On Saturday 24 July a special ‘Marking the Milestone’ event was held in the Cathedral to celebrate the Leicester Cathedral Revealed journey so far and thank those who have generously given. Dean David blessed the site in readiness for the work ahead.
It is planned that building works will begin at the end of August and be completed in summer 2023. The Cathedral will remain open during initial works that will focus on the Old Song School and Cathedral Gardens rather than the main building. More information about what can be expected in Cathedral Gardens and timing of other work will be made available over the coming weeks and months.
The recent funding awards from the National Heritage Lottery Fund, Leicester City Council, and Leicestershire County Council and Diocesan Board of Finance mean the £12.65m Leicester Cathedral Revealed project is almost ready to start. The Cathedral only has £220k left to raise and the team is very confident that work can begin at the end of the summer.
The Cathedral is a significant historic building and an important gathering place within the city for worship and prayer and is known by many for its range of regular and special services, including ordinations of clergy and commissioning, authorising and licensing lay ministers, pioneers and pastoral assistants from churches and fresh expressions of church right across the Diocese of Leicester. It also holds a special place in people’s hearts for the worship and prayer it leads on civic occasions from royal events to memorials in challenging times, as well as social action and art installations such as those highlighting the suffering of refugees and the threat to our planet from climate change.
Leicester Cathedral Revealed will restore and renew the Cathedral building and construct a new extension on the site of the Old Song School – providing learning and exhibition spaces, vergers and volunteer’s facilities, visitor’s toilets, and storage. The project will have a transformative effect on what the Cathedral will be able to do, including an improved experience of being within the Cathedral; better facilities for ministry and learning about the Christian faith; expansion of musical and cultural provision; greater integration with the precinct and city; strengthening mission and social cohesion.
For further information on Leicester Cathedral Revealed see http://leicestercathedral.org/project-vision/