The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has today endorsed the ambitious £11.3m project Leicester Cathedral Revealed with earmarked National Lottery funding of £3.325 million.
To mark the announcement this morning, the Dean of Leicester, the Very Revd David Monteith unveiled a full-scale visual representation of the project at a short ceremony in Cathedral Gardens.
This sum includes a development grant of £330,000 to take forward the restoration and renewal plans to restore and renew the cathedral as an important cultural and faith gathering point in the multi-cultural city of Leicester.
It will also shine more light on the two thousand year story of Leicester through the creation of a striking new heritage learning centre and the expansion of an already thriving volunteer and learning programme.
Made possible by National Lottery players, the award will enable the cathedral, which contains the final resting place of King Richard III, to undertake development work on a transformative project to renew and restore its fabric and to celebrate the Victorian and Arts & Crafts elements of its long history.
The Dean of Leicester, the Very Revd David Monteith, said: “We are delighted the HLF is supporting Leicester Cathedral Revealed. Our Cathedral aspires to be a beating heart to both city and county.
“These funds will help us tell more of the story of our multi-cultural city through the eyes of its principal church and those who have worshipped here across the years.
“We want to build on the confidence we’ve gained from the reinterment of King Richard III, which still brings a lot of attention to us here at the Cathedral. We want to really care for those that come and visit.”
City Mayor Peter Soulsby, said: “This wonderful project, I know how much has gone into bringing the project to this stage as well as the challenges ahead.
“It’s an opportunity to face up to those challenges and make something really quite remarkable. It’s a wonderful scheme and I’m delighted by all that has been shown of it so far and now we have the prospect of it becoming a reality.”
A further £3m has been earmarked by the HLF and a further application will need to be made within two years to release it.
