Jo Brand is looking forward to the nativity scenes and reliving the experience of her childhood at a church service this Christmas.

The British comedian will be joining the 2.5 million people expected to take part in a Church of England Christmas service this year.

She's backing a new website launched this week by the Church of England to help people find their nearest seasonal service.

Details of Christmas, crib, nativity, Christingle and carol services posted by many of the Church of England’s 16,000 places of worship are just a click away at www.christmasnearyou.com

“As usual, I am looking forward to Christmas this year and going to a church service,” says Jo.

“I'm not really a churchy person although I do think Jesus was a good bloke. The singing of carols and Christmas churches decorated with nativity scenes and holly are a great attraction for families at Christmas time, particularly for me, because they remind me of my childhood in a small Kent village when it always seemed to be snowing at Christmas.”

People looking for some festive cheer can find the times and places of nearby Christmas and carol services by entering their postcode on the ChurchNearYou website.

“I think many people in this country who are not regular churchgoers do manage to get along to a traditional Christmas service,” says Jo.

“It marks a time of year when we should be thinking particularly about people for whom Christmas is a grim or sad time and how it's not all about presents and consumerism.”

The Church of England will launch a similar website in 2012 to promote special services to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.