Vandalism at Ripon Cathedral

Clergy and staff at Ripon Cathedral are mounting a campaign to raise £20,000 to pay for CCTV cameras following a recent spate of vandalism. Three wooden chairs and a wooden handrail leading up the path to the Cathedral’s South door were smashed in a wrecking spree thought to have been fuelled by alcohol on a Saturday evening.

More than £7000 worth of damage has been caused to the Cathedral in the last year alone, including thefts of roof lead. Cathedral administrator, Ian Horsford said, “It was not just vandalism – it was desecrating a churchyard and we urgently need the CCTV cameras to catch those responsible.”. Cameras will be mounted both inside and outside the Cathedral and a sponsorship project to pay for them will be launched in the autumn.