By Ken Kirby Producer, When the God Squad Came to Town

Hattersley is the one-time home of Myra Hindley

Equipped with a hi-tech bus and DIY skills, an army of evangelical Christian youth workers has taken its brand of social healing to the housing estates of Manchester. But their efforts to breathe new life into rundown areas are proving controversial.

Hattersley is a 1960s overspill estate on the edge of the Peak District, 10 miles outside Manchester. Former home of Myra Hindley, residents have struggled to live down the legacy of the late Moors Murderer.

For years, Hattersley has lived with an image of high crime, poor housing and social problems. In fact, most of its troubles disappeared two years ago when the high rise flats were demolished.

The main issue now for Hattersley is keeping bored kids amused and out of trouble.

It's a task relished by Eden, a group of evangelical Christian youth workers who are trying to breathe new life into the estate.

Much of Eden's work is keeping teenagers occupied

Leading the team in Hattersley is Sharon Murphy, who gave up her job as a drugs counsellor to take up this challenge.

With her husband, John, who grew up on the estate, Sharon moved here from Essex two years ago. John, an ex-Para, now looks after their six children.

The Eden principle for social healing is a pragmatic one. Working in partnership with local churches, Eden's volunteers take the worst houses in the worst streets, do them up and live in them.

Sharon managed to attract a team of 11 Christian volunteers to set up home in Hattersley and commit to the project for at least five years.

Hattersley is Eden's seventh project in Manchester. All the Eden projects are funded by donations from The Message Trust, a Christian charity.

Video game choice

Making contact with young people from the estate is a key objective, and for this the charity has the Eden Bus.

Games are used to drawn in the kids

The hi-tech double-decker, packed with video games and DVDs, is designed to attract and entertain the local youngsters.

At the end of the evening, the entertainment is turned off and the kids are given a choice - attend a religious lesson, the God Slot, or leave.

As well as the bus, Eden also does regular youth work on the streets. Volunteers meet and befriend young people in the hope that Eden's youth workers can become involved in young people's lives and everyday problems.

But while the local police like Eden's work because it helps cut crime, the group's methods are sometimes controversial.

In Hattersley, Sharon found a proud, tight community, wary of newcomers and one hard to penetrate.

Within weeks of moving in, the Murphys' befriended 16-year-old Natasha Pollitt, who quickly committed her life to Jesus after meeting the family.

Tash's best friend, 17-year-old Linda Bowness, who has a history of self harm, was a more recent convert.

But in both cases the families of these girls were unhappy about their conversion to Eden.

Yet Sharon is unperturbed. She believes Eden can make a big difference to the people of Hattersley and hopes to expand the ranks to between 20 and 30 more Christians in the next few years.