The chapel, which opened in 1838, has just 27 worshippers

Welshpool Baptist Chapel, which has just 27 worshippers, hopes to start Polish services by the autumn.

Minister Keith Fantham said he wanted to reach the town's growing eastern European community, and had already identified a potential candidate.

According to Powys Council, there were 340 migrant workers from Poland in the county in 2005/06.

The arrival of so many Poles in the UK has led to a number of initiatives such as Wales' first Polish support centre, which opened in Llanelli last year.

An estimated 10,000 Poles live in Wrexham alone, which has prompted the region's police force to consider recruiting Polish-speaking officers.

In Welshpool, the Grade-II listed Baptist chapel, commonly known as the Chelsea Lane church, has just 27 worshippers.

Reverend Keith Fantham, recently appointed as the chapel's first full-time minister for 25 years, said: "This project is in its infancy, but the principal of the South Wales Baptist College has been in touch with his counterpart in Warsaw and a suitable candidate has been identified.

There are two Baptist chapels in Welshpool

"Plans are for him to study a part-time course for two years for two days a week at the Baptist college in Cardiff.

"He would spend the rest of the time in Welshpool as an associate minister.

"We would like to hold a Polish-speaking service on a Sunday and some form of midweek prayer or bible study in Polish."

It is not known how many Polish people in Welshpool are Baptists. But Rev Fantham said he wanted to reach out to the community because there was a lot of "loneliness and isolation".

He added that there were plans to help Polish worshippers improve their English language skills too.

The Baptist Union of Wales is also running a wider project called the Eastern Front initiative, which aims to boost the number of ministers in parishes in east Wales.