Current Appeal News
Donald Sinden, David Starkey and John Doyle to star in support of summer art exhibition
Why not join us for three entertaining evenings with stars in their field this summer as part of our summer art exhibition and sale.
One of Britain’s best loved actors and entertainers, Sir Donald Sinden will be hosting “An evening with Donald Sinden” on Wednesday 4 June. With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Donald Sinden has been a star of stage, television and radio for seven decades. His credits range from Shakespeare productions to the sitcom Never The Twain and the BBC crime drama Judge John Deed.
Dr David Starkey, one of the UK’s pre-eminent historians will be giving a talk on Monday 9th June entitled “Why do we still have Cathedrals at all” where he will be discussing the role of Canterbury and other cathedrals through the centuries and their relevance today.
John Doyle, a leading watercolourist and well known local artist in will be giving a talk on 27 May about his journey painting in St Augustine’s footsteps from Rome to Canterbury. The talk will be followed by a private viewing of the exhibition. Click here to download an application form or telephone 01227 865346 to book tickets.
Summer Exhibition of Paintings – Houses of God. 24 May -14 June, The Chapter House, Canterbury Cathedral Works by the late John Ward, John Doyle, Toby Ward, Celia Ward, David Arbus, Peter Kuhfeld, Charlotte Halliday, Hubert Pragnell & Alex Vickerman
This summer sees a very special collection of paintings being exhibited for sale at the Cathedral. The Houses of God exhibition will feature 150 paintings of religious buildings, great and small, from across the world. It will feature works by a number of leading artists from Kent including the late John Ward, John Doyle, Toby Ward, and Peter Kuhfeld. From the historic splendours of Venice to the tranquil beauty of the parish church, this special exhibition is a celebration of architecture and inspiration through the ages.
The exhibition is being held in support of the Save Canterbury Cathedral Appeal with some of the proceeds from the sale of the paintings going to the Appeal.
The exhibition will also include displays featuring the work of the Canterbury Cathedral stonemasons and stained glass conservators as well as items from the historic Archives of the Cathedral – all of whom will benefit from the funding from this great Appeal.
Sackville Singers performed Brahm’s Requiem at the Sevenoaks Methodist Church in aid of the Save Canterbury Cathedral Appeal
The following review of the evening is by Duncan Dwinell “‘How lovely are Thy dwellings fair; Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house’ had a special poignancy for the Sackville Singers and their Musical Director, Anthony Dawson, at their recent performance of Brahms’ Requiem at Methodist Church, the Drive, Sevenoaks.
The concert was held in memory of Anthony Dawson’s parents-in-law, Mary and Harry Campbell, who had supported the choir in so many ways since his participation began in 1985. Their daughter, Jane Campbell, Anthony’s wife, and their children have regularly performed with the choir as instrumentalists.
The proceeds of the concert are for the Save Canterbury Cathedral fund. This is not only the spiritual ‘house’ of English Christendom, but also where Anthony Dawson had served so long as a chorister, his ‘home-away-from-home’.
Brahms’ Requiem differs from most such titled pieces in that it does not follow the established liturgy of the Mass for the Dead, nor the accepted theology. The settings from both Old and New Testament sources support the positive celebration of life in all its phases, as exemplified by the final chorus, ‘Praise and glory, honour and power’.
Sung in English, The Sackville Singers achieved a comfortable dignity for this throughout the evening. Time for reflection or even prayer between many of the sections allowed the full meaning and power of the music to be absorbed. Commitment and reverence were not masked by self-conscious technique or staging.
Accompanied wonderfully in Brahms’ own arrangement for piano duet, played by the Choir’s regular accompanist, Christopher Harris, and joined by Tau Wey, Musician in Residence at Sevenoaks School, the Sackville Singers blended their voices sensitively in the exquisitely gentle sections as well as in the wonderfully exultant final chorus. ‘Behold, all flesh is grass’ was appropriately tragic rather than operatically menacing, as might be the case with a full orchestra. The soloists were present or former members of the Choir. Letitia Perry, soprano, sang ‘Ye now have sorrow’, written memory of Brahms’ own mother, with extraordinary and unaffected tenderness. Stephen Lazell, baritone, captured the hopefulness of ‘Lord let me know mine end’ and the full drama of ‘Death, where is thy sting?’
Many in the audience had connections with the Sackville Singers, one of Anthony Dawson’s several other musical groups, or the Campbell family directly. The concert was a fitting tribute to Mary and Harry Campbell and raised more that £1500 towards the Cathedral’s appeal helping to secure Canterbury Cathedral’s continuance in the 21st century.”
FROM SUSSEX TO CORNWALL IN AID OF CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
Ruth Wetherall and Tina Hutchinson from East Sussex walked an impressive 326 miles from Sussex to Cornwall last summer in aid of the appeal and raised an amazing £6,227.97 in the process.
Following a tour of the Cathedral they saw for themselves the crumbling masonry, leaking roofs and stained glass in urgent need of repair. The pair decided to help the appeal and over dinner one evening Ruth was talking about how guilty she felt about the carbon footprint she left every time she drove to her holiday home in Cornwall. It was then the ladies decided to make the trip on foot instead. Ruth’s husband Nick is also an ex-chorister at the Cathedral which helped convince them that the Cathedral appeal was the right charity to benefit from their generous gesture.
Plotting the route through costal paths, big towns and villages the ladies planned their trip with ordnance survey maps. Both Ruth and Tina are still in teaching so they had to work the walk around their careers by talking the walk in several goes. They managed this by taking a number of day or weekend walks which took them as far as Bournemouth. They started the main walk on 21 July leaving from Bournemouth and arrived in Newlyn on 9 August – an incredible achievement.
They stayed with friends, relatives and a few B&B’s along the way and said the highlight of the trip was the warm bath at the end of very day walking! The lowest point of the trip was the torrential rain they experienced – they chose one of the wettest summers on recent records. Averaging 12 miles a day they set a rapid pace and even achieved 17 miles on one single day which they found tiring. Tina commented that she got through a pair of boots during the walk. Tina is now planning a pilgrimage from Rochester to Canterbury with her local youth group this summer. We look forward to welcoming her when she arrives.
We would like to say a huge thank you to Tina , Ruth and their families.
Schools’ Carol Singing Afternoon
On Monday 10th December, choirs from the 7 primary schools that form the Sandwich Consortium of Schools came together to sing carols at Canterbury Cathedral in support of the Save Canterbury Cathedral Appeal. The choirs sang a variety of carols including Away in a Manger, Silent Night, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and We Wish You a Merry Christmas.
Speaking at the event, Tim Halling Head of Sandwich Juniors and Gary Rees of Eastry Church of England Primary School said
'The Sandwich Consortium of schools is delighted to be able to support and promote the Save Canterbury Cathedral Appeal. The Cathedral provides a wonderful educational resource to inspire our children across many areas of the curriculum. By taking part in this carol singing the children are able to join together to make a positive contribution to an important aspect of their community.'
The event was well supported by parents, families and friends and was welcomed by David Innes, Chief Executive of the Save Canterbury Cathedral Appeal who was delighted that the children from the schools taking part are so keen to support the Cathedral Appeal.
The schools taking part included:
Cartright & Kelsey, Ash
Eastry
Nonington
Preston
Sandwich Junior
Wingham
St. Joseph's
Christmas Raffle Winners
Our Christmas raffle, to win a Stephenson Brothers Rocking Horse, was drawn on Friday 14th December by the Executive Secretary of the Friends, Pam Doyle, in the presence of William Roe, the Director of Works at Canterbury Cathedral and Ann Yoshida, a volunteer for the Appeal. The raffle was a great success and raised over £2000.
The raffle winners and their prizes were:
| 1st | Stephenson Rocking Horse | A Young | Canterbury |
| 2nd | £250 | S Bunce | Gillingham |
| 3rd | £100 | B Haseltine | Whitstable |
| 4th | Sponsor a Stone | R Wilkinson | Birchington |
| 5th | P&O Day Crossing | D Peneycad | Staplehurst |
| 6th | Double Friends Membership Marlowe Theatre Tickets |
C Corbishley | Canterbury |
| 7th | Antony Worral Thompson signed cookbook | N Ford | Farnborough |
| 8th | Mayfair Hair Salon, Restyle and blow dry |
D Pym | Charing |
| 9th | £10 M&S Voucher | D Hodgson | Purley |
| 10th | £25 Book token | Norwood | Leicester |
The fundraising team would like to thank everyone who sold tickets on our behalf and of course thank everybody who supported the Appeal by buying tickets.
The Sixteen and Harry Christophers Concert a glorious success
The glorious ancient music of the Sistine Chapel was brought to life in the magnificent setting of Canterbury Cathedral on Monday. One of the world’s greatest ensembles, The Sixteen gave a powerful and moving performance of music from Italian 16th and 17th century composers under the direction of former Cathedral chorister Harry Christophers. The audience enjoyed a programme which included Allegri’s beautiful Miserere as well as works by Palestrina and Anerio. The choir used the Cathedral to great effect singing in different locations to heighten the impact of the music. It was a great honour to be able welcome Harry Christophers and The Sixteen who are currently the Voices of Classic FM, and unsurprisingly, the Cathedral Nave was full.
During the evening, the audience was also treated to a rather special performance by Cathedral Chorister Joel Whitewood who won the BBC Radio Two Young Chorister of the Year 2007 competition in October. Joel delighted the packed Cathedral with two songs O Holy Night by Adolphe Adams and Midwinter by Bob Chilcott showing the talent that led him to win this coveted prize. Joel, 13, has sung with the Cathedral choir for three years and is a side leader in the choir.
The concert was given in the presence of HRH The Duke of Kent, patron of the Save Canterbury Cathedral Appeal, who was on a private visit to the Cathedral. Others attending the evening included Viscount De L’Isle, Chairman of the Canterbury Cathedral Trust Fund, Allan Willett, Lord Lieutenant, the Lord and Lady Mayoress of Canterbury and Nigel Wheeler, High Sherriff of Kent.
The concert, held to raise funds for the Save Canterbury Cathedral Appeal raised over £22,000 for the Appeal which delighted David Innes, Chief Executive “Everyone has enjoyed a very special evening and we are most fortunate to have been able to welcome Harry Christophers and the Sixteen back to Cathedral. The music was simply breathtaking and what better setting for it than our beautiful Cathedral? We are delighted that everyone has benefitted from the evening, particularly this important Appeal “
People of Kent invited to help build £1 into something great this Christmas
The Save Canterbury Cathedral Appeal is asking people across Kent to give a very special gift this Christmas – a £1 donation to the great conservation project.
The Appeal will be launched a Christmas Week of Giving on Monday 10th December inviting people to support the Appeal with a £1 donation. This is the equivalent of a single pack of mince pies or a roll of wrapping paper, but if every adult in Kent were able to donate just £1 during the week, it would raise over £1 million for the Appeal which would be a fantastic boost to the fundraising effort.
It is easy to give during the week. Donations can be made in any branch of Lloyds Bank across Kent by filling in the special Save Canterbury Cathedral paying-in slips. Shops and restaurants in the area will also be carrying collection boxes – just look out for the posters.
Other activities taking place during the week include a concert by Harry Christophers and The Sixteen, a schools’ carol singing afternoon around the Cathedral crib, street collections in Canterbury and the draw of a raffle to win a very special Stevenson Brothers Rocking Horse.
BehIND The scenes at Canterbury cathedral
Jenny Child’s second book was published on Sund
ay, 25th November at Canterbury Cathedral. Behind the Scenes at Canterbury Cathedral is aptly named, as it is dedicated to the Cathedral and many of the people that work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the smooth day-to-day running of one of Britain’s best loved landmarks. Behind the Scenes at Canterbury Cathedral is a collection of poems and photographs, portraying many different roles within Cathedral life. Jenny’s earlier book A Year at Canterbury Cathedral was published in February 2007 and has proved very popular, raising to date approximately £2,250 for the Save Canterbury Cathedral Appeal.
All proceeds from her second book will also go to the Appeal. The book is now on sale, price £5.00, from the Canterbury Cathedral Shop, 25 Burgate, Canterbury (01227 865300).
“I wanted to bring to the public’s notice some of the members of staff that are seldom seen but who play an essential part in the day to day running of the Cathedral” said Jenny earlier today. The Very Revd Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury, added “Jenny has given us a rich variety of impressions and poetic thoughts accompanied by pictures which express the Cathedral’s regular activity and celebrations so well”.
This book is the perfect stocking filler for Cathedral enthusiasts and those wishing to do their bit for the Appeal.
2,000 kilometre cycle ride raises over £130,000 for the Save Canterbury Cathedral Appeal and other charities
27 cyclists who took part in a mammoth 2,000 kilometre cycle ride from Canterbury to Rome this summer raised £132,899.81 for the Save Canterbury Cathedral Appeal and 16 other charities, it was announced on 20 November.
The sponsored cycle ride took 17 days to complete during which the cyclists covered an average of 120 kilometres a day, climbed over 70,000 feet (several times higher than climbing Mount Everest) and endured temperatures ranging from 5-46 degrees centigrade.
The final total was announced by Canon Edward Condry, Canon Treasurer of Canterbury Cathedral who lead the expedition. £91,885.56 will go to the Save Canterbury Cathedral Appeal and the rest is shared between 16 local, national and international charities.
Accepting the donation on behalf of the Save Canterbury Cathedral Appeal, Viscount De L’Isle, Chairman of the Canterbury Cathedral Trust Fund congratulated the cyclists on their great achievement “I salute this remarkable group of people whose vision, achievement and determination resulted in their completion of a 21st Century pilgrimage to Rome. This venture has raised an outstanding sum of money. In accepting the cheque on behalf of the Canterbury Cathedral Appeal; I know I speak for all the other charities, which will be benefiting in saying a massive thank you to everyone who took part. They are an inspiration to us all”
For more information please see our recent press releases.
Save Canterbury Cathedral Appeal reaches £7 million
Just over a year after its public launch, the Save Canterbury Cathedral Appeal has reached the £7 million mark. The Appeal, established to fund an extensive conservation and development programme, has made good progress during its first year enabling the first phases of critical conservation work to be carried out. Following its high profile launch in October 2006, the Appeal quickly settled down to business and has been attracting donations both locally and from overseas. The Appeal is also gaining increased support from business and a number of grant-making Trusts and Foundations. The focus for the campaigning in its first year has primarily been the local community of Kent.
Commenting on this new milestone, Brigadier David Innes, Chief Executive of the Save Canterbury Cathedral Appeal said “An enormous amount of progress has been made during the year, much of it due to the generosity of the people of Kent who have donated financially, run events or volunteered their time. There is now a real buzz to the Appeal and we are delighted with the growing number of fundraising initiatives that are being set up to fund this historic project. There is still a long way to go and we have much planned for next year but we will need the continuing support of the local community , particularly as volunteers.”
For more information please see the online version of our latest newsletter or our recent press releases.
Sponsor a stone or lead tile
You can now play a very personal part in the conservation project by sponsoring one of the new stones for the Cathedral or sponsoring one of the lead tiles personalised with your own initials that will be placed on the roof. Click here to learn about this special way of joining our Appeal.
Bearing Gifts for the Cathedral Appeal
You now have a unique opportunity to purchase a renowned Steiff bear to support the Save Canterbury Cathedral Appeal. Each Bear (20 cms) is beautifully crafted by the Steiff company and comes with a commemorative sash. Each bear costs £15.00 + £1.00 postage and packing. To order your bear please complete and return this form or email us your order to fundraisingcampaign@canterbury-cathedral.org