Gift of £20,000 to help ensure future of Cathedral choir 

A gift of £20,000 from Friends of Cathedral Music (FCM) will be made to the choir of Ripon Cathedral on Sunday 23rd November.   The cheque will be presented to the Dean, The Very Revd Keith Jukes, at the 9.30am Parish Eucharist by Mr Andrew Palmer, who lives locally and is a Council Member of FCM and editor of its magazine, 'Cathedral Voice'.  

Commenting on the gift the Dean said, "I am very grateful to the Friends of Cathedral Music for the outstanding piece of generosity which will enable us to further strengthen our commitment to the musical heritage of Ripon Cathedral.  Our choristers support the worship of the Cathedral community day by day and help us to continue the ongoing tradition of Christian worship in Ripon that is now over 1,350 years old.  Without such generosity we could not sustain something that is so vital to us and I want to thank all those whose personal generosity has made this gift possible.  The Chapter of Ripon Cathedral continues in its vision to make Ripon a centre of musical excellence and, as part of that, to encourage and train young musicians."  

The FCM grant will be used towards the endowment of scholarships for choristers who attend the Cathedral Choir School.  The Cathedral choir, under Andrew Bryden, Organist and Director of Music, currently comprises 16 boy and 22 girl choristers and six Lay Clerks (men) singing eight services each week: Evensong daily except Wednesday and three services on a Sunday. 

The choristers range in age from 8 to 13.  The boys are boarders at the Cathedral Choir School and the girls are recruited from a variety of schools in the area.  Girls who attend the Cathedral Choir School receive scholarships and rehearse on a more regular basis, separately from the school girls' choir.  

Commenting on the cheque presentation, Andrew Palmer said, "This grant reflects FCM's commitment to safeguarding Britain's precious heritage of cathedral music by offering genuine financial support to choirs such as Ripon Cathedral, support which is vital for their survival in these days of severe financial pressure.  This year alone, we are giving £133,000 to six cathedrals and one large parish church and since our formation in 1956 we have been able to pass on a total of £1.6million."  

On the same day as this cheque is being presented to Ripon Cathedral choir, FCM cheque presentations are also being made to Coventry and Southwark (London) Cathedrals for £20,000 and £50,000 respectively - another record in FCM annals.