WATCH: Cathedral in Crisis: Dean of Peterborough makes plea as campaign nears end - and has his say on whether Church of England should provide more support to cathedrals

A final surge in donations is needed to ensure Peterborough Cathedral hits its £300,000 target as part of the ‘Cathedral in Crisis’ campaign.

The campaign was launched at the beginning of this year, in a bid to ensure the historic building can remain open seven days a week, in the face of mounting financial pressure.

Donations have been ‘overwhelming’ and ‘quite touching’

The campaign comes to an end at the end of March, and Dean of Peterborough The Very Rev Chris Dalliston said they had raised around £200,000 so far.

Very Rev Dalliston also said he had sympathy with the Church of England, after calls from across Peterborough for the church to put more money into Cathedrals like Peterborough.

He said: One of the things that we've been overwhelmed with has been the fact that we've had over a thousand people who've donated to this campaign, and that's an extraordinary response.

"Those donations have varied hugely in size from 10 pounds in an envelope from a lady somewhere, to a thousand pounds, and sometimes a little bit more.

"That has really struck us. That something like a thousand people have cared enough to do this from the great gifts, to the small ones, that's really overwhelming and quite touching in some cases, that people have wanted to support the Cathedral and find that this is a place that is deeply meaningful and important to them.”

‘Huge demand’ on Church of England’

Since the campaign was launched in January, The Peterborough Telegraph has seen scores of comments asking why The Church of England had not provided more support for the Cathedral.

When asked about whether the Church of England should provide more support, Very Rev Dalliston said: “There is a huge demand, it has to be said, on the church at the moment. There are not only 42 Cathedrals, which were each of them in their own way have quite significant financial costs, and demands. There are 42 Dioceses, many of those dioceses are running deficits.

"Churchgoing doesn't generate the numbers that we used to have.

"There has recently been a concern about the fact that the pensions of clergy have been reduced, most clergy as have sacrificial Ministries during their lives and a decent pension is one of the things that helps

recompense that in later life.

“So there are huge demands on the Church of England. Obviously it would be lovely if they were able in a position to support us a bit more. But I think it's an illusion to think that they have so much money that they could just sort out all these problems overnight. "There's a long-term strategy for the church, which has to kind of care for those people in the long term, not just in the short term.”

When contacted by the Peterborough Telegraph at the start of the campaign, a spokesperson for The Church of England said: “Our Cathedrals are a central part of the nation's cherished historical and cultural heritage as well as providing spiritual and pastoral support to their communities.

"They attract million of visitors every year and provide jobs and an economic boost to their regions, hosting cultural and civic gatherings as well as worship. Many also provide practical help to people through social action projects.

"The Cathedrals were packed with people for Advent services, carols and Christmas services over the recent festive period - with many coming to hear and seek comfort and spiritual inspiration from the world famous choral music.

"This is just one example of how central they are to their local communities and the life of the nation.

"The costs of maintaining our Cathedrals are considerable. We very much hope that the Government renews the Listed Places of Worship grant scheme, due to expire at the end of March, which currently refunds the VAT on repairs to listed churches: this makes an essential contribution towards the maintenance and repair of these exceptionally special places.”

Plans to provide sustainable source of income going forward

The challenge for the Cathedral going forward will be to ensure that there is a steady stream of income, so that come 2026, a similar campaign will not be needed.

When The Peterborough Telegraph visited this week, the Cathedral was packed with visitors, many queuing up to visit The Longest Yarn exhibition that is taking place throughout March.

However, the Dean said that while some events – such as The Longest Yarn – were big hits, others were not so successful – and the Cathedral would be looking to secure a more regular, sustainable income.

Very Rev Dalliston said: “I think we have to continue to to push on with this. We hope that some of those people who've given a one off donation, might wish to become a regular contributors through one of our Cathedral schemes. Maybe you can give a small amount every month, or a larger sum if you're able. It is is having that kind of guaranteed regular income, that's really important to us.

"One of the challenges we have is that events can fly or they can sometimes not be so successful, exhibitions can produce a great deal of support and sometimes less. So, so much of, that is uncertain. What we need to do is to build a kind of consistent support base, whether it be through individuals, from corporate sponsors, through others, to really kind of put us on a level footing.”

How to support campaign

For more information about the Cathedral in Crisis campaign – and other events taking place at Peterborough Cathedral – visit https://peterborough-cathedral.org.uk/