The websites of the two most senior figures in the Church of England have had a facelift to help the Archbishops reach fresh audiences with their beliefs, activities and personalities.

The websites are similarly structured but both differ in content and colour to reflect the distinctive public profiles of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu.

Whilst the Archbishop of Canterbury's site draws on shades of contemplative blue and grey, the Archbishop of York's vibrant reds complement his fiery personality.

New functionality has also been introduced in both sites such as videos, RSS feeds, a 'contact us' form and photo gallery.

The Archbishops' websites also feature personal pages covering their biographies and personal interests, which include poetry and Russian literature for Dr Williams and York City FC for Dr Sentamu.

A Lambeth Palace spokesperson said: "We recognise the huge potential and increasing importance of web based communication and see it as central to ensuring that the messages of both Archbishops and the Church of England are widely heard.

"Through our new websites the Archbishops will be able to reach out to fresh audiences through use of video, audio and other facilities.

"More adaptable and user-friendly websites will make it easier for people inside and outside the church to access the Archbishops and their ministries, and to better understand the part which both Archbishops play in our national life and in the wider Anglican Communion."

The Archbishop of Canterbury has scaled up his online efforts in the last few months to reach even more people, posting a video message for global leaders on World Aids Day on his website and his New Year message on YouTube.

The website addresses are:
www.archbishopofcanterbury.org
www.archbishopofyork.org