PEPPERPOTS NEWSLETTER OF THE FRIENDS OF SOUTHWELL CATHEDRAL Welcome to the New Dean No 44 Autumn 2016 ISSN 1466-0482 Photograph by Brian Pickering The Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham warmly welcomed the Cathedral’s new Dean at a lengthy and uplifting service in the Minster on Saturday 17 inside September 2016. Seen here is a high point of the occasion where the Bishop (the Rt Revd Paul Williams) is presenting the mandate to the Very Revd Nicola Pepperpots Sullivan. The arrival of a new leader for the Cathedral community who is also a senior figure in the diocese is always a source of interest and expectation. Two Gifts update 2 factors heighten the feelings in this instance. A vacancy lasting two and a half years is an unusually long time to await the filling of such a post and the appointment of the first woman to this post in Southwell is an even more Dean’s column 3 significant event. It is sixteen years since the first woman dean in the Church of England was announced and at the time of her installation the new Dean Mary Skinner 4 was only the seventh among the 42 Anglican cathedrals in England. As she outlines in her column on page 3, her career has been one of Friends’ Festival 5/7 contrasts and variety. She comes to Southwell with far more than a thorough appreciation of the role of a cathedral and we shall all look forward to observing and sharing in the insights which she will bring in the coming Out and about 8/10 years. From the point of view of the Friends the Council was delighted when she Great War accepted the invitation to occupy the chair. The Dean is not the automatic memorial window 12 choice for this position in every cathedral. Some Friends groups are chaired by lay men or women. We wish her and her husband Terry a fruitful and rewarding ministry in Southwell both personally and as the cathedral’s leader. 1 GIFTS UPDATE The Spring 2012 issue of Pepperpots (no. 35) carried a major review of the principal ways in which the Friends’ funds had been used for the benefit of the Minster over the previous sixty years or so. If you have joined the Friends in the meantime and would like a copy of this feature, please contact the Editor or email [email protected] for an electronic version. It may now be timely to survey what has been achieved in the past five years. In brief almost £200,000 of the Friends’ funds have been spent on a wide range of projects. The annual expenditure fluctuates according to the needs of the moment, from about £72,000 in 2014 to £10,000 in 2011 with an annual average of The Monarchy exhibition in 2012 was underwritten by the Friends about £40,000. The largest projects have been the provision of new chairs memorial. The stewards have received embroidered which in part replace the complete reseating which the badges. Friends funded in advance of the cathedral centenary This summary is not complete and must conclude with celebrations in 1984. These cost £50,000 over two years a mention of the ongoing support which is offered and in some ways are the most visible of the Friends’ recent to the Flower Guild (£2,100 gifts. Equally costly have been the vital contributions of in the latest year) and the £44,000 and £22,000 to the north porch project and Needlecraft Guild (£2,700), the general fabric maintenance respectively. £10,000 spent annual servicing of both the to make the Minster’s heating more effective has been speech-reinforcement system felt but not seen and in the same category was the and the audio tours (£1,700 burying of cabling under the paving (£630). and £700). On two occasions the Friends have underwritten the Looking ahead Council is likely costs of major exhibitions: first the Monarchy exhibition to be making a considerable in 2012 (£1,600) and then the Embroidery exhibition contribution to the forthcoming the following year £2,300). Both these events raised project to renew the lead roofs significant sums to the benefit of the Minster. In a and enhance the chapter house. similar vein new donation boxes have been provided An annual donation of £30,000 through legacies. over each of the next five years At the other end of the costs spectrum the Friends will inevitably divert funds from have been able to support provision or repairs which other expensive projects. These were not in the essential category, but nonetheless sums will come from reserves very desirable. Examples have been the supply of which we hope will continue to portable lights to the choir, the conservation of the be replenished by legacies and ledger stone now in the north quire aisle and the by current giving from generous reinstatement of missing letters on Bishop Ridding’s Friends. A secure donation box Below: The embroidery exhibition in 2013 was also underwritten by the Friends Right: An example of the work of the Needlecraft Guild which the Friends support on a continuing basis 2 buildings are made from stones saturated by centuries of prayer and provide a place of stillness and inspiration amidst frenetic and busy modern DEAN’S lives. Cathedrals are places of focus and gathering for our civic and national life and touch millions of people’s lives in various ways. We have countless opportunities to speak of our COLUMN Christian faith and hope in God in today’s world. The Minster serves a lively and diverse diocese which The Very Revd Nicola Sullivan writes: has set as its direction “to grow disciples – wider, younger, deeper”. We look forward to seeing how ‘Guard well this holy place; lead and support we fully participate in supporting Bishop Paul as your people; be a diligent Minister of God’s he leads the diocese in mission from his ‘cathedra’, holy word and sacraments, and preserve this literally his seat of teaching. Cathedral as a place of prayer, exploration and As we know all too well the maintenance and care a well of healing.’ of our historic churches and cathedrals is costly These solemn and profound words were spoken and relentless. No sooner has one project been to me by the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham completed than another moves up the ‘to-do’ list. as he delivered the Deed of Institution and the The generosity and tireless support of the Friends Mandate for Installation to me during the moving over the years has enabled not just the urgent and and joyful service on Saturday 17 September, necessary repair of the fabric, but also the means making me the tenth Provost or Dean of Southwell. for those many extra embellishments – the icing Of course, one cannot help but feel humbled and on the cake! – making Southwell Minster an privileged to be charged with such a task and extraordinarily beautiful and cherished cathedral conscious of the heavy responsibility entrusted to church enjoyed by thousands of visitors every a fallible human being. year. In my sermon I spoke of the hope that the Minster I am delighted to be the Chair of the Friends and will continue to be a place of generous welcome look forward to working with you in the years and hospitality to all who come through our doors; ahead so that together we can ‘guard well this its corporate life a channel of God’s reconciliation holy place’ to the glory of Almighty God. and love in an anxious and uncertain age through our life together in Christ; and that this calling is not focused solely on the leadership of one individual but shared among us according to our gifts. New Friends I have moved from Wells in Somerset where for the We warmly welcome the following Friends who have last nine years I have been the Archdeacon of Wells joined recently: and Residentiary Canon of Wells Cathedral. Before A secure donation box Mrs P Baird Mr I Walter ordination in 1995 I was a nurse and midwife, both Mr N S Cooper Mr & Mrs J V Wilson in the UK and overseas in Ethiopia and Swaziland. Dr A R Edgar Mrs W Jefferson After serving a curacy in St Anne’s, Earlham in and the following Miss G A King Norwich I moved to Bath Abbey as Associate Vicar churches: and from there to Wells as Bishop’s Chaplain and Dr & Mrs G A F Roberts (Life) Bilborough St John the Pastoral Assistant in 2002. Dr F A Slater Baptist I had never for one moment thought that I might Mr & Mrs P F Smith Clifton Holy Trinity be invited to be a dean of a cathedral! I am Miss M A Tudball Clifton St Mary especially delighted that Southwell Minster is both a cathedral and a parish church because that seems to be a winning combination. We are blessed by FRIENDS IN THE CHURCHES committed and faithful congregations. At a time Many of the churches of the diocese are Friends of the of many challenges for the Church of England, with Cathedral – and many are not. At the annual general an apparent decrease in regular church attendance, meeting those present were invited to take on the role of England’s 42 cathedrals continue to offer a special Friends’ representative if they belonged to a church which was not affiliated. A number who kindly volunteered are contribution to the mission of the Church. gradually being contacted with the necessary information.