Church of England parishes are responding to growing cries for help from people suffering from debt problems, a study has found.

As the financial squeeze on families tightens in the run-up to Christmas, half (48%) of parishes report that they are providing help to people in financial difficulties, according to research carried out to highlight the work of charity the Church Urban Fund (CUF).

This compares with 41% of parishes which reported they were giving some kind of assistance when similar research was carried out three years ago.

The vast majority, or 79%, of clergy surveyed said they believed that helping people to manage their money wisely was an important part of the Church of England's mission.

More than a fifth, or 22%, of churches are running debt advice or budgeting courses with a fifth supporting their local credit union through measures such as encouraging membership, opening a corporate account or offering premises as a local branch or information point.

Many churches said they are looking to do more to support credit unions with 12% saying they are actively considering specific activities and 24% saying they are exploring these further.

Particular interest was shown in promoting membership, setting up access points and helping to run school savings clubs with a local credit union.

Projects highlighted by CUF include a budgeting course run by Nottingham churches.

"We don't tell people what to do with their money, but encourage them to think about the implications of their decisions," said Susie Bergenroth, who wrote and delivers the course.

"We want to give people the tools to understand the decisions they're making and the chance to make good choices."

Recent research from the Government-backed Money Advice Service among 3,000 people found that the average UK adult will spend £530 on Christmas this year.

Canon Paul Hackwood, executive chair of CUF, which helps to support churches as they work to tackle poverty, said: "At Christmas, many families feel under enormous financial pressure to create the perfect Christmas.

"This short-term pressure often leads to long-term despair for the poorest in our society and it is very good to see the scale at which churches are already working to help alleviate some of these pressures."

Out of 1,685 vicars who responded to the most recent survey by the Church of England, 802, or 48%, said they were offering either organised activities or informal help to people with problem debt.