Cathedral Development and Vision

“This is Rochester’s moment – it’s a special place and a special time. Medway is on the verge of major regeneration and it's only right that the Cathedral should play a central role in it. Rochester Cathedral is an iconic building for Medway and with an outward looking frame of mind we can contribute at so many levels – social outreach, art and culture, heritage and tourism, education and citizenship, the environment, and above all faith and spirituality.”

Adrian Newman

Rochester Cathedral faces a number of difficult but potentially exciting challenges – challenges which must be met head on if Rochester is not just to survive but also to flourish and prosper.

An ambitious but achievable fundraising campaign has been launched to raise £10,000,000, money which will be used to turn our problems into opportunities and provide future generations with a Cathedral which will enrich their lives.

The fundraising focuses on three main areas :

Music Forever — Target : £5,000,000

We can no longer afford to pay for the continuation of Rochester’s musical tradition. Music is our single largest expense and we cannot sustain it if we don’t take action now. We aim to establish a significant Endowment which will ensure that Rochester’s musical tradition is not just maintained but enhanced. Rochester can be a centre of musical excellence for the whole community if we have the funds in place.

----- Endow a Day of Music at Rochester Cathedral Forever -----

The Welcoming Cathedral — Target : £2,500,000

Maintaining a Cathedral building is expensive. We are faced with £2,000,000 worth of works over the next 5 years to provide a safe and welcoming building accessible to everyone. A co-ordinated approach is required which will not only see the heritage and architecture of the cathedral restored, preserved and repaired but will also develop the cathedral for a host of different uses for the whole community.

Visitors & Education — Target : £2,500,000

Our visitor numbers are among the lowest of all English cathedrals whilst our facilities for welcoming schoolchildren and other educational visitors are an embarrassment. We have inadequate facilities and poor communal areas. And yet, Rochester Cathedral is a gem, with treasure and history aplenty. More people should see it and a successful campaign will enable us to re-establish Rochester as centre of tourism and pilgrimage. That in turn will help to galvanise the regeneration of Medway.

The young should be our most important visitors. Our Educational work is fantastic and already reaches almost 20,000 children each year. With better facilities, we can attract more young people and offer them an even better experience.