Liverpool Cathedral expands Christmas offerings to cater for increasing numbers of visitors

Liverpool Cathedral is anticipating a large turnout at its Christmas events (Photo: Liverpool Cathedral)

Liverpool Cathedral is laying on more services and activities this Christmas to meet an increase in demand.

The cathedral is just one of many enjoying a swell in the number of people attending over the Christmas season.

It is one of the busiest seasons of the year for the cathedral, which welcomed more than 4,000 people through its doors on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 2017 - a ten per cent increase on the previous year.

It will be running two 'Carols for Christmas Eve' services after being filled to capacity last year.

The Very Reverend Dr Sue Jones, Dean of Liverpool said: 'Last Christmas Eve it was standing room only as our afternoon carol service was so popular. People were joking about having no room at the inn, liking it to the Christmas story.

'We are the spiritual heartbeat for so many and Christmas is a natural opportunity for people to reconnect and rediscover the Christmas story.'

The cathedral will also be putting on a performance of the nativity, 'Hurry to Bethlehem', featuring 200 children from the Merseyside area.

Recent figures from the Church of England show a significant increase in the number of people attending cathedral services, particularly over Christmas.

Liverpool Cathedral has welcomed nearly 400,000 visitors since May 2018, with over 60,000 people coming to see Luke Jerram's artwork installation, Museum of the Moon, in one week in May.

In total, Church of England cathedrals welcomed 135,000 people to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services in 2017 - up three per cent on 2016 figures.

Dr Jones added: 'It's really heartening to see cathedrals showing such signs of growth and this is reflected at our own Cathedral.'

News
Christian ethos in NI schools will be maintained, Education Minister promises after RE ruling
Christian ethos in NI schools will be maintained, Education Minister promises after RE ruling

Some schools were concerned that they could not put on the traditional Nativity play after the UK Supreme Court ruling.

What is Advent Sunday and why do churches mark it?
What is Advent Sunday and why do churches mark it?

The fourth Sunday before Christmas is called Advent Sunday. It falls at the start of December, or sometimes as in 2025, at the end of November. In churches of many denominations, Advent marks the coming of the Christmas season. This is the story …

Who was St Andrew and why is he important?
Who was St Andrew and why is he important?

30 November is St Andrew’s day. He was the brother of St Peter, the first of Jesus’s disciples, and later an Apostle. This is the story …

Kidnapped Anglican priest dies in captivity in Nigeria
Kidnapped Anglican priest dies in captivity in Nigeria

Amid a rash of mass kidnappings in Nigeria, an Anglican priest in Nigeria abducted along with his wife and daughter has died in captivity, leaders of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion announced on Wednesday.