Churches are being advised to take action now to ensure they don't miss out on vital donations as Britain increasingly moves towards being a cashless society.

With more and more Brits choosing the likes of Apple Pay and plastic over cash, the Church of England's Parish Buying team is encouraging churches to embrace contactless payments.

Contactless payments have already been in place in petrol stations, retail stores and restaurants across Britain for several years, and churches are being urged to follow suit, particularly in the run-up to Christmas, when churches enjoy some of the largest attendance numbers in the year.

Parish Buying offers churches a range of options, from small handheld card readers to more sophisticated self-service donation units.

Recent figures revealed that debit card payments outstripped cash based payments for the first time in 2017, with over two thirds of Britons now opting to use their plastic.

The decline of cash is forecast to continue at a rapid pace, with the financial website This is Money predicting that only one in six people will be making payments with traditional notes and coins in 10 years' time.

Esther Stewart, marketing and parish support officer at Parish Buying said: 'As less and less people carry cash, it's becoming increasingly important for parishes to look at alternative ways to receive donations.'

John Knox, director of resourcing parishes at the Church of England's Diocese of Leeds added: 'It's about modern ways of giving - alternative ways for people to give in an increasingly cashless society.'