The Diocese of Norwich collected £7m from its parish churches and their congregations last year - £1m more than four years before - the Bishop of Norwich has announced.

Bishop Graham James has written an open letter of thanks for the £7m collected in parish share in 2016.

'This is a huge achievement and a sign both of the vitality of the life of the parishes in this Diocese and the generosity of all of you who worship in them,' he said.

'Our much improved financial position enables us to address the challenges of the increases in population we are likely to see in Norfolk and north east Suffolk in the next decade, although it continues to be a challenge to attract clergy to this part of the world.

'In a diocese with a population of less than 900,000 and with 640 church buildings, it is a massive feat.'