Durham Cathedral has been awarded another boost of more than £700,000 from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) to support its reopening after lockdown.
The historic cathedral is to receive £732,800 of grant support from the second round of the CRF, which is administered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) and Historic England.
The fund, announced by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in December 2020, was the second part of a £1.57bn rescue package to safeguard the UK's cultural and heritage organisations from the economic impact of Covid-19.
The new grant follows on from the £1.9m the cathedral received from the first funding round, announced last year.
A cathedral spokesperson said the money would be "instrumental in supporting the phased reopening of the great Norman cathedral, first as a safe place of worship in April and later as a visitor attraction with a programme of heritage activity in May, in line with the Government’s staged roadmap out of lockdown".
The Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Dean of Durham said: “We are exceptionally grateful to receive further support from the Culture Recovery Fund. It is difficult to overstate the impact of the original grant on Durham Cathedral, allowing us to deliver a transformational change programme that will safeguard the cathedral’s future at the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Site for generations to come.
"When we closed our doors in March 2020 we could not have imagined the challenges we would face in the year ahead; but it is certain we would not be in the strong position we are now without the Culture Recovery Fund.
"This further boost will support us to reopen safely for our much-missed staff, volunteers, community and visitors, so we can once again share the 'best cathedral on planet earth' with the people of North East of England and beyond."
The majority of the funding will go towards essential maintenance and operating costs, as well as the salaries of almost 60 staff working in all areas of the cathedral, from front of house and property to library and collections.
Beyond that, the funding will support the continuing work of the cathedral’s Change Programme, which focuses on the visitor experience.
