Portsmouth Cathedral welcomes two new grants

Portsmouth Cathedral is pleased to welcome two much-needed grants to support our heritage and improve how we work as an organisation. We are so grateful for this funding, without which these important projects would not be possible.   

We have received a grant from the Heritage Stimulus Covid-19 Emergency Heritage at Risk Response Fund, part of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund. The grant will entirely fund work to repair the rapidly decaying stonework and glazing to the South West in the nave.  

Dean Anthony comments “An unfortunate side-effect of being the ‘Cathedral of the Sea’ is that our historic building is exposed to a significant amount of salt-laden rain water which can be extremely damaging. Thanks to this grant, our South West window will be restored for all to enjoy now and into the future.” 

Work to the South West window has already started and is due to be completed before the end of March.  

We have also received another grant from the Cathedral Sustainability Fund, who already cover the salaries for two of the cathedral staff. The Fund has agreed to fully pay the costs for a one-year Records Manager post. This position will enable the Cathedral to streamline office functions and make full use of our new database and our recent upgrade to Office 365. In addition, as we prepare to come under the regulatory overview of the Charity Commission for the first time as part of the Cathedral Measures Act, this role will our records reflect best practice in the management of data, thereby aiding good governance.  

Chief Operating Officer, Richard Abraham, comments “Although this may not appear to be the most exciting of roles, bringing in a Records Manager for a year is vital. Due to the impact of Covid-19 on our finances, we have had to reduce our staff team by almost 20% (through not recruiting vacant roles, and sadly through redundancy). We have one of the smallest staff teams of any cathedral and so it is crucial we work as efficiently and effectively as possible. This funding will also help to ensure that we are ready to comply with the legal and governance requirements of the Charity Commission when we come under their supervision.”  

Recruitment for the Records Manager will begin in February. 

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