**Friends’ Annual Report 2024** _Supporting Suffolk’s Cathedral since 1942_ ## **FRIENDS OF ST. EDMUNDSBURY CATHEDRAL** ## Registered Charity 262815 Established 1942 ## **Patron** The Lord Lieutenant of the County of Suffolk ## **President** The Right Reverend the Diocesan Bishop ## **Deputy President** The Right Reverend the Bishop of Dunwich ## **Vice President** Mr Robert Rous DL, Vice Lord Lieutenant of the County of Suffolk ## **Director** Mrs Susan Cockram ## **FRIENDS’ COUNCIL** ## **Chairman** Mrs Diana Hunt ## **Members** Mr Ian Brookman FCA (Hon Treasurer) Miss Alison Evans Mr Neville Horn Miss Louise Martin Mr Tom McKenney Mr Stephen Miles Mrs Nella Probert Miss Jill Taylor ## **Ex-Officio** The Very Reverend the Dean of St Edmundsbury The Reverend Canon Pastor, Sub Dean The Reverend Philip Banks, Precentor The Cathedral Wardens 2 ## **ANNUAL FESTIVAL SATURDAY 6 JULY 2024** Our 2024 Festival programme 4 pm **AGM** in the Edmund Room 4.45 pm **Afternoon Tea** in Pilgrims’ Kitchen 6 pm **Summer Concert** by the Cathedral Choirs, in the Cathedral Tickets **£11.50** per person _Please apply for tickets using the booking form enclosed._ 3 ## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT** ## **Legal structure** The Friends are an un-incorporated charity, number 262815, operating with a constitution adopted on the 20 June 1942 and amended on 22 July 1972. The trustees meet three times a year with the day-to-day operation of the charity delegated to the Director, Secretary and Treasurer. ## **Objects** To support and encourage the Dean and Chapter in their work and to add to the fabric and beauty of the Cathedral by contributing towards its restoration, maintenance and improvements as a token of the gratitude which the people of Suffolk, and others, owe to Almighty God. ## **Trustees** The trustee body consists of the following ex office trustees: The President, Deputy President, The Dean, The Canon Pastor, Director, Secretary, Treasurer and the Cathedral Wardens. The trustee body includes up to 9 trustees elected to represent the Archdeaconries. ## **Public benefit** In planning the Friends activities for the year, the trustees kept in mind the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit at the trustees’ meetings. 4 ## **A MESSAGE FROM OUR PATRON** **Our wonderful battalion of Friends remain as always the beating heart of Suffolk’s much loved Cathedral.** You all contribute so much financially but more importantly it is your time and dedication so freely given that makes the whole difference to every aspect of Cathedral life. This may have been a quieter year nationally, but we have still had a fair number of glorious County Services. Well done to one and all and Thank you. May I also thank on everyone’s behalf Sue Cockram and The Friends Council, and those behind the hugely successful tours and Quirky Talks. I look forward to welcoming new Friends in the Year ahead With my warmest best wishes **Clare, Countess of Euston HM Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk** 5 ## **A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN** If you have ever sat in a plane held in a holding pattern over Heathrow airport, circling endlessly around and around through the clouds, you will have a sense of what 2023-4 felt like to be Dean of St Edmundsbury! The holding pattern in which the cathedral seemed to be stuck was never ending: Chairs - NLHF bid - Deanery - endless delays and setbacks gave a sense of never ending circling, waiting to land. Writing today, it is good to be able to report that at least a couple of planes have come into land! The chairs were delivered just in time for Easter and have been well received. The ‘pews project’, conducted jointly with the wonderful charity ‘Rough Stuff’ saw pews repurposed, altered and offcuts turned into coat racks, chopping boards, coasters. No waste, nothing thrown away, former pews given good homes in houses around Suffolk and beyond, and kitchens now proudly hosting chopping boards bearing the legend ‘made from a St Edmundsbury pew’! This has generated income to the in on bring project balance, and provided work experience for current and former prisoners in HMP The Mount in Hertfordshire. 6 On Maundy Thursday we received the news that the Abbey of St Edmundsbury project, of which the cathedral is lead partner, had received a round 1 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund of £732,000 to complete a round 2 bid of just under £6 million to unite the Abbey and cathedral sites as one visitor destination with stonework conserved, pathways and signage renewed and developed, a Visitor Welcome Centre offering an ambitious learning, engagement and interpretation programme centred in buildings on the cathedral site. I hope it is not an exaggeration to say that if we are successful in round 2, the single most significant development in the cathedral’s history since the completion of the tower will have been achieved. However a busy two years lie ahead, with fundraising, the building of a well developed bid and the completion of stringent objectives keeping us busy. 7 The Deanery remains an aeroplane which has yet to land! As reported at the Friends AGM in 2023, the decision made to sell 3 Crown Street to provide funding for the Deanery refurbishment, the refurbishment of flats above the Cathedral Shop and Tourist Information Point and to return a legacy to reserves, has not yet transpired. A good offer on the house fell through at the beginning of 2024 and we await a realistic offer to enable us to complete these crucial works to free up housing for rental, and staff accommodation, enable me to move into the main Deanery and add to the sustainability of our reserves. The image of aeroplanes circling is of course, however, far from the whole picture. 8 The daily round of worship has continued, with encouraging growth in our 9am All Ages Eucharist, a return to pre COVID levels in our 10.30am attendance, and the continued growth in excellence and numbers of all of our cathedral choirs under the exemplary leadership of our Music team, Tim Parsons and Richard Cook. Although very sad to be saying goodbye to Tim as he heads for Wells Cathedral in July, we always knew it would happen sooner or later, and are absolutely delighted to welcome Claudia Grinnell from Winchester Cathedral as she joins us in September. The daily round of prayer, the diversity and joy of Sunday worship, the excellence of diocesan, county and national services: these all speak consistently of the landing of the craft of faith, hope and love. Our finances have remained resilient amidst the continued challenge of keeping airborne in financially buffeting storms. The crew, our fantastically committed staff and volunteers, ensure a wonderful programme of fundraising events, hospitality in Pilgrims Kitchen and the shop, a gentle encouragement to visitors to donate and the cathedral community to commit and participate. At time of writing we anticipate the delivery of a balanced budget for 2024, no mean achievement. In any aeroplane there are pilots, crew and passengers but I am not sure if St Edmundsbury there are any passengers; everyone seems to play their part, and among them The Friends of St Edmundsbury can take pride of place. The grants in 2023, from a generous commitment towards the chairs, a new crozier case, coffin trestles, a new icon for the Lady Chapel, all of this generosity and fundraising keeps the craft beautiful and helps her speed onwards towards the haven where we will all eventually make landfall. Heartfelt thanks, prayers and warmest good wishes, _Dean Joe_ **The Very Reverend Joe Hawes Dean of St Edmundsbury** ## **INTRODUCING THE CATHEDRAL’S MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER:** ## **CATHERINE RAYSON** _Hi,_ my job title means that I look after pretty much everything that anyone sees or reads, both internally and externally, online and offline. I manage the Cathedral website and social media; I write our press releases and liaise with the media. I make the posters around the building (including anything on the new digital screens), and almost all the printed leaflets you see around, as well as any adverts you see in local magazines are designed by me. I look after our email marketing and lend a hand with event administration, as well as social media as social media advertising which allows us to reach more people with a smaller budget. My role is very much a supportive on and I work with everyone at the Cathedral to publicise and promote the things they do. Some of what I do for the Cathedral is not so public facing, like using data to analyse the effectiveness of our marketing activity and supporting my colleagues with creating strategy-driven activities. Day to day, my role is shouting about all the things we do and making sure that people are visiting us, whether for worship, an event, family activities, eating in Pilgrims Kitchen or shopping at the Cathedral shop. I am keen that our communication work both ways. One of the initiatives we started last year was the ‘You Said, We Did’ project. This encourages visitors and volunteers to give feedback so we can action change based on good ideas and valuable experience. To show that we are listening, our actions based on these suggestions are published. 10 After new implementing practices in 2022 such as the content calendar, events email, and social media advertising, 2023 was mostly spent carrying on these initiatives and seeing growth. There was an increase of about 12% in our social media followers and an 24% growth in our events email mailing list. We maintained a decent spread of media coverage with 152 pieces online and completed branding work such as building signage and visitor leaflets, including new digital welcome leaflets in eight languages. The pew project started in earnest at the beginning of 2024 which saw the sale and repurposing of the Cathedral pews following their replacement with new chairs – a very big task! I joined the Cathedral in October 2021 having previously worked in marketing roles for a variety of companies, including global, national, non-profit and startups. ## **Catherine Rayson** ## **Marketing and Communications Manager** 11 ## **MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY’S REPORT** Since I started being Secretary and then Membership Secretary of the Friends some years ago I have been pleased to meet so many you at events, trips or annual gatherings. Your enthusiasm and support for the Cathedral is very much appreciated and I am hoping to meet many more of you in 2024. You will be pleased to know that subscription rates have remained stable for the last few years and are still extremely good value at £15 per person or £25 for a couple. If you wanted to make a one-off payment and become a life member that is also available with prices starting from as little as £100 for individuals over 65 - details can be found on the Cathedral Website **stedscathedral.org** - search for the word Friends and you will find a link to our page with a flyer and application form. Why not encourage a friend of yours to support our wonderful Cathedral by giving them a Friends subscription for a year ? The Director, Sue Cockram will send a letter of welcome and they will receive an annual report and invites via email to talks, events, trips and holidays. Subscriptions may be paid by cheque or standing order and cheque renewals can be posted for my attention to The Membership Secretary, The Friends of St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Cathedral Office, Abbey House, Angel Hill, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1LS We do now offer BACS transfers direct into our account for one off events such as Quirky talks, holiday or trips payments - we just ask that you contact me when you have done this so that I can check with our bank that payment has been accepted. You can contact me on 01284 716499 or via email at **friends@stedscathedral.org** Looking forward to seeing many of you again in 2024. **Louise Martin Membership Secretary** 12 ## **GREAT ASHFIELD GARDEN TOUR AND TALK** Last September, about 45 of us were warmly welcomed by Stephen and Petrina Miles to their beautiful gardens at Great Ashfield where we were able to enjoy wandering around the garden – vegetable garden, flower cutting area, fruit trees, greenhouses and the most wonderful display of dahlias! We then sat in a marquee and listened to a fascinating talk by Joe Sherman from Monksilver Nursery, Cambridge. Unfortunately, the speaker we had booked was unable to come but we were not disappointed! Joe was as a very amusing and knowledgeable man talking about “Autmn Flowers of Peloponnese” he also came well supplied with plants to sell! As always, we were served a most delicious homemade tea after the talk. A wonderful afternoon – enjoyed by all and our grateful thanks most go to Stephen and Petrina for allowing us to invade their lovely space. ## **MORE ABOUT OUR QUIRKY TALKS** **Our series of Quirky Talks form part of our fundraising activities for our Cathedral.** We aim to make these affordable and available to all. Reflecting that the Cathedral is the Mother Church of Suffolk, we are keen to move them around the county - enabling more Friends to come and more Suffolk people to hear about us. Look out for our next one in early 2025 - details to follow. If you have an idea for a Quirky Speaker, or could suggest a venue to host us, please get in touch with the Director. As part of our outreach work, we are keen to work with parish churches across the Diocese to our mutual benefit. 13 ## **FRIENDS HOLIDAY TO DERBYSHIRE** We set off promptly from Bury at 8am and arrived at **Derby Cathedral** in time for coffee. I was served by a very friendly lady called Sarah who said she used to live in Bury and whom I learnt later is the wife of the Dean of Derby Cathedral, Peter Robinson, more of the Dean later. Not only did I discover later that she is the Dean’s wife, but she is also the daughter of Canon Michael Walker who was vicar of St Mary’s in Bury and she was married in St Mary’s. I am Churchwarden of St Mary’s. Derby Cathedral is a fascinating building. By the early 18[th] Century, the building was in a ruinous state and after endless committee meetings trying to decide whether it should be repaired or replaced the vicar (it was not a cathedral until 1927) unilaterally decided to demolish the nave and chancel overnight (no faculty!) and he employed a gang of workmen to do this. The church now has a medieval tower and a Georgian nave and chancel. 14 The tower was built at the same time as the nave of Bury Cathedral and I wondered if they shared the same master mason, but no one in Derby seemed to have heard of John Wastell. Towards the end of our tour the Dean appeared and gave us another welcome and left us with the four words which epitomise Derby Cathedral – Light, Beauty, Innovation and Sanctuary. The highlight of day two was to visit **Haddon Hall** , a medieval manor house which went to sleep for 200 years when the owner decided to live in his other house – Belvoir Castle. Haddon Hall was rescued by the 9[th] Duke of Rutland who was wracked with guilt for not fighting at the front during the first world war and became a recluse. To do so he sold three quarters of the Haddon estate, but hey ho! On the last day we called in at the **National Arboretum.** I expected to see trees, there were lots of young trees, but the dominant ambiance was that it is a MEMORIAL Arboretum. Its objective is to honour the fallen, recognise service and sacrifice, and foster pride in the British Armed Forces and civilian community. There are about 150 different memorial sites. I found it very moving. It brought home to me the fragility of democracy and freedom and the way so many people in a lot of different organisations need to struggle and if necessary, sacrifice their lives to maintain it. We also managed a fleeting re-visit to **Litchfield Cathedral.** I was impressed that a rather large statue of King Charles II, who paid for the church to be repaired after the Civil War, has been moved from the magnificent West front to near the south door to make way for a statue of Jesus. We arrived home five minutes early, I won’t mention the missing glasses, a well organised and most enjoyable trip. Very many thanks and congratulations to Art and Sue Tanner. ## **Brian Jones** ## **OUTING TO HMS GANGES MUSEUM AND BOAT TRIP AROUND HARWICH HARBOUR** **The Museum is a small single story building on the Shotley Peninsula and is packed with a variety of artefacts and memorabilia telling the story of the Royal Navy Training Establishment (RNTE), HMS Ganges.** Our enthusiastic volunteer guides took us through the history of HMS Ganges. The war ship, built in India in the early 1800s was converted to a training centre in 1866. Initially moored at Falmouth it was transferred to Harwich Harbour in 1899. In 1905 the 500 boys aged 15, were moved ashore to the Royal Navy Training Establishment Shotley, and it continued as a shore based training centre until it closed in 1976. In 1927 RNTE Shotley became HMS Ganges. Over the next 70 years the establishment developed and by the 1940s numbers had increased to 2,000 a year, with 200 boys joining every five weeks. The Guides told of the strict discipline and harsh punishment the 15 year olds experienced. The boys came straight from school and were often from deprived and impoverished areas. Their training included basic seamanship duties, education and physical fitness. In the 1950s the training was further extended to other branches of the Royal Navy. After the one year training at shore based HMS Ganges they left to join the Royal Navy fleet. Despite the discipline and rigour, few boys absconded. A total of 160,000 boys passed through the gates of HMS Ganges and on leaving expressed a certain fondness for the place and pride in what they had achieved. 17 The party of 13 Friends’ enjoyed the visit and highlighted the newsreel showing the ceremony of The Manning of the Mast. The personal histories, which included photos, certificates and log books gave insight into the influence the training at HMS Ganges had on so many young lives. As the Guides’ recounted their time as trainees at HMS Ganges we were treated to a ‘living history’ and entertained by their anecdotes. Following a break for lunch we met on the pontoon at Shotley Marina and boarded the Harbour ferry. As the ferry crossed to Harwich, despite hazy sunshine, the outline of Shotley peninsula was well defined. From Harwich we headed to Felixstowe and observed at close hand the extensive docks area. From Felixstowe we made the return journey via Harwich and back to Shotley Marina. A most interesting, entertaining and informative day was enjoyed in good company. ## **PROJECTS SUPPORTED BY THE FRIENDS IN RECENT YEARS** |2010|Refurbishment of Cathedral Toilets, restoration work to|16,500| |---|---|---| ||Hardy picture of the Abbey, and printing of prayer cards|| |2011|Grant towards display cases in new Treasury|20,000| |2012|Contribution towards casting of the 13th bell|2,000| ||Contribution towards rewiring of lights in the Lady Chapel|1,250| |2013|Contribution towards Bishop’s Crozier Case|2,000| ||Contribution towards cost of South Aisle roof repairs|5,000| |2014|Grant towards book survey in Ancient Library|800| ||Cost of new Altar linen|300| ||Repair to Bishop’s Crozier and cost of new microphone|622| |2015|Contribution towards West End Refurbishment and grant|10,020| ||for repair of the Jubilee Cross|| |2016|First contribution towards Bishops’ & Deans’ Stone|2,000| |2017|Further contribution towards Bishops’ & Deans’ Stone|3,000| ||Contribution towards new hymn books|1,200| ||Contribution towards cleaning Reynolds Memorials and|1,000| ||West End window|| |2018|Contribution to the WW1 work on Clerestory Windows and|2,716| ||library roof repairs|| ||Altar Frontal and Dossal for The Lady Chapel|7,525| ||Final contribution towards Bishops’ & Deans’ Stone|600| |2019|Restoration of Ancient Library books|1,000| |2020|Contribution to Abbey Millennium Anniversary Stone|5,000| ||AV equipment for livestreaming of Services|1,400| |2022|Restoration of_The Infant St John with A Lamb_by|750| ||J. W. Guillod (1850)|| ||Contribution towards new chairs for the Nave|50,000| |2023|Coffin trestles|2500| ||Bishop of Dunwich Crozier Display Case|5465| |2024|Lady Chapel icon|1200| ||Lady Chapel communion table|500| 19 ## **TRANSFERRING SHARES TO THE FRIENDS** It is a fact that individuals can get income tax relief on the value of their donations to charity of quoted shares and securities. This is especially useful to any donor who is a higher or top rate taxpayer. _For instance: a 40% taxpayer would receive a relief of £4,000 on a donation of £10,000. Effectively, the donation would have cost £6,000. Moreover, potential capital gains tax on a disposal is avoided as it is a gift to a charity._ If you would like to make a donation to _the Friends_ via share transfer, please contact the Director. ## **LEGACIES** It is a straightforward matter to make a bequest to support our work. The following wording will enable you to make a bequest in our favour. “ _I give (state the sum in words and in figures) to The Friends of St. Edmundsbury Cathedral (Charity No 262815), Cathedral Office, Abbey House, Angel Hill, Bury St. Edmunds IP33 1LS and I declare that the receipt of the Treasurer or other duly authorised officer of the charity shall be a good and sufficient discharge to my Trustees”._ If a will is altered at a later date, the legacy can form a codicil to the will, and provided the codicil is signed by the donor in the presence of two independent witnesses and dated, it may be kept as an attachment to the original will by the solicitor. ## **SUBSCRIPTIONS** We are always keen to welcome new Friends from across the Diocese and beyond. Please feel free to expand the membership by inviting a colleague or friend to join. Friends annual subscription is set at **£15** per person or **£25** per couple at the same address. Life membership rates Corporate Membership, open to Church Councils, Schools, Clubs and Private Groups, is an annual minimum subscription of **£25** . Corporate Membership for Registered Businesses is **£75** per annum. 20 **FRIENDS OF ST. EDMUNDSBURY CATHEDRAL** ## **Agenda for the 82nd Annual General Meeting** ## **4 pm Saturday 6 July 2024 in the Edmund Room** 1. Welcome and Prayers 2. Apologies 3. Appointment and reappointment of Officers 4. Minutes of the last AGM (24 June 2023) 5. Matters Arising 6. Dean’s Report 7. Director’s Report _enclosed_ 8. Presentation of the Accounts _enclosed_ 9. Appointment and Ratification of Independent Examiner 10. Changes to Membership of the Friends’ Council 11. Any Other Business ** - _** Any items for Any Other Business to be notified to the Director by 21 June 2024_ 21 ## **THE 2024 DIRECTOR’S REPORT** Another very busy year – I find it hard to believe I was writing to you all 12 months ago! The year for Friends has been quieter than previous years, but I will reflect on some of our activities. The new chairs are now in place in the Cathedral and have created a much lighter and flexible space allowing more events to be held in the building, pop concerts, silent discos, dinners, and many other events which all bring much needed money into the Cathedral coffers. As the Dean has said in his report the pews have been sold or remade into so many different items and it is good to have a memory of the old pews. The Friends have contributed to many items in the Cathedral – the new Coffin trestles, the small new Communion table for use at the 9.00am service; the Crozier case; restoration of books for the Ancient Library to name a few. It is over 80 years since Provost White and Stephen Dykes-Bower established The Friends. During these years the Cathedral has been transformed into the beautiful building we see today, and the Friends have contributed a great deal to this. The Dean has mentioned the NLHF grant in his report which is very exciting new for not only the Cathedral, but also the Town and County and I know we shall all want to be involved with this project. We now look forward to a bright and continuing future as we await to hear the part we shall play in the next exciting few years in the life of the Cathedral. Sadly, during the past year, we have lost some of our close Friends – I would particularly like to mention Canon Geoffrey Tarris who was Director of The Friends for over 10 years in the 1980s and will be remembered with great affection and David Rees who was a very active and dedicated member of the Friends Council for many years. 22 We are immensely grateful to those who have left us legacies over the years. We are always happy to discuss peoples’ intentions – sometimes in memory of a loved one or to support the objectives of The Friends’ work. We have recruited 21 new Friends during the year, which is excellent news, but we need more so please encourage your friends to join. Membership forms are in the Cathedral or do please contact me or Louise Martin. We enjoyed another interesting “quirky talk” in April and are busy planning one for the Autmn and another for the Spring 2025. We try to find interesting speakers on different subjects and our afternoons always end with a delicious homemade tea! The AGM on Saturday 6 July is taking a slightly different form – we shall not be having Evensong as the Choir are giving their Summer Concert at 6.00 pm which will include, amongst other items, the launch of their CD which includes new commissions from Ghislaine Reece-Trapp and Edward Picton-Turbervill, and music by Mark Blatchly, Herbert Howells, Philip Wilby and others – something not to be missed! The AGM will be at 4.00 pm, followed by a speaker and tea, then we have been invited to attend the Summer Concert given by the Cathedral Choir. I look forward to seeing you all on 6 July. ## **Susan Cockram Director** 23 ## **THE FRIENDS OF ST EDMUNDSBURY CATHEDRAL** ## **RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023** |

**Receipts**
Membership subscriptions
Donations
Gift aid
Income from events
Income from fundraising
Interest

**Payments**
Grants to Cathedral
Expenditure on events
Expenditure in advance
Parish Teas
Printing and postage costs
Administration costs


**Net receipts/(payments)**
Transfers between funds
Balances - 31 December 2022
**Balances - 31 December 2023**|**2023 2022**
**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**Total**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**



4,407
4,407
5,450
394
394
23,053
774
22,424
22,424
13,422
618
618
1,992
3,335
3,335
1,063| |---|---| ||**33,178**
33,178
**45,754**| ||


8,218
8,218
50,599
14,615
14,615
12,415
3,514
614
614
770
770
1,045
563
563
749| ||**24,780**
**24,780**
**68,322**| ||


**6,398**
**6,398**
**-22,568**
**115,262**
**8,390**
**123,652**
**146,220**| ||**121,660**
**8,390**
**130,050**
**123,652**| 24 ## **STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILTIES AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2023** |


**Bank balances**
Deposit accounts
Current account
Cash held



**Assets owned**
**for charity’s**
**own use**|**2023**
**2022**
**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**Total**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**




120,833
8,390
129,223
123,152
500
500
500
327
327| |---|---| ||**121,660**
**8,390**
**130,050**
**123,652**| ||



**Details**
**Fund**
**Nature of Item**
**Current value**


**£**
Picture
display boards
Unrestricted
1,000| **Signed by I C BROOKMAN S E COCKRAM Treasurer Director** **7 February 2024** 25 ## **TREASURER’S REPORT** **The membership income fell during the year as it was not supported by new life members, which helped in previous years.** The events put on by the Friends showed an in-year surplus of £4,000 of which the Art Festival and the holiday contributed £2,300, with the Open Gardens event contributing just over £800. The actual surplus from events is about £3,800 higher in cash terms as the proceeds of the 2022 Art Festival were initially collected by the Cathedral (as we kindly were able to make use of their card machine) and these were paid over in 2023 as part of the year end settling of balances. Income from fundraising was down with lower sales of Christmas cards and less outside use of the hanging boards. The Friends benefitted from rising interest rates and received £3,335 compared with just £39 in 2021. The Friends made grants to the Cathedral of £7,965 in connection with the Coffin Trestles (£2,500) and the Bishops Crozier Showcase (£5,465) and £250 to the Friends of the Cathedral Choir. The Friends continue to hold £75,000 as a designated fund towards a major project and the restricted fund is in respect of work in the Lady Chapel. ## **Ian Brookman Treasurer** ## **The Friends’ Prayer** Almighty God, To whose glory we dedicate the work of your servants, Pour down your blessing, we beseech you, On those who labour to express our worship in beauty. May our Cathedral Church be sanctified By the prayers of your faithful people; May its holiness touch the hearts and minds Of all those who pass through its doors; May its beauty afford a glimpse of heaven So that more may join your Church as living stones. _Amen_ 27 r7 Ii'(I ¥2 PJ 'liir;