The Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England (CFCE) has welcomed a new fund of £500,000 for cathedral fabric repairs. The fund has been made possible by the Wolfson Foundation, a charity supporting excellence in the fields of science and medicine, health, education and the arts and humanities.
Cathedrals with some Pre-Reformation fabric will be eligible to apply for a share of the fund.
Grants will be given for major repairs to historic fabric, like stonework and roofs, but will not be offered for development works. Cathedrals will be expected to obtain matching funding.
CFCE Chairman, Frank Field MP, said: “We welcome this important initiative from the Wolfson Foundation, which has continued its support for England’s historic cathedrals, after English Heritage had to stop their ring-fenced funding.”
Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation, said he hoped that the partnership with the CFCE would aid the conservation of the nation's cathedrals and encourage other funding to be made available.
He said: “Cathedrals are the country’s most precious buildings. They are a critical part of our national heritage."
Frank Field added: “This new fund is a tangible response to changing economic and political conditions, and demonstrates the key role that private funding can play in securing the future of England’s magnificent cathedrals. We hope that this initiative will fire the imagination of other foundations. I believe that this is an early example of how ‘The Big Society’ will work.”
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