The Friends
Friends of Winchester Cathedral forges links among those who love Winchester Cathedral.
Founded in 1931, the Friends have given over £2M to the Cathedral. Grants have covered not only repairs to stonework, stained glass windows, the organ and the roof, but also improvements to lighting, the public address system and access for the disabled.
Recent gifts have included new vestments for the Clergy, a new bell and a radio-telephone security system. These are some of the ways in which this beautiful place of worship has been supported.
The Friends also provide scholarships to support two boy choristers and a bursary fund to pay for girl choristers to learn a musical instrument.
In 1931 Dean Selwyn persuaded Miss Louisa Pesel and her friend Miss Sybil Blunt to undertake the task of creating cushions and kneelers for the Cathedral Quire. The work of the Cathedral Broderers, as their team became known, is still a resplendent and much admired feature of the Quire. Queen Mary became their patron and is said to have done some stitching. In the same year, Dean Selwyn founded Friends of Winchester Cathedral to raise funds to help conserve and beautify the cathedral. Not surprisingly, the first grant made by the Friends was to buy wool and other materials for the Broderers. Some of the projects funded by the Friends are listed above. Recently a grant was made for a feasibility study to consider the conservation of the cathedral’s textiles including the cushions.
Nearly 75 years on, raising funds is still important, but the Trustees believe that promoting fellowship among Friends and other lovers of the cathedral is equally important. To this end, we organise a variety of activities for Friends in Winchester and have a team of speakers who visit all parts of the diocese.
Becoming a Friend
Become a Friend today and help to preserve this beautiful Cathedral. There is no fixed annual subscription, but we ask new members to pay a minimum of £15 per year. Full details are on the application form that you can access via the link below.
Using a banker's order saves time and expense on administration. Signing a Gift Aid Declaration enables the Friends to reclaim tax from the Inland Revenue, provided you are a tax payer in the UK. Further details of methods of payment are available from the Friends' Office, open 9 am to 1pm, Tuesday to Thursday.
Friends of Winchester Cathedral
2, The Close
Winchester SO23 9LS
United Kingdom
Telephone: 01962 857245
Fax: 01962 857201
Email: friends@winchester-cathedral.org.uk
Click here to download an application form. *Please note that we cannot receive applications on line as we need your signature.