Do you like our new banners?
A very Happy New Year! I’d like to ask for your opinions on our latest venture – the new banners in the side aisles – but first, I want to say a huge thank you to everybody who has supported the cathedral over the past year. Since I became the fundraising lead last May, I have come to appreciate the many and varied ways people, in Cornwall and beyond, support the cathedral – from regular giving to volunteering; joining the Friends or remembering the cathedral in their wills. Together, everything we do as a community helps to sustain this wonderful place, and it has been a great pleasure to get to know some of you in recent times.
Our Victorian forebears were an industrious people, famed for their “can do” attitude. When they invested their money and passion in building Truro Cathedral, they did Cornwall proud. Our job is to carry on in that spirit, preserving our sacred heritage, cherishing our common life and passing on what is precious to the next generation – hopefully in even better shape than we found it.
Thanks to a grant from the Culture Recovery Fund, twelve banners have been installed in the side aisles to share this message. Purchased from local company Freedom Signs (in Perranporth), they will be in place for a trial period of a year. The wide range of images featured includes a bridal couple, a little girl who has been baptised, a bell ringer, volunteers, pets and choristers.
The banners are part of an effort to encourage everybody who visits the cathedral to think about the worship, heritage, companionship, music and community life we share. They all carry the strap line “please give what you can” because we cannot take the cathedral for granted – it needs, and has always needed, continuous care and investment to sustain the immense value it adds to our lives, and more widely, to Cornwall.
Day visitors make a big difference to the cathedral’s finances. The longer they stay, and the more they enjoy their visit, the more they feel they want to contribute and keep in touch. So visitor experience is a very important development area for 2022. As custodians we need to do all that we can generate more income so that the cathedral is able to flourish for everybody.
We are gathering feedback to assess the popularity of the banners. Please let us know what you think of them by emailing me, or vote for your favourite when you visit during January. Whatever your opinion, we would love to hear from you!
Judith Field
Fundraising Lead