A parish church is "living out its Christian values" by committing itself to paying its employees the London Living Wage.

Clergy at St Edmund's Church in Larkswood Road, Chingford, made the decision following a church council meeting in September.

The church directly employs a caretaker, who will now receive the hourly London rate of £9.15, compared to the national minimum wage of £7.85.

Vicar Lesley Goldsmith, said: "We do feel it is important our employees are paid a fair wage.

"We don't have money to through around, but it's our responsibility to ensure we do the right thing.

"Increasingly, we are seeing more and people using food banks and those not on a decent wage, don't feel valued at work.

"The cost of living in London is considerably higher, so we decided to take a lead, live out our Christian values and practice what we preach."

Rev Goldsmith hopes more employers in Waltham Forest will follow suit and believes by paying the London wage, it will encourage more people into work.

Mayor Boris Johnson hopes the London Living Wage will become the norm for employers in the city by 2020.