A vicar is imparting his words of wisdom to the

listeners of Terry Wogan's Radio 2 breakfast show.

The Reverend Chris Morley, a minister from Haywards Heath, joins Mr Wogan every Thursday on the show's Pause for Thought slot.

Mr Morley, 58, says the two-minute slot is an ideal opportunity to inspire the eight million people who tune into the show.

He said: "Terry Wogan is fantastically successful. There are people who listen avidly every day and Pause For Thought is a good way of helping people think about the deeper things in life.

"What I'm trying to do is help people to become more open to the presence of God in their lives and feel more confident in themselves.

"A lot of people are glad to have a couple of minutes in their day when they think about what really matters in their life. If eight million people are doing that each workday morning, that's a brilliant opportunity."

Last Thursday's Pause For Thought took the case of the Piano Man as its springboard.

The mystery man stunned carers by giving a virtuoso classical piano performance despite not speaking a word since police picked him up wandering the streets of Sheerness, Kent, in a soaking wet suit and tie last month.

Mr Morley, based at Haywards Heath Methodist Church in Perrymount Road, said: "I used the story to highlight how important it is for us to know people around us, who share our lives and understand us. We need that for a sense of identity."

The minister says he gets his ideas from reading newspapers.

Retired local minister and Radio 4 broadcaster Dr Colin Morris put Mr Morley's name forward for the show after reading his book The Wisdom Of The Parrot, which contains reflections on news and TV programmes.

But Mr Morley admits he has only recently started listening to Radio 2.

He said: "Terry Wogan comes over in reality just like he does on the radio. He is very good at making you feel relaxed and giving you confidence. He has a very specific style which is important to link in to so everything flows."

Pause For Thought involves 12 people of different faiths on a rotational basis. In a coincidence, Mr Morley runs a web site called ww.pause-for-thought.co.uk where he provides 200 words of reflection every day.

He says he would love it if disenchanted youngsters tuned into his radio slot but admits they are more likely to listen to other stations.

He said: "Youth culture has at its heart an emptiness. It is superficial and I think people want something deeper.

"I would love to read my thoughts for a younger generation but it would have to be done in a language they understand so a younger person would probably be better at it."