The Holly Bough service is a unique pre-Christmas event, combining musical excellence and theological depth, crafted by the founding dean of Liverpool Cathedral in the early twentieth century for the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Located within the developing science of cathedral studies, this paper analyses the demographic profile, motivational intention (drawing on religious orientation theory) and perceived impact on spiritual wellbeing (drawing on Fisher’s four dimensional model) among 564 participants who completed a detailed survey at the service held in 2019. The data demonstrated a mix of ages, a sense of Anglican commitment to this form of event-belonging by those who return year-on-year and invite friends to join them, and a perceived beneficial impact on all four dimensions of spiritual wellbeing.

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This study tests the strength of Bishop David Walker’s notion of belonging to God through the Anglican Church through participation in events, by exploring the demographic profile, motivations, and experiences of 1234 participants attending the two afternoon Carol Services on Christmas Eve 2019 at Liverpool Cathedral, alongside 564 participants who completed the same survey at the evening Holly Bough Service on the Fourth Sunday in Advent 2019. The data confirmed the importance of event-belonging for 76% of the participants who do not regularly attend church services but who return year on year to the Cathedral and often invite friends to join them. The data also affirmed the presence of newcomers (12%) alongside returnees. Between two-thirds and three-quarters of the participants perceived beneficial impact on their personal wellbeing. For the participants, what drew them to the Cathedral and what made the experience so special was not simply the quality of the music (93%), but also the opportunity to remember the Christmas story (82%).