Thirteen cathedrals across the UK have been awarded grants totalling
almost £500,000 towards the cost of repairs and enhancements to their
buildings.
The Wolfson Foundation, the Pilgrim Trust and the Cathedrals Fabric
Commission for England are behind a £350,000 grant, under the umbrella
of the Cathedral Fabric Repair Fund.
Over the past three years, the fund has awarded almost £2.5 million for essential work such as re-roofing and stonework repairs.
The cathedrals receiving funds this year are: Birmingham, Coventry,
Exeter, Liverpool, Norwich, Peterborough, Salisbury, Southwark, St
Albans and York Minster.
Chief Executive of The Wolfson Foundation, Paul Ramsbottom, said:
"These are magnificent buildings of great significance that inspire our
generation as they have done many preceding generations. We are very pleased to be working, in partnership with others, to help conserve them."
Georgina Nayler, Director of The Pilgrim Trust, has praised the fund
for enabling organisations "to take a strategic approach to supporting
some of our most iconic and magnificent buildings".
Frank Field MP, Chair of the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for
England, added that the fund is "the only grant source targeted at
critical repairs to England's historic cathedrals".
"We are pleased to have been able to help a number of cathedrals and
also to support innovative solutions to problems posed by 20th century
construction and changing weather patterns," he noted.
In addition to this, the Church of England's Cathedral Amenities
Fund, which gives money for improvements to the settings of ancient
cathedrals, is also awarding a further £149,500.
This money will go towards the conservation of the ruins of the
Infirmary Chapel at Canterbury Cathedral, repairing the Edgar Tower Gate
at Worcester Cathedral, and improving the west end surroundings of
Bristol Cathedral.
These grants will help with urgent requirements for repair and
conservation work, but cathedrals across the UK are in need of much more
money simply to pay for their routine upkeep and maintenance.
As they do not receive any direct government funding, an estimated
£10 million is currently needed to protect and preserve the 42 iconic
Anglican buildings across England.