Stand up for comedy

Helen in a quieter moment at the Laughing Sole Comedy Club. She has got to know many of the regulars in the audience, and also enjoys chatting with the performers: "Many of them are actually pleased that they don't have to pack their act with four-letter words, but can concentrate on making people laugh"

My story: Helen's house of humour

"I woke up in the night and the idea just came to me. What if I were to start a comedy club that would get real laughs and help build community?"

Helen Tomblin has always loved comedy - so much so that she enrolled in a course in stand-up. "I was going to a comedy club every week," she explained, "but was put off by the amount of swearing, which just didn't seem necessary for a good joke."

Helen's local pub, the British Oak in Stirchley, were happy to provide a venue. As for a compère... who better than the tutor of her stand-up course, one of Birmingham's most popular comedians, Barbara Nice.

The Laughing Sole Comedy Club was launched in February 2007, to a storm of media interest. It continues to play to packed houses every two months.

In her day job Helen is employed by the Diocese of Birmingham, and was formerly the youth worker here at Christ Church. "I'm always looking for new ways of putting Christian values into action," she says. "The Laughing Sole's Christian ethos is what sets it apart and gives it its sense of community."

Our main hall was packed when stand-up comedian and TV actress Jo Enright featured in a My Faith, My Life special at Christ Church.

Our resident comedy impresario Helen Tomblin asked Jo about how being a Christian affects her work. She talked about the advantages - such as being able to pray when in a hostile environment - and also the kind of difficulties that can arise when the demands of a script conflict with her faith.

They went on to talk about what sort of material is appropriate to use, especially when it touches on sensitive issues. Jo's act draws heavily on her personal experiences and observations. Not everything in her life is fair game for comedy, but first-hand experience of difficult situations enables her to bring humour out of them in a way that others could not.

The centrepiece of the evening was Jo's performance of her stand-up act which, she revealed in her intervew, included stories she had never included in her act before. The audience included church members and guests, young and old, and we all loved it.

Jo and Helen recover from their "on the sofa" interview by, er, staying on the sofa

Jo Enright entertains at Christ Church