Happy church, always packed out, pretty much (8)

I believe the answer is:

cheerful

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'happy' is the definition.
(associated in meaning)

'church always packed out pretty much' is the wordplay.
'church' becomes 'ch' (common abbreviation).
'always' becomes 'eer' (poetic way of saying ever).
'packed out pretty much' becomes 'ful' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'ch'+'eer'+'ful'='CHEERFUL'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for cheerful that I've seen before include "In good humour, quite jolly" , "Contented" , "Lure chef into being in good spirits" , "Bright" , "Happy and optimistic" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.

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