Surge in cathedral congregations shows enduring appeal of religion says Church Overall almost 35,000 people attended weekly services in England's cathedrals, including special churches such as Westminster Abbey, in 2011. Attendance at midweek services in particular has grown steadily. One suggestion is that people with no connection to their local church and who do not attend on a Sunday are nevertheless joining worship services at other times. It is thought that the central location of cathedrals, close to where people work, their longer opening hours, and their strong choral traditions are proving a draw. The Revd Christopher Woods, the Church of England's national worship adviser, said that the figures showed that traditional styles of service still had a strong allure for many at a time when some churches have opted for more modern styles. "Really it comes down to what people prefer," he said. Some people are attracted to more informal worship but I think it would be a mistake to say that traditional worship does not meet a need, it really does touch something in people. The Very Revd Andrew Nunn, Dean of Southwark Cathedral in London, said that the relative anonymity of cathedral services allowed people with less connection to the church to join worship on their "own terms." But he said that the enduring appeal of cathedrals, showed that even if parishes numbers had struggled in recent decades, religion itself remains important. "The practice of religion might have declined, the importance of religion seems to have grown in people's minds," he said. So coming to a place that is very central and open all the time is one way to access that.