[First published October 2004 by Ecumenical News International. Copyright Pulford Media Ltd. This article may not be reprinted or distributed either electronically or on hard copy without permission]

Shoppers in the UK say they wouldn’t mind if stores stayed closed on Sundays – but they’re still not rushing to church. CEDRIC PULFORD reports

Ten years after the introduction of large-scale Sunday shopping, a poll has found that almost three-quarters of British adults (71 per cent) would not mind if the big stores stayed shut.

The finding, in a survey commissioned by the Keep Sunday Special (KSS) campaign, has heartened opponents of 24/7 trading, who are preparing to fight an expected move by supermarkets to extend their permitted six hours on Sundays.

“It’s a choice between apparent consumer convenience and family life, and now we find most consumers aren’t bothered,” said Michael Schluter, KSS campaign chairman.

The Sunday Trading Act 1994, which allowed large shops to open on Sunday for the first time, puts no restrictions on the hours of small shops (under 280 sq m), which are often individually or family run businesses.

Schluter, an Anglican by upbringing who worships at a Baptist church, said the spread of Sunday trading to large shops meant many people had to work when they would rather be with their families.

One third of employed adults now work on Sundays, which put a particular strain on single parents, he pointed out. Almost four in every five mothers who work on that day would rather not do so.

“Another day off in the week is not a substitute for a shared day in which the whole of society participates,” he declared.

Schluter said the Keep Sunday Special campaign is backed by about 500 individual churches, and also by leaders of other faiths.

Meanwhile, the changing character of Sunday was underlined by figures from the (Anglican) Church of England, the country’s largest denomination, showing that midweek worship is flourishing while Sunday attendance continues its long-term decline.

Average weekly attendance for all ages in 2002 (latest available figures) was 1,166,000 – 16 per cent more than attendance for Sunday alone. Attendance in city centre churches, where many of the midweek services are held, was up seven per cent in 2002 year on year.

“Our former Archbishop [of Canterbury], George Carey, said we are a seven-days-a-week church. These figures confirm it,” said Church of England spokesman Steve Jenkins.

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