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<p>First and foremost cathedrals are places of worship, but like parish churches they
are also community buildings and often a focus for civic gatherings of faith, political
and business leaders in our cities, which facilitate discussions for the common good.
They are regularly used for pilgrimages, festivals, concerts, exhibitions and lectures,
which are open to all in the community.</p><p>The 2021 report by the Association of
English Cathedrals (<a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.englishcathedrals.co.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F08%2FEconomic-Social-Impacts-of-Englands-Cathedrals-2019.pdf&data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C48e65cae22764956585608dad4764324%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638055902296224039%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=RhjXu55btCQQQtdydo6Wuj5KLh2fyMDsXLvPGTeCchU%3D&reserved=0"
target="_blank">Economic Social Impacts of England’s Cathedrals</a>) put the combined
economic value of cathedrals at approximately £235 million in local spending per year</p><p>
</p><p>Some examples of community cohesion projects include:</p><ul><li>Bradford Cathedral‘s
Faiths Trail, which offers opportunities to link visitors to worship spaces in the
city, including the cathedral, a mosque, a Hindu temple and a gurdwara.</li><li>In
Birmingham Cathedral a new Common Wealth table installation in the grounds has been
booked for cross-faith community conversations.</li><li>Winchester Cathedral’s Christmas
market attracts over 400,000 visitors annually, generating local employment and offering
local craftspeople an opportunity to showcase their work.</li><li>St Edmundsbury Cathedral
hosted a summer flower festival this year to celebrate 1,000 years of the Abbey at
Bury St Edmunds, and has hosted an animatronic dinosaur, science and art activities
during the school holidays, and film screenings and lectures.</li><li>Liverpool Cathedral
held a charity abseil down its tower to support local initiatives with 800 people
taking part. It has an annual sleepout to raise money for the Whitechapel Centre homeless
project, hosts a community market and provides hospitality to the local community.</li><li>Gloucester
Cathedral has recently employed a full-time member of staff as a Community Engagement
Manager, reflecting the amount of outreach work the Cathedral does. It has run a regular
breakfast club for the homeless twice a week since 2007. More recently, the cathedral
has started a gardening group and a walking rugby group. The Cathedral also regularly
exhibits the work of a formerly homeless photographer, to raise awareness of the level
of homelessness in the city.</li><li>Leicester Cathedral has run a series of local
community arts events in partnership with local schools.</li><li>Norwich Cathedral
hosted ‘Dippy the Dinosaur’ this year, on loan from the Natural History Museum, and
also regularly hosts art and music events for the county.</li></ul><p> </p><p>More
details on the economic and social impact of England’s cathedrals are available in
the Association of English Cathedrals Report: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.englishcathedrals.co.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F08%2FEconomic-Social-Impacts-of-Englands-Cathedrals-2019.pdf&data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C48e65cae22764956585608dad4764324%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638055902296224039%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=RhjXu55btCQQQtdydo6Wuj5KLh2fyMDsXLvPGTeCchU%3D&reserved=0"
target="_blank">Economic Social Impacts of England’s Cathedrals</a></p>
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