Debenhams Ottaway is one of the corporate sponsors of ‘Alban, Britain’s First Saint’, an exciting development project for St Albans Cathedral that has just received lottery funding.
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded St Albans Cathedral a £3.9m grant for its development project Alban, Britain’s First Saint: Telling the Whole Story. With this grant, the Cathedral now has the permissions and funds in place to make their transformational project a reality. In addition to the HLF grant, a further £3million has been raised as a result of over 1,000 donors.
The project will also deliver a refreshed programme of events and activities for all ages, vastly improved visitor facilities with, for the first time, level access to the Cathedral, café, shop and toilets. It will work with and complement the nearby development of the Town Hall Museum, also made possible by National Lottery players thanks to a grant of £2.8million from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The Dean of St Albans, the Very Rev’d Dr Jeffrey John, said, “This is wonderful news from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Fund exists to make more people aware of the riches of our national heritage, and St Albans Cathedral deserves to be far better known as the oldest Christian site in Britain, with a uniquely long and rich history to tell.”
Robyn Llewellyn, Head of HLF East of England, said: “From its role in the evolution of Christianity, to the story of the city that grew around it, St Albans Cathedral is home to an incredible collection of artefacts, stories and architecture dating back 1700 years. Thanks to National Lottery players, this project will secure that heritage for future generations to enjoy, transform access and facilities to enable even more people to visit and create exciting opportunities to get involved in the St Albans story.”
Preparatory work will get underway in the autumn with the building works due to be completed by the summer of 2019. The programme of HLF funded activities will continue for several years.
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