More than a thousand extra people attended last month's Christmas services at Chester Cathedral than in 2014.
The cathedral puts on a range of services and performances over the festive period, and always attracts big audiences. But they surpassed themselves last year by boosting their attendance figures by an impressive 25%.
The Festival of Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve proved the most popular, drawing crowds of up to 1,750 up from 1,400 the year before.
The same service on December 23 was attended by 900 people, 150 more than in the previous year.
But the largest leap was the Nave Choir Christmas Carol service, held on December 20, which saw nearly a 500-strong increase from the 320 that came in 2014.
And on Christmas Day, 35 more people attended the morning service than the year before.
A Chester Cathedral spokesperson said: “I would say the people of Chester want to celebrate Christmas traditionally and as part of the community.
“The cathedral strives to offer a number of festive services and attendances are on the rise as services combine traditional Christmas values whilst addressing current and relevant social issues affecting us all.”
