£1m HLF funding for Durham Cathedral’s Foundation 2020 campaign

The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded £1 million to Durham Cathedral in support of its Foundation 2020 fundraising campaign, with a match funding element. Durham Cathedral has launched Foundation 2020 to raise £10m for an endowment fund by 2020. The money will to be used specifically to support the annual cycle of planned maintenance and repair of the Cathedral buildings. The Cathedral has already invested £3.7 million into the fund, and the £1m from the Heritage Lottery Fund is also available to match donations raised on a £1 per £1 basis. The Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Dean of Durham, said: “Sharing our faith and heritage with the world is a fundamental part of the Cathedral’s vision. Conservation and repair of this wonderful building is crucial to this vision. We are extremely grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund for its continued support of Durham Cathedral. Its grant of £1 million to Foundation 2020 we hope will open doors to match funding, helping secure the Cathedral’s future.” Ivor Crowther, Head of HLF North East, said: “Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, we’re pleased to help kick-start Durham Cathedral’s ambitious fundraising campaign to enhance their long-term financial resilience and ensure the incredible heritage of the cathedral remains safe and accessible for all.” The Cathedral has already received National Lottery support for its major development project Open Treasure to widen access to the Cathedral’s internationally important collections of artefacts, objects and manuscripts and to the claustral buildings where they are displayed. For this campaign, the Cathedral also launched a LEGO fundraising campaign, which saw it sell mini-model kits of the Cathedral.

from UK Fundraising http://ift.tt/2uzoUhO