Flower festivals are labour-intensive. Tour parties included a slot for worship in the Lady Chapel.
Flower festivals can take up to five years to plan, or they can be a nine-week wonder.
Those churches that can manage late August and the Bank Holiday reap the benefit. St Michael's, Taddington, in Derby diocese, was full last weekend for a short Saturday-afternoon service of thanksgiving for the work of creation, which was the festival's theme. For country churches, the flower festival can be a cornerstone of fund-raising. St Michael's expects to make 4000- 5000 during the festival week, depending on the weather. Hillary Brian, a council member of the Church of England Flower Arrangers, which helps churches with designing and planning flower festivals, says that visitors generally give more towards a church's fabric than to its mission.