with the sound of Christmas carols on Sunday morning when Cliff Park Community Church takes over the Edwardian theatre for the morning.

The church will offer a caf�-style service, with coffee and mince pies available throughout worship, which will last for about an hour.

In recent years, the church has staged carols by candlelight at its usual base - Cliff Park Junior School - with the service staged twice to accommodate numbers.

“We felt we wanted to try something a bit different this year “ said minister Mike Simm.

“We used the Pavilion at Easter, although our original plan was to have an open-air service on the bandstand, until heavy rain forced us indoors. But the building

worked so well we were keen to return.”

Kevin Lynch and Stuart Durrant, who run the theatre, were also enthusiastic about it being used by the community in this way.

The service promises to be relaxed, lively and suitable for all ages. And taking its cue from the building, there will also be something of a pantomime theme in Mike Simms' sermon.

The service will feature puppets and people's stories as well as familiar carols led by the church's worship band.

A short DVD made to mark the church's recent 10th birthday will also be shown.

The service starts at 10.30am and will be over in good time to ensure the theatre is ready for the matinee performance of Dick Whittington.

The church has even pledged to have members on stand-by with vacuum cleaners in their cars to make sure any mince pie crumbs get cleaned up!