Cathedral Fundraising Reaches Important First Phase Target

Published on: 16 Sep, 2014
Updated on: 18 Sep, 2014

The Dean of Guildford Cathedral, the Very Revd Diana Gwilliams at the launch of the Make Your Mark fundraising campaign.

Guildford Cathedral has announced today (September 16) that it has reached its first phase goal of raising £1.3 million for work to protect and transform the cathedral.

Reaching this initial goal will enable the submission of an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund, next month, for a multi-million pound grant.

The Dean of Guildford, the Very Revd Dianna Gwilliams, said: “It’s a wonderful achievement and we’re so grateful to the many individuals, families and organisations that have supported us through the Make Your Mark campaign.

“More than 1,000 benefactors have supported us and hundreds more have sponsored and participated in Appeal events. We want to say thank you to everyone involved. Your generosity will help us save Guildford Cathedral. Like the “brick-givers”, you are now part of the story of the People’s Cathedral.“

The cathedral regards the appeal to be a vital strand of its “2020 Vision”. The money raised in the £7 million appeal will be used according to a press release issued today (September 16) “…to protect and transform the cathedral, benefiting people of all ages, now and in future generations.”

The cathedral’s most urgent requirement for funds is to remove and replace plaster in the vaults which contains asbestos. At the same time improvements will be made to access, lighting and sound systems, bringing them up to 21st-century standards.

Plans also include an oral history project recording the memories of the “brick-givers” and the development of new visitor resources so that the cathedral is able to expand the range of cultural and educational activities on offer to locals and visitors alike.

This autumn as part of its second phase, the Make Your Mark appeal will be raising funds for work that will include refurbishment of the organ.

Readers wishing to make a donation are asked to visit www.guildfordcathedralmym.com.