St Asaph Cathedral receives £21,000 of National Lottery support to help during Covid-19 pandemic

St Asaph Cathedral has received £21,000 from The National Lottery Heritage to support the building during the closure of all places of worship.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown began St Asaph Cathedral has been unable to hold any fundraising events or large-scale diocesan services which cover the day-to-day running costs of the UK’s smallest ancient Cathedral.  In addition, the Cathedral’s tearoom, Translators’ Tearoom, which brings in much needed revenue, has been closed since the middle of March.

Several major services which take place during Holy Week and Easter and usually bring in many visitors have been cancelled this year.  In normal times collections during these services support the running of the building.

In 2018, St Asaph Cathedral opened the Translators’ Tearoom alongside interactive interpretation facilities, showcasing the heritage, history and people who have been involved in the life of the cathedral over the centuries. These include display cabinets showcasing one of only 20 known copies of the William Morgan Welsh Bible.  The Cathedral was instrumental in the preservation of the Welsh language.

To complement the interpretation facilities, an activities coordinator runs regular events to help as many people as possible access and interact with the heritage.  Lorna Kernahan offers family-friendly events, such as ‘escape-room’ treasure hunts, heritage craft activities and educational tours, which have all been cancelled due to Covid-19.

The Dean of St Asaph Cathedral, the Very Reverend Nigel Williams said: “Thanks to the National Lottery and its players we can now ensure the bills are paid over the next four months to maintain the building ready to welcome visitors back as soon as possible. We’re grateful that The National Lottery Heritage Fund is supporting us at this crucial time – it’s a lifeline to us and others who are passionate about sustaining heritage for the benefit of all.”

The funding, made possible by National Lottery players, was awarded through The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Emergency Fund. £50million has been made available to provide emergency funding for those most in need across the heritage sector.

The UK-wide fund will address both immediate emergency actions and help organisations to start thinking about recovery.

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Heritage has an essential role to play in making communities better places to live, supporting economic regeneration, and benefiting our personal wellbeing.  All of these things are going to be even more important as we emerge from this current crisis.

“Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players we are pleased to be able to lend our support to organisations such as St Asaph Cathedral during this uncertain time.”

Like St Asaph Cathedral, other charities and organisations across the UK that have been affected by the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus outbreak are being given access to a comprehensive package of support of up to £600 million of repurposed money from The National Lottery. This money is supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities and span the arts, community, charity, heritage, education, environment and sports sectors.

Thanks to National Lottery players, £30 million is raised every week for good causes, including heritage of local and national importance. By playing The National Lottery, people up and down the country are making an amazing contribution to the nationwide-response to combatting the impact of COVID-19 on local communities across the UK.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund is currently open to applications for its Heritage Emergency Fund. To find out more visit: https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/responding-coronavirus-covid-19

To find out more about the National Lottery Good Causes , visit: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/coronavirus-pandemic-response

About St Asaph Cathedral

St Asaph Cathedral, which is one of the oldest in Wales, tells the stories of St Asaph and St Kentigern and was instrumental in the preservation of the Welsh language.   It is one of the main heritage attractions along the A55 corridor.

The building dates from 1239 with the present structure completed in the 15th century.  In addition to the William Morgan Bible, the Cathedral also has copies of: the first translation of the New Testament into Welsh dating from 1567, made by the Denbighshire scholar William Salesbury; the revision of the William Morgan Bible from 1620 made by Bishop Richard Parry – also Bishop of St Asaph and a Book of Common Prayer from 1621 containing The Edmund Prys Psalter which allowed Psalms to be sung in Welsh in church for the first time.

Famous historical figures with links to the Cathedral include the poet, Felicia Hemans, the explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley who was a local resident and the writer of the World War I song ‘Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag’, and Felix Powell, who was a chorister at the cathedral.  His name is still to be found graffitied in the choir stalls.

The Cathedral is the “seat” of the Bishop of St Asaph and part of the Church in Wales, an independent Province of the Anglican Communion.  In normal times regular services and activities take place in 214 churches and the diocese looks after 50 Church in Wales Schools.

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Using money raised by the National Lottery, we inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive change for people and communities, now and in the future. www.heritagefund.org.uk #NationalHeritageLotteryFund

The Heritage Emergency Fund remains open for applications for grants ranging from £3,000 to £250,000 until 30 June 2020. Extra advice and support and longer-term skills and capacity building initiatives has also been made available for the heritage sector. Read more about The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s response to the Covid-19 emergency.

About the National Lottery

• Since The National Lottery’s first draw took place on 19 November 1994, more than £40 billion has been raised for good causes in the areas of arts, sport, heritage and community.
• National Lottery players contribute around £30 million to good causes every week.
• The National Lottery has made more than 5,500 millionaires but its primary purpose is giving to good causes – over 565,000 individual grants have been awarded across the UK, that’s the equivalent of 200 life-changing projects in every UK postcode district.