TWO OF OUR CATHEDRALS BENEFIT FROM FIRST WORLD WAR CENTENARY CATHEDRAL REPAIRS FUND
Ripon and Wakefield Cathedrals are amongst the winners in a new round of cathedral grants worth £6.9m from the First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs.
In Wakefield,(pictured left) the C.jpg)
athedral has been awarded £72,000 for conservation and repair of three east end stained glass windows and Ripon- with its Saxon crypt - the oldest feature of any cathedral in England - has been granted £19,208 for urgent repairs to the glazing of 35 of its historic windows. (pictured right)
The Dean of Ripon, The Very Revd John Dobson said: “I am delighted that while the project to repair high level stonework is getting underway thanks to our first grant from the WWI Centenary fund, this second grant now makes it possible to do urgent repair work on these windows. This is all in the context of the Cathedral developing its strategy to further the vision of growing God's Kingdom in Ripon, the diocese and beyond. “
Work will start soon on the second phase of Wakefield Cathedral’s redevelopment project – called Project 2015, a £2.2m refurbishment of the East End of the Grade 1 listed building – and this latest award gives an extra boost to that project.
The Sub Dean, Canon Tony Macpherson said: “ We are delighted to have been awarded this to make those historic stained glass windows shine again. These are a vital part of our heritage and history and this will allow us to better share them with the people of this diocese and beyond.”
In total 24 Church of England and seven Catholic cathedrals will benefit thanks to the announcement of £6.9 million in grants from the Government-sponsored fund set up to support vital repairs to some of England’s most important historic buildings with grants of between £12,000 and £800,000 for essential and urgent repairs ranging from repairs to roofs and stonework through to complete re-wiring.
Lichfield Cathedral, containing treasures such as the St Chad’s Gospel and the Saxon ‘Lichfield Angel’ sculpture, receives the largest grant, of £800,000, for work to replace wiring and lighting systems in the medieval building.The cathedral was facing the possibility of closure without the essential work.
Other cathedrals to receive grants include Durham, which has been allocated £568,000 for repair and conservation work on its central tower. In Birmingham, £500,000 has been awarded to replace failed wiring and lighting with a new scheme to showcase its Baroque architecture and Edward Burne-Jones stained glass windows and with £65,000,Sheffield Cathedral will be able to bring two chapels back into use by replacing failed lighting.
Rt Hon Frank Field MP, Chairman, Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England, said:“In the year of the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta, six copies of which are still held by cathedrals, it is timely to consider the place of the church in the life of the nation. In the case of cathedrals it is clear that they provide much more than services. They offer a spiritual and physical sanctuary from everyday life, a chance to experience something greater. It is right and proper that the Government is supporting the care of these places and the huge range of initiatives – from food banks and night shelters to concerts and exhibitions – that cathedrals run for the benefit of us all.”
This final round of grants has been made available as part of the £20 million First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund, which was first announced by the Chancellor in the budget in March 2014.
AND TWELVE OF OUR CHURCHES ARE WINNERS IN CHANCELLOR'S ROOF REPAIR FUND
And Chancellor, George Osborne has just announced the first round of historic UK places of worship to benefit from the Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund.
Hundreds of places of worship across all four corners of the UK will now be made weathertight, safe and open for use – including12 of ours across north and west Yorkshire. (see list below)
A total of 502 places of worship will receive between £10,000 to £100,000 to meet the costs of urgent repairs to roofs and rainwater disposal systems. Money is also being provided for structural investigations; specialist reports and bat surveys.
They are:
The Churches Conservation St Mary's, Stainburn Trust £97,100
PCC of All Saints' Church All Saints' Burton in Lonsdale £100,000
St Cuthbert with St. Mary's Church, Barton, Richmond £19,000
Holy Trinity Parish Church, Skipton £41,900
St Michael the Archangel, Kirkby in Malhamdale £58,500
St Peter's Church, Hebden, Skipton £16,900
Church of St Gregory, Bedale £96,600
St Peter's Rylstone Skipton £79,700
Holy Trinity Parish Church, Cowling £77,700
St Bartholemew's Parish Church, Marsden, £40,700
St Augustine's Church, Scissett £40,000
St Andrew's Church, Blubberhouses (pictured below) PCC of Fewston £14,800
Grants announced account for £30million of the allocated funding. The Fund will reopen to new applications later this year and successful applicants will be announced in 2016. All those who were unsuccessful in today’s first round of awards will be able to reapply.
The Fund is administered by the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) on behalf of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.