Covid funding boost for St Asaph’s ancient Cathedral

St Asaph Cathedral has been awarded almost £120,000 from the Wales Cultural Recovery Fund.

The money will cover essential running costs until March 2021 and will ensure the ancient building can re-open fully to visitors once Covid restrictions are lifted.

The Cathedral which dates from the thirteenth century has lost all its income from concerts, tours, major diocesan services and visitors during the Coronavirus Pandemic. At the moment, it can only open for socially distanced church services and private prayer.

The Dean of St Asaph Cathedral, the Very Reverend Nigel Williams said: “Thank you to the Welsh Government for recognising the historic and cultural significance of our Cathedral and awarding this sizable grant to enable us to continue serving the local region.

“The money is essential to help us cover the day to day running costs of this ancient building. It will pay for our utilities, insurances, maintenance costs and staff costs, not covered by furlough arrangements.

“It is a major boost at a time when, like so many businesses, we were beginning to wonder how we would recover from our precarious situation. We now look forward with hope to next year and a full re-opening of the Cathedral and Translators’ Tearoom.”

St Asaph Cathedral has been chosen by Denbighshire County Council to be lit up in December as part of an overall winter shopping campaign to support local businesses. The Light Up Denbighshire project aims to boost the number of people visiting town centres. Among the other locations chosen is St Peter’s Church in Ruthin.

Throughout December there is also an opportunity to collect a craft bag to connect families with the Cathedral’s history and heritage. This month, the bag contains the essential items to create an Angel Positivity Box, inspired by all the hidden gems within the Cathedral. There are films on the Cathedral’s own Youtube channel with instructions on how to make the craft item and explain more about the Cathedral’s history. Plus, the Cathedral has launched a “how to write poetry” film with two new characters, Mr Inkwell and Folky the cat. It’s designed as a lighthearted and accessible guide to writing poetry and is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTDQv9fAIhE

St Asaph Cathedral is running Sunday services both online and in person.  Morning and Evening Prayer takes place every day in the Cathedral.  Details of all services and how to book free tickets for the Cathedral’s popular Christmas services are available via the Cathedral website.