HLF comes up Trumps for St Woolos Cathedral

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has shown its support for the restoration of St Woolos Cathedral, Newport by making an initial grant to the Appeal of £47,000.

St Woolos Cathedral in Newport is in need of urgent work to its medieval roof timbers. An inspection also found that repairs are needed to the outer walls, the clay roof tiles and tower. An estimated £2.5 million needs to be raised to be pay for the work. The Appeal has been awarded this sum of £47,000 by Heritage Lottery Wales to help with planning the project prior to a further application, in due course, for a major Heritage Grant of almost 1 million pound.

The Dean welcoming the grant said "It is well known that any large-scale project, extending over 5 phases and at least five years, requires major planning and financial management if it is to succeed. The St. Woolos Rescue Appeal is no exception."

The HLF Project Planning Grant is intended to support the costs of reports that are necessary to support the full application . These include:

· An access plan which involves research designed to improve access to the heritage;

· A conservation management plan to bring about a better understanding of a heritage site and how it will be managed to conserve its significance;

· An audience development plan which involves research to develop new audiences for the heritage, and

· A measured survey of the Cathedral to support the varied work to be completed as part of the project.

Explaining the importance of the award HLF Manager for Wales, Jennifer Stewart said, "St Woolos is an historic landmark in Newport and HLF is delighted to award this grant for the initial project planning work. The plans will help us assess the heritage the building represents and the strategies which will be put in place to restore it, as well as how the building will be opened up to the public and how they will learn about the heritage."

The Cathedral Rescue Appeal now stands at over £185,000, a figure which does not include the monies being raised by the Mayor of Newport as part of his Mayoral Charity funding.

The HLF enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more about our diverse heritage. From our great museums and historic buildings to local parks and beauty spots or recording and celebrating traditions,customs and history, HLF grants open up our nation's heritage for everyone to enjoy. This year marks the 10th birthday of the Lottery. Since its conception, HLF has supported 16,600 projects allocating £3.3 billion across the UK.

FURTHER INFORMATION: Fr. Mark Soady St Woolos Cathedral + Newport, S. Wales NP20 4EW - 07968 753978 : mark.soady@ntlworld.com