ANNUAL REPORT 2011

For the Cathedral Community Annual Meeting Sunday 27th May 2012

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CATHEDRAL COMMUNITY ANNUAL MEETING

Sunday 27th May 2012

AGENDA

1. Prayer 2. Choir Tour Presentation 3. Apologies for absence 4. Reports on 2011 - enclosed 5. Cathedral Council Elections 6. Chapter Strategy 8. AOB

3 ACTING DEAN’S REPORT

2011 saw the arrival of a new and the retirement of the 34th . On 5th March the Rt Revd Stephen Conway was Installed and Enthroned as the 69th Bishop of Ely. On Sunday September 26th we said ‘Thank You and Farewell’ to Michael and Janet Chandler and paid tribute to their ministry over the last eight years.

Arrangements for the appointment of a new Dean began in July when the Archbishops’ Secretary for Appointments and the Prime Minister’s Appointments Secretary spent 24 hours in Ely consulting with over 90 people from the cathedral and diocese.

On 11th April this year it was announced that Canon , currently Canon Treasurer at Salisbury Cathedral, has been appointed the 35th Dean of Ely. Canon Bonney will be installed on 22nd September and we look forward to welcoming him, his wife Kate and their daughters Hannah and Ellie, when they move to Ely.

Some of the highlights in 2011 include:  The Thanksgiving Service held on 10th February for the late Bishop during which the interred Bishop Peter’s ashes in St Dunstan's Chapel;  The dedication of John Maddison’s new Reredos in the Lady Chapel;  The performance of Haydn’s ‘Seven Last Words from the Cross’ by the Bridge Quartet and Steve Bingham’s performance of Bach’s Chaconne in D minor for unaccompanied violin on Good Friday;  The Volunteers’ Evensong and Reception on 7th June at which we thanked Ella Thurmott for her work as a Cathedral Guide for some 22 years;  A series of lectures to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James’ version of the Bible;  The fifth birthday of Ely Cathedral Octagon Singers – the cathedral’s voluntary choir.

The Cathedral remains a popular venue for concerts/events. The 22 bookings last year ranged from a production of ‘West Side Story’ in January; a showing of ‘The King’s Speech’ on the day of the Royal Wedding in April; an evening with James Bowman in June; a performance of Walton’s ‘Belshazzar’s Feast’ in November to mark the Quincentenary of St John’s College, Cambridge; two major Christmas Concerts (featuring the cathedral choirs) as well as many lunchtime concerts and organ recitals. 4

Eleven Chapter meetings were held in 2011. In addition to keeping a close eye on financial performance, Chapter investigated the use of solar energy, approved the installation of new boilers for the under floor heating system in the Lady Chapel, amended the Constitution and Statutes to allow the appointment of up to 10 Lay Canons and 3 Ecumenical Canons, approved the installation of footpath lighting in the Park and repairs to the North Transept. The November meeting was dedicated to formulating Chapter Strategy for wider consultation in 2012.

I thank my Chapter colleagues Alan Hargrave, Jim Garrard, Rosemary Hughes, Susan Pope, Tom Green, Hugh Shilson-Thomas, our Administrator, John Harrison, and all staff and volunteers for their continued dedication, support and prayers for the cathedral’s ministry and mission. Congratulations are due to John Harrison on being made a Lay Canon and to Tom Green on being made a Deputy Lieutenant.

We begin our meetings with the Collect for Feast of St Etheldreda and I commend it to you so that we may be worthy successors of our foundress:

Eternal God, who bestowed such grace upon your servant Etheldreda that she gave herself wholly to the life of prayer and to the service of your true religion: grant that we, like her, may so live our lives on earth seeking your kingdom that by your guiding we may be joined to the glorious fellowship of your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Canon David Pritchard

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MUSIC

The music and liturgical worship offered in the Cathedral included several particular highlights, without undermining the day by day offering of Sung Eucharists and Evensongs by the three choirs which are part of the Cathedral’s Foundation and life. Hidden sometimes from these reports are ‘special’ services like the Justice Service where the choir’s music making is a vital part of the impact and importance of the event to those attending, often who know the Cathedral only slightly.

The Enthronement of Bishop Stephen as 69th Bishop of Ely was a once in a decade event and the Girls, Boys and Men choristers all sang together, as did the Ely Cathedral Octagon Singers, as has become a regular pattern. Girls, Boys and Men also sang at the splendid Farewell Sunday Sung Eucharist for the retiring Dean.

The reordered Lady Chapel reredos and altar were blessed at a Sung Eucharist at the end of June and included a very much appreciated orchestral performance of Mozart’s atzenmesse with members of Ely Sinfonia. There was an excellent first performance of the Director of Music Paul Trepte’s setting of a Clive Sansom poem Mary of Nazareth as part of these celebrations.

The Girls’ choir with lay clerks, directed by Sarah MacDonald and organ played by Oliver Hancock, broadcast Choral Evensong for the first time on BBC Radio 3 to great acclaim.

Among the regular annual services, the singing of Bach’s Magnificat at Orchestral Festal Evensong on Easter Day was of the highest quality as were the two Carol services – sung by Girls and Men and Boys and Men respectively. Numbers attending all Christmas services were noticeably increased.

Thanks are warmly due to all members of the music staff and to the three Directors, Paul Trepte, Sarah MacDonald and Jan Payne.

Canon James Garrard

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PASTORAL CARE

The Canon Pastor has oversight of the pastoral needs of the cathedral congregation and community (both volunteers and employees) and is responsible for overseeing all arrangements for the Occasional Offices (Baptisms, Weddings, Funerals/Memorial Services), hospital visits and home communions. He works collaboratively with Chapter colleagues, the seven Vicars (retired clergy associated with the cathedral) and the twelve members of the Cathedral Pastoral Team. Set up in 2006 the Team’s purpose is to ‘enhance the provision of pastoral care for the cathedral community’ by meeting monthly and keeping in touch with those who have asked for our prayers.

Caring permeates every area of cathedral life. The congregations, cathedral staff and volunteers support each other. Every aspect of cathedral life is included in the monthly cycle of prayer which is used at the daily offices. In response to demand the Ministry of Healing is now offered weekly at the main Sunday Sung Eucharist.

The occasional offices statistics for 2011 are (2010 figures in brackets): 9 Baptisms/Thanksgivings (9); 17 Weddings (8); Marriage Blessings 1 (0); Funerals/Memorial Services 6 (11).

Canon David Pritchard

7 MISSION & EDUCATION

Ely Cathedral Centre The Cathedral Centre houses our Education Department and offers an easy interface with the wider community. Since taking up post at the beginning of February 2011 our excellent new Centre Manager has implemented changes which have helped to double room hires. Apart from commercial lets the centre is used by a number of groups, such as Alzheimer’s, Youth Clubs and Youth support services, which further the cathedral’s mission.

Recent improvements to the centre include repainting to create ‘feature walls’ in the Etheldreda and Ovin Rooms, opening the basement for customer use, a new coffee station in the Etheldreda room, partial refurbishing of the kitchen area, new signage, a new Centre leaflet and corporate hospitality pack for potential clients, provision of wifi and a new website www.centre.elycathedral.org), including an online booking and contact form.

A new swipe card entry system has improved security for staff and users and offers better control of who enters the building, particularly when the office is not ‘manned’.

Two craft fairs in 2011 proved really successful. These will now run three times a year at Easter, in the summer and at Christmas. There is currently a waiting list of over 100 crafters.

Plans for the year ahead include increasing bookings on a Saturday (the only day that the centre is regularly underused) possibly for children’s parties, weddings and christenings.

Education & Mission to Children & Young People In spite of a difficult financial year for schools, we welcomed over 9,000 young people to the Cathedral in 2011, slightly more than in 2010. Schools continue to value the unique experience that the Cathedral offers. We are currently targeting schools from poorer areas with a view to subsidizing their visits.

Our aim is that the cathedral’s history should become interwoven with young people’s own stories. The building does much of the work; our task is to enable the young people the freedom to engage and respond. Hence our Monastic Days, so popular with schools, re-create the medieval monastery in Ely, but also give an understanding of commitment, stability and the ways in which belief affects lifestyle. Our Anglo-Saxon Days, full of action and drama, involve reflection on choices, moral dilemmas and loyalty.

8 The same is true of the Christian stories enshrined in the building itself, as young people consider its understanding of life and see if it finds echoes in their own. Thus we lie beneath the Octagon, looking up into that particular image of heaven and wonder what is our own?

The new portable labyrinth has just arrived, thanks to a grant from the Keswick Trust. This can be taken into schools or walked in the Lady Chapel. It will offer a unique opportunity for reflection on the journey of life.

A Cathedral Sixth Form Interfaith Conference in February 2011 demonstrated how difficult it is to attract older pupils who have very tight curriculum constraints. Our challenge for 2012 is to find new ways of enabling the Cathedral to speak to young people at a time when RE teaching in schools is under threat and budgets are tight.

In partnership with Centre 33 and Cambridgeshire Youth Services, we have just been awarded a substantial grant to begin a Youth Drop In and Outreach Project based at the Cathedral Centre.

We continue our very successful, free ‘drop in’ sessions which run in the school holidays and attracted over 700 children and their families last year. In addition ‘Little Acorns’ (pre-school) and ‘Sunday Club’ (for 5 – 12 year olds) run regularly on Sunday mornings in school term time, along with the Edward Bear Club for toddlers and carers on a Friday. One of our expressed aims as Chapter is to involve more children and young people in worship. To this end we hope to appoint a part time children and youth worker during 2012.

Adult Education & Mission During 2011 the cathedral held a major exhibition and series of lectures to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible. The exhibition, designed and constructed in Ely, then went on tour around the diocese and was used in at least one other cathedral. Other lectures and exhibitions focused mainly on social responsibility themes. Despite the quality of the lectures attendance was disappointing. We plan to experiment with lunchtime lectures during 2012. The renowned Quaker Tapestry exhibition was installed in the Lady Chapel during February 2012.

Our ecumenical Ministry of Welcome and Day Chaplaincy teams offer an invaluable spiritual dimension to our welcome. There are also many other opportunities in the Cathedral for people to engage spirituality with the building. We hope to extend those opportunities outside the building in the future.

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Regular Pilgrimage tours are held for groups from within, as well as outside, the diocese. The Community of Etheldreda continues to study and seek to live by Benedictine principles. Following publication of his latest book the Canon Missioner has led a number of retreats within and beyond the diocese on the theme of Benedictine Rule of Life.

Offering an easy interface for the public and engaging in the issues which concern them is a major part of our mission. Over 1000 people turned up to watch our screening of the Royal Wedding in April. We plan a similar screening of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Service this June and the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in July. Plans are also well advanced for the launch of the Ely Cathedral Business Group in May.

We work well with our local ecumenical partners in Ely and we continue to support our link churches in Hackney and Zanzibar, through tithing of our stewardship giving, through our education sponsorship scheme and through visits – the latest being for the consecration of the new Bishop of Zanzibar in April 2012. The Canon Missioner preached Holy Week in Hackney last year and a group from Hackney will visit here in July, as Ely diocese celebrates its links across the world. Apart from the giving to our link churches Ely Cathedral was able to give away to good causes almost £30,000 in total during 2011, including over £9,000 to our Christmas charities.

Chapter agreed in November, as one of our long term goals, the removal of the admissions charge, a serious ongoing ‘stumbling block’ to our mission - though we are still a long way from achieving it.

We are deeply grateful to all the staff and volunteers who help turn school trips and tourist visits into pilgrimages, day after day, year after year.

Canon Alan Hargrave, Jan Munt & Claire Mills

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FABRIC

Cathedral During 2011 a full programme of conservation and essential repair work was carried out to the west elevation of the North Transept, including re- roofing and other extensive lead and stone works as well as stained glass conservation. Replacement of floor stones within the nave has also continued, with the north and south aisles now complete, and other areas very near completion. The vaulted ceiling of Bays 5 and 6 of the South Choir Aisle have been fully conserved and re-limewashed during 2011, seeing fragile and damaged surfaces re-stabilised. The new screen and altar were installed in the Lady Chapel in February, preceded by conservation and stabilisation of the existing stone screen, and followed by extensive gilding to the wrought iron surfaces. The oak top from the old altar was re-finished and re-used on the new altar base. We were also able to begin our programme of conservation works to the monuments within the Cathedral, starting with the William Marsh plaque, which was removed from the North Porch Wall to allow works to both monument and wall. The boilers in the Processional way were also replaced in 2011.

Precinct Within the precinct, the Porta re-paving project was run alongside the North Transept project, during which the damaged paving was lifted and re -laid on a new foundation, renewing stone flags where necessary. A full external re-decoration and repair programme was carried out to Powcher’s Hall, an internal re-decoration and other works were carried out at Sacrist’s Gatehouse, Almonry Croft Flat 1 underwent redecoration and improvement works, and re-capping of part of the Choir House garden walls was also completed. The drains to the rear of the North (High Street) Range were completely re-lined to prevent possible further damage to vulnerable and inaccessible runs of pipe work. A new window into the Cathedral Shop was formed, complete with glass shelving to display items, and allows the shop interior to be viewed from the Nave. Smaller maintenance and repair works continue apace. Vicki Roulinson

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MOTHERS’ UNION

It has been an amazing year for Branch fundraising. The Proms in the Garden event raised £1040 and the proceeds were divided between M.U. Literacy and Development projects overseas and M.U projects in the UK. From donations raised at the Christmas Social, we gave £100 in Tesco vouchers to two women’s refuges: Cambridge Women’s Aid and the Huntingdon Refuge.

Our work with the young grows. Jean Thompson and Jean Webb, our two qualified parenting facilitators ran another course, this time at the Lighthouse in Ely. Edward Bear Group continues to flourish and now includes more outreach work taking our Posada Nativity into local schools. One of our Edward Bear Mothers and an M.U. member wrote about the group “This group is a wonderful safe haven for parents, carers and their pre-school children. There is a real community as families support one another”. We have a team of members and helpers who, each week provide the Edward Bear Worship time, our thanks for all their contributions.

Members continue to provide and serve refreshments at the cathedral confirmation services; we set up the crèche at the Sunday 10:30 service. Baptisms are attended, and a book presented on behalf of the cathedral and an M.U. card given.

My grateful thanks to the Committee for their help in organizing events and meetings, and to our members for their contributions. Our thanks also to Mary Benfield for organizing Sunday Lunch dates and to our members who host them. Our speakers this year have included presentations by some of our members sharing their gifts.

We encourage members to support Diocesan Quiet Days, monthly Thursday Prayer in St Dunstan chapel, Lady Day and Wave of Prayer Services.

I would like to thank the Chapter for its support and care for the Cathedral branch, the continued encouragement from our two Bishops and the help and care of Canon Pritchard as our Chaplain and Pastor.

Angela Jones, Branch Leader.

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MINISTRY OF WELCOME

During the year several of our members have retired but we have been very pleased to enrol members including some from other churches in and around Ely. We enjoy meeting a wide variety of people whether families and parishioners coming to support ordinands at the Petertide or the lone visitor on a cold January afternoon. In the winter months when chaplains are not available an increasing number of members are taking responsibility for “prayers on the hour”. By making ALL welcome whether they make a long visit or stand nervously for a few minutes at the west door, we feel we are playing our part in fulfilling the Cathedral’s Mission Statement. We have continued our practice of a training afternoon and a day when members are re-commissioned at a Eucharist followed by refreshments and a time to reflect on different aspects of the MOW.

We welcome enquiries from those who would like to join the team – we are a friendly bunch! We would like to thank Canon Hargrave for his continuing support and encouragement.

Joan Cameron and Sally Rowland

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FLOWER GUILD

The Guild held a very well attended AGM and lunch in January and we look forward to our annual social occasion in July. Members of local Flower Clubs, Burwell, Cambridge, Ely, Littleport and Wisbech were thanked for their support over the past year, together with the members of the guild who had worked with dedication and enthusiasm.

The chairman recalled at that meeting, special events held in the cathedral that had been enhanced by the work of the guild, particularly Easter, Harvest and Christmas when our creative, interpretative and decorative work was well received. 12 weddings took place at the cathedral during the past year and Sheila West the retiring co-ordinator was thanked for all her hard work and organisation.

Marilyn Crossley has taken over as wedding co-ordinator for this year and is liaising with Canon Pritchard regarding those planned. The committee, Mary Foister, Vice Chairman, June Nash and Lenny Prigg were warmly thanked for their support and the co-ordinators received a special thank you for their work of ordering and organisation. We look forward this year to the challenge of producing special decorations for the Jubilee in June and the welcoming service for the new Dean in September. We also look even further ahead to June 2013 when the cathedral will host a Flower Festival to be entitled ‘In the Beginning’ and planning is already well on its way.

Judy Wynn, Chairman

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CATHEDRAL COUNCIL

I am pleased to report on the work of the Cathedral Council during the last year. Its most recent meeting was three days ago when Coralie Green and Lesley Ann Thompson described the events and fund-raising activities of the Cathedral.

The Council bade farewell last year to Michael Chandler on his retirement as Dean, with the warmest thanks for his strong support for the work of the Council. Bishop Stephen attended the Council’s November meeting and described some initial impressions from the start his ministry at Ely. He also gave Council an account of the process the Crown would follow in seeking a new Dean, which lead in due course to the announcement in April of the appointment of the Revd Mark Bonney, Canon Treasurer of Salisbury Cathedral.

The Council has spent some time this year considering amendments and improvements to the Cathedral’s Constitution and Statutes. This facilitated, for example, the recent appointment of Etheldreda Canons. The Council is very grateful to Canon Rosemary Hughes who has masterminded the legal work involved.

In June 2011 the Chairman attended a meeting in Leicester of Chairmen of Cathedral Councils in England which discussed a useful protocol for Cathedral Councils. In particular, this has suggested rather more could be done at Ely to introduce new Council members to the life and work of the Cathedral.

The Council receives reports at each meeting on the finance and fabric of the Cathedral and in the past year, for example, this has included accounts of the commissioning of John Maddison’s work in the Lady Chapel, repairs to the North Transept, and the extension of the Almonry kitchen.

Sir David Harrison, Chairman

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FINANCE

The 2011 Annual Report containing full details of financial performance is available on the Cathedral website.

On the following page is a summary from which the salient points are: - A net deficit of £148k in 2010 was turned around into a surplus of £331k in 2011, an improvement of £479k in the year. - Before unrealised gains/(losses) on investments, over which we have little control, the respective figures are a deficit of £249k in 2010 and a surplus of £425k in 2011, an improvement of £674k in the year. - The areas which management can control are measured half-way down the page under the heading Operating Surplus/ (deficit). The relevant figures are 2010 (£220k) and 2011 £50k, an improvement of £270k in the year. - It can be seen that every area of the Cathedral’s operations showed a financial improvement in 2011 apart from expenditure on Mission. Spending more money on Mission is something of which we can be proud and should seek to continue. - Thanks are due to every member of staff including volunteers for their efforts in optimising revenue and controlling costs throughout the year. Without their continuing efforts the Cathedral would have continued to operate at a deficit. - It is also very pleasing to report that our improved financial performances meant that we were able to pay a modest year end bonus to all members of staff and to implement the first salary increase in three years in January 2012. - The major works in 2011 of £379k were largely accounted for by the repairs to the North Transept which were funded by grants from the Wolfson Foundation, the Starling Trust and the Ely Cathedral Trust along with a significant legacy. - A satisfactory 2011 from a finance perspective does not mean that we can take our eyes off the ball in 2012 where the Operating Surplus/ (Deficit) budget is to break-even. At the end of the first quarter we were marginally ahead of budget. Careful management of costs continues to be the order of the day.

John Harrison

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