PORTSMOUTH’S Anglican cathedral is to launch a public appeal – with the first donations handed over in spectacular fashion.

The Rev Alex Hughes (front) and Canon Nick Ash prepare for their abseil

Hundreds of worshippers are expected to attend a special service at 10.30am on Sunday 7 May to mark the start of a fundraising drive across the diocese. Half the money for the ambitious £2m project to transform the cathedral has already been raised privately, but another £1m needs to be raised.

The Anglican bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Kenneth Stevenson, and the dean of Portsmouth Cathedral, the Very Rev David Brindley, will travel across Portsmouth Harbour in the Queen’s Harbour Master’s launch before the service, carrying the first donations to the cathedral’s ‘Continuing the Voyage’ appeal. Worshippers will meet them at the Camber in Old Portsmouth and follow them to the cathedral.

Then our cathedral precentor, Canon Nick Ash, and bishop’s chaplain, the Rev Alex Hughes, will abseil down the west wall of the cathedral carrying the next donation to the appeal, as the bishop, dean and congregation watch.

The service will then begin with a blessing of the ground to be developed outside the cathedral. Seawater from Portsmouth Harbour will be sprinkled over the grass to symbolise our cathedral’s coastal location. The congregation will then move inside for the rest of the service. Bishop Kenneth will preach, challenging members of the congregation and the wider community to donate money to the appeal and to organise fundraising events. Each worshipper will be given a collection box in the shape of the cathedral to help them raise money.

The dean said: “This is an ambitious project to create first-class facilities, so it’s important that we launch the appeal in a high-profile way. It will be an exciting morning, and if people stop and stare and wonder what’s going on, so much the better!”

The £2m project aims to help our cathedral develop first-class visitor facilities for the congregation, tourists, and audiences at concerts and arts events, as well as extending its education, music and community facilities.

The five-year plan involves creating a new refectory where visitors and others can find refreshments, re-locating the cathedral bookshop, and revamping the North Cloister to include new toilets, renovated vestries and more space for vergers. This will help the cathedral attract more coach parties and individual tourists, improve it as an arts venue and allow better access to its historical artefacts.

An education centre will be created within Cathedral House, to the north of the cathedral itself. It will include audio-visual facilities for giving presentations about the cathedral’s history and the faith of its community. This will give schoolchildren a fuller educational experience when they visit.

A music centre will also be created so cathedral choirs – including the new teenage choir ‘Cantate!’ – can rehearse, and church musicians from around the diocese can improve their skills.

Existing community facilities in Cathedral House will be improved to meet health and safety standards, and provide disabled facilities. The plan also involves a full conservation survey of the cathedral so the future care of the building can be assured.

An appeal committee, which is chaired by Nigel Atkinson, former managing director of Gales Brewery, has already approached grant-giving trusts, major donors and companies for assistance and is exploring other funding opportunities. The committee also includes the patrons of Portsmouth Cathedral Development Trust, the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, Mrs Mary Fagan JP, and the Lord Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight, Christopher Bland.

A separate team – the appeal events group – will co-ordinate fundraising activities within the cathedral congregation, the local community and across the diocese. It will be chaired by congregation member Mike Jackson.

The name of the appeal – ‘Continuing the Voyage’ – reflects the fact that the appeal is continuing the work done since the 12th century to build and extend the church. It only became a cathedral in 1927, when Portsmouth’s Anglican diocese was created, and the current building was only completed in 1991.

Anyone wanting to donate money or to organise a fundraising event for the appeal should contact the appeal office on 023-9234 7401.