Does Christmas have to start with a payday loan? No, according to the Church of England after the Bishop of Manchester launched a church-backed advertising campaign with with a huge poster attached to the side of St Ann’s church in the centre of Manchester.
A poster measuring 40 feet high and the length of three buses is fixed to scaffolding on the side of the church and reads ‘Does Christmas have to start with a payday loan? No! Christmas starts with Christ.’
Bishop David Walker spoke of the importance of remembering the true reason we celebrate Christmas in an increasingly secular society.
“We are asking people to pause and to remember that Christmas does not start with high interest loans or Christmas specials on TV. Christmas Starts with Christ,” he said.
Reverend Nigel Ashworth, the Rector of St Ann’s in Manchester, has said that the church is delighted to be able to display the Christmas message “so visibly at the heart of this great city”.
