THE latest church attendance figures show mixed results for the Church of England in the two counties.

They show that the average weekly attendance for services in the Diocese of Worcester went down from 16,000 in 2008 to 14,900 in 2009.

The numbers were more positive for the Diocese of Hereford, which saw a rise in the number of people attending church each week from 12,700 in 2008 to 13,000 in 2009.

Nationally, the trend saw a drop in overall attendance.

The Venerable Roger Morris, Archdeacon of Worcester, said that people’s busy lifestyles were to blame.

He said: “We realise that it’s not always possible for everyone to come to church as often as they might like, we are always looking at new ways of doing church to meet people’s different needs.

"For example, we expect around 110 people to attend All Saints Church, Deansway, Worcester, on Saturday for ‘messy church’ and because of the way our statistics are collected, those people are not counted.”

Messy church is an activity day when parents, carers and children take part in singing, making things and eating together, celebrating God.

Mr Morris said that it was not all bad news for the Church, as the number of people on the electoral role, the list of those qualified to attend and vote at the annual parochial church meeting, in the Diocese of Worcester has increased.

“This suggests that more people are involved with the church, but those who are involved are coming less frequently,” he said.

In Hereford, the average number of people going to church each week rose by 300.

Right Rev Anthony Priddis, the Bishop of Hereford, said: “There is real encouragement here, which reflects our hard work.

“We want to see all people grow in faith.”

Anni Holden, director of communications for the Diocese of Hereford, added: “We are also increasing the use of church buildings for a wide range of community use, while remaining the centre of worship.”