Chichester Cathedral has received a £297,000 grant from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage and the Heritage Stimulus Fund - funded by Government and administered at arms length by Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Earlier this year the Cathedral, which has been at the centre of life in Chichester for over 900 years, was forecasting losses of over £1m – a direct result of lost income caused by the pandemic.
The Dean of Chichester, The Very Reverend Stephen Waine, said:
“We are incredibly grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England. These funds will support the Cathedral and its community on our journey of recovery.
The Cathedral costs £3,000 a day to maintain. The funds from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England will contribute towards essential existing job roles and operational activity.”
On top of covering existing costs to support the Cathedral’s ancient heritage and protect its artistic treasures, many of which are of national importance, the grant will also enable live-streamed services to continue. The Cathedral is joined weekly by hundreds of people for its services online, including those who are shielding and unable to take part in worship in-person.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England have issued grants totalling over £10.7m to 66 churches and cathedrals across the country. 16 cathedrals and 50 parish churches (24 of which are designated as major churches) will benefit from money under the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage (the CRF for Heritage).
The CRF for Heritage was designed to support organisations in England from across the heritage ecosystem that were financially viable prior to COVID-19 and who are now at risk of failure. The programme offers grants of between £10,000 and £3million and all funding awarded must be spent by the end of the financial year.