Portsmouth Cathedral welcomes lifeline funding from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage

Portsmouth Cathedral is delighted to announce that we have been awarded a grant from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage.

We are one of thousands of cultural organisations across the country being awarded support totalling nearly £400million today. This grant will provide a continued lifeline to Portsmouth Cathedral, safeguarding jobs and supporting us financially over the next three months as we start to reopen for public visiting.

Dean Anthony welcomed the news, saying “I am absolutely delighted that Portsmouth Cathedral has been awarded a further grant from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage. Portsmouth Cathedral is a key part of the Portsmouth’s heritage, with the Cathedral’s tower being the first light sailors saw when returning to port, and our building enshrines the memories and stories of so many generations.Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on the Cathedral’s financial stability, as it has on so many other heritage and cultural organisations. This new grant gives us the financial security over spring to reopen fully to visitors once again, whilst safeguarding jobs and our heritage.”

The Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage previously supported Portsmouth Cathedral in September 2020 with a grant to safeguard jobs and develop new income streams over a six-month period to March 2021.

That funding has enabled us to launch an online shop for the first time, stocking new ranges of bespoke products alongside hand-picked products from local, ethical companies and producers.

The grant has also supported new ways for visitors and audiences to engage with our heritage, including a new online virtual tour of Portsmouth Cathedral, and an app hosting a series of self-guided tours for those visiting us in person (launching 17 May).

The grant we are announcing today from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage will support Portsmouth Cathedral from April to June 2021.