Annual Report 2014 version 2.indd

Annual Report
Annual Parochial Church Meeting
A
27th April 2014
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PAGE • 2
Contents
Dean’s Report
pages 5-21
Summary of
Annual Accounts 2013
pages 24-27
REPORTS
Enterprises
pages 28-30
Volunteer Workforce
page 31 and 32
Fundraising Update
pages 32 and 33
Education Centre
pages 33 and 34
Cathedral School
pages 34-36
Deanery Synod
pages 36 and 37
Unity Group
pages 37 and 38
PAGE • 3
Dean’s Report
and erecting a huge amount of hoarding and
scaffolding over and around the main Cathedral
doors and seriously affecting access.
The Very Reverend Andrew Nunn, Dean
However else we remember 2013, one thing will
always stand out for all of us at the Cathedral,
head and shoulders above anything else, and
that was the visit of Her Majesty The Queen
and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.
The Diamond Jubilee celebrations, which, had
spanned two years, were drawing to a close.
However, our very good friend, Sir David
Brewer, Lord Lieutenant of London, had worked
on our behalf to enable a visit by Her Majesty to
see the new window, installed and dedicated in
the Retrochoir in 2012.
Such a visit involves so many people and takes
an enormous amount of time and in many ways
it serves as a model of how well the Cathedral
works and how everyone plays their part.
Take the building itself. One of the things that
we have needed to do was to begin to address
some of the serious issues that are affecting the
fabric. In many ways the Cathedral is in a good
state of repair. It has been well looked after over
the generations and we are thankful for that. To
be honest, however, because money is always an
issue for Southwark, there is work that has not
been done that has needed to be done.
So we were delighted when the Development
Trust, working with the Chapter, managed
to pull together sufficient funds to do some
major work to the roofs. The worst area of
roofing was that over the south nave aisle and
those who know the building well will have
seen the staining caused by water ingress over
the memorial to William Shakespeare. That
was the first stretch of roof to be tackled. It
meant taking over part of the south churchyard
The firm, Norman and Underwood, were given
the contract for the work and Jamie Ward
was appointed by them as the Site Manager.
Working with Robert Darling, our Works
Manager and our relatively newly appointed
architect, Kelley Christ, the work on the south
side began. It was to take up the whole of the
autumn and the scaffolding only came down just
before Christmas.
We don’t do things by halves at Southwark,
however. The Development Trust, a body
established to look after all our development
needs, had more money in the pot. The
Trustees are Jennie Page, Tim Sanderson,
Archdeacon Jane Steen, Philip Sturrock,
Matthew Knight (Treasurer) and me and we
knew that we had the money to replace the
roofs to the north choir aisle and the Harvard
Chapel. Again, that was going to involve a great
amount of scaffolding but we knew that the
north transept roof also needed replacing but,
we were £50,000 short of what we needed
to do that work but if we were able to, then
we would, in the long run, save £100,000 in
scaffolding costs, as almost the entire scaffolding
would have to be erected again in order to do
that work.
God is very good and half the money was found,
which left us with a shortfall of £25,000. So I
asked the congregation one Sunday morning to
pray about it. I explained what we needed and
asked them to give their prayer support. They
did more than that, however, and we received
from members of the congregation the money
we needed to do the work.
PAGE • 4
So the scaffolding went up and much of the
north side of the Cathedral was shrouded, the
Link roof was boarded for safety reasons and
we didn’t look at our best. Again, Norman and
Underwood undertook the work and it was
only in February that the scaffolding came down
and we got Humphrey’s Yard, the area between
the Cathedral and the offices in Montague
Chambers, back.
So when I was told that Her Majesty would be
coming in November, I knew that she would
be greeted by a building with scaffolding and a
rather gloomy Link but we are a living cathedral
and I’m afraid work has to go on, and as the
royal palaces seem to be constantly worked on
I’m sure Her Majesty is used to it.
The plan therefore was that the Royal Party
would arrive on the north side of the Cathedral
and enter through the Mandela Porch rather
than enter, as would be usual, through the
south-west doors from the Borough Market side.
The Palace officials announced a couple of
weeks before the visit that before the Royal
Party came to the Cathedral, they would be
visiting the Shard. I was delighted about that as
Her Majesty would be able to get a wonderful
view of the Cathedral from the Shard viewing
platform before coming down to earth! The
re-development of the London Bridge area
now seems to have been going on for a very
long time. The Shard is the most prominent
and obvious element in all this, but only part of
it. Between the Shard and the Cathedral is the
second of Renzo Piano’s buildings called ‘The
Place’. During the year we learnt that this had
been taken by News UK, the re-branded version
of News International as their headquarters.
For the first time the editorial and admin offices
of The Sun, The Times, The Sunday Times,
The Wall Street Journal, together with
HarperCollins Publishers and other elements of
this media empire are being brought together
under one roof. This is a significant development
for the area.
I took the opportunity to contact Rebekah Brooks’
successor, Mike Darcey so that we could meet
and talk about what it will be like for them
to be in the Cathedral parish. It was a very
positive meeting and we look forward to our
new neighbours moving in. Whatever has
happened in that organisation in the past (and I
don’t ignore the seriousness of that at all), the
message of the Gospel is about new beginnings
and recognising our neighbour. Goodwill was
shown immediately with a donation to the All
Hallows project (which I will come back to), and
a booking for a carol service in December. So
it was my pleasure to welcome News UK &
Ireland to the Cathedral with their staff choir for
a lovely service. I was also pleased to be asked
to contribute to the Saturday Credo column in
The Times, which I did in February.
Cathedral staff and the members of the Fabric
Advisory Committee, the body that advises
the Chapter on the care of the Cathedral
building, were invited in the autumn by Sellar, the
developer of London Bridge Quarter, to view
the plans for the third of Piano’s buildings which
they are now hoping to build in the next couple
of years. This will be a 26 floor apartment block,
straddling the space between St Thomas Street
and London Bridge Approach. It was good to
see the plans, though our constant concern is
that all the new accommodation being built in
the Cathedral parish is at the high end of the
market. “Where is the social housing?” is our
constant question to developers and to the
Borough Council alike.
PAGE • 5
We are, of course, fully aware of the market
pressures on the area and the way in which
property prices have rocketed in SE1 in recent
years but we do not believe that this therefore
means that all social housing should be provided
in the south of the borough. The glory of the
area is its mixed character and we have to work
to ensure, as far as is possible, that there is a
place for the wealthy and the not so wealthy in
the same community because that is what makes
for a good, vibrant and real community.
It is partly this that has led us to develop a clear
idea of what we want to do at All Hallows.
As you may know, All Hallows is a church on
Copperfield Street, within the Cathedral parish.
During the last war, it took a direct hit from a
bomb and this destroyed all but the north aisle.
That was re-built and became the parish church
until the early 1970s when the church closed and
the parish was absorbed by the Cathedral.
Since then it was used as a recording studio for
a number of years but latterly has stood empty.
For all that time, the local community has
maintained the garden which occupies what was
once the nave and south aisle. Led by stalwarts
including Ted Bowman (who sadly died in late
March 2014), and George Nicholson, this lovely
open space has been maintained for us. Our plan
is to bring the building back into life. That means
clearing the place out, making it fit for purpose
and opening the doors. And the purpose? Twofold really. It is still a consecrated building and
we want to get worship back there. Believe it or
not, Cathedral worship isn’t everyone’s favourite
style of church. There is more we can offer that
might meet other needs. Secondly, there is a
need for community space in the area because
this, with a mixed resident population, helps make
community. We want All Hallows to be a blessing
to the community, and that is what its name really
means, ‘the holy ones’, ‘the blessed ones’.
We have been helped initially by Iqbal Wahhab,
the owner of Roast restaurant in the Borough
Market. He gave us the restaurant one morning
in September and a cooked breakfast for nearly
70 guests who were invited to participate in
this exciting project. We have a housing cooperative living in the building and carrying out
some basic work in order to make the place
habitable. Some of the glories of the building,
such as the beautiful stained glass that has
survived war and neglect, are beginning to be
revealed. There is more to discover and as
we learn more about the building, we will also
discover more of the God who tabernacles with
his people. It really is exciting. I am grateful to
Canon Stephen Hance, who with Jennie Page,
Gill Reynolds, Neil McGuinness, Alice Willington
and others is heading up this piece of work for
us. They are working with the community to
make sure that this is a ‘bottom-up’ project and
not ‘top-down’. We want this development to
really give life to this part of the parish.
There has been another development on
the other side of the parish. Last year the
congregation at St Hugh’s were still at St
George’s Church on Borough High Street. The
Rainbow Building on Crosby Row had been
demolished a couple of years before and a
developer was building a mixed development –
private flats and social housing, thank goodness –
but the ground floor had to be a replacement for
the church that was in the former building.
As with all such work, deadlines slipped past.
Canon Bruce Saunders, who as Sub Dean and
Canon Pastor is also the Minister-in-Charge of St
Hugh’s, worked hard with the Wardens, ministry
team and congregation at St Hugh’s to keep
the project moving forward. I remember the
joy I felt when Bruce took me into the almost
completed building for the first time. The floor
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had yet to go down but one could begin to see
what would be there. It was exciting but nowhere
near as exciting as seeing the finished result.
The weekend of the 7th and 8th December saw
the consecration of the new church by Bishop
Christopher and the first Eucharist presided
over by Bishop Michael. It was such a joyful
weekend. The church and community space are
beautiful and so unusual. The unusual character
is that the walls are all glass (huge windows) so
as one worships, one can see out into the world
and the passing world can see in. It is an amazing
witness and already the congregation has grown
as people have been attracted in to join the
congregation in worship.
The community space is now being used for dropin coffee, a craft morning and a nursery. There
is more planned. Our thanks go to Bruce for his
unstinting hard work and vision, to the Wardens,
Tomi Ogunjobi and Clive Greenwood; to the
Revds Jesse Anand and Linda Scott-Garnett, to
the Readers Mary O’Neill and Iris Tomlins (who
was welcomed to the congregation this year) and
to all who make St Hugh’s such a vibrant part of
our parish.
So, back to November and Her Majesty and
the Shard. She was welcomed among others
by James Sellar, the developer. We are grateful
to James for joining our newly-formed Estates
Committee. The Cathedral is served by a series
of excellent committees. Some of them are
statutory, such as the Finance Committee which
is chaired by Richard Cornwall and contains a
number of people who bring financial and strategic
skills to bear on our finances; the Fabric Advisory
Committee, which I have already mentioned,
chaired by Canon Charles Pickstone with a
number of experienced and qualified experts in
their field. In addition, we have committees that
enable us to do what we have to do. The Unity
Group is one such group (and I will return to
them) and the Property Committee has
been another.
The Property Committee was established to
advise the Chapter in very practical ways about
the maintenance of the buildings. Since the
appointment of the Works Manager, their role
has been less clear. So the Chapter decided to
re-form the Property Committee as an Estates
Committee and to bring on board those with
the skills in managing a property portfolio.
We are grateful to Jim Fleming for agreeing
to continue chairing this new committee. Its
remit is to advise the Chapter on strategic
maintenance of the property stock and on
acquisitions and disposal. This is very important
in order that the property is at its very best.
We thank those who served on the Property
Committee; I’m sure their particular expertise
will remain available to us but in different ways.
After completing her visit to the Shard, Her
Majesty was driven along Tooley Street and
into Montague Close and to the Millennium
Courtyard entrance. As she arrived, a massive
cheer went up from those standing in the street
but principally from the children of Cathedral
School who were gathered in the Courtyard,
making a triumphal entrance for the royal
couple. They had been practising their cheering
technique and had also made little Union Flags to
wave as the Royal Party passed through.
Our schools are enormously important to us.
Filiz Scott, the Headteacher of Cathedral School,
continues to do a wonderful job in leading
the school from strength to strength. With a
wonderful team of teaching and non-teaching
staff, we see a school in which the children want
to learn and enjoy the experience of being in
PAGE • 7
school. The Cathedral clergy are on a rota
to lead Thursday assembly. For some this is
more of a pleasure than for others, but we are
all delighted to see the children so attentive
and happy. Clergy always ask questions of the
children during assemblies and the answers that
the children give us are tremendous. Not only
is their biblical knowledge fantastic but they have
wonderful imagination and wise and insightful
comments to make.
Our two secondary schools, St Saviour’s and
St Olave’s Girls’ School on the New Kent Road
led by Catherine May and St Olave’s Grammar
School in Orpington led by Aydin Önaç are both
leading schools in their own right. St Olave’s
is consistently one of the highest performing
schools in the country and indeed has just
received an outstanding report after their latest
OFSTED inspection but so is St Saviour’s which
had a similarly glowing result following the
diocesan inspection of RE and Christian ethos
in the school. With very different intakes, they
both do tremendous jobs. We congratulate all
three of our headteachers, their governors, staff
and students. They are jewels in our crown and
they give so many young people the very best
start in life.
Within the Cathedral, the Education Centre
does an amazing job in extending that
commitment to excellence to our work with
children and young people. Alex Carton,
supported by Karen Greaves and a team of
volunteer ‘teachers’ last year welcomed 10,738
children and 65 adults to the Cathedral. They
arrive to do a variety of educational trails, but
whilst here experience the holy space that is the
Cathedral. Children respond to sacred space
in a way that adults often fail to do. Children
feel awe and experience wonder and for many
of them they will never have been in a place like
the Cathedral. It is good that we are able to
welcome children from other faith communities
to share in these events. This can only be for
the good of future generations.
Andreas Schoeler and the volunteers who look
after YouthXpress and the younger versions
Junior YouthXpress which meet on a Sunday,
also contribute to our ongoing care and
education of our children and young people.
They, like all in the Cathedral, work according to
our Safeguarding Policy.
I cannot emphasise too strongly how seriously
we take our responsibility for the children and
vulnerable adults in our care and community.
Safeguarding one another is something that
we have to get right as a community. Our
Comptroller (we used to call him Administrator),
Matthew Knight and Cherry James, act as
our Safeguarding Officers. They advise the
Chapter and the staff on best practice which
we always seek to meet. In a recent audit of
our safeguarding procedures, we came out well
but there is always room for improvement.
Safeguarding is not just the concern of a few but
of us all; we must be a safe place for each other
and for everyone who comes through our doors.
Please do all you can to ensure this.
So Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal
Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh came through
the exuberant flag waving welcoming committee
and into the Mandela Porch where I presented
the Bishop of Southwark.
The Mandela Porch became the focus for our act
of remembrance for the late President Nelson Mandela
after his death last year. Back in 2001 President
Mandela came to the Cathedral to open the new
Millennium Buildings. I can remember the huge
pride with which our former Dean,
PAGE • 8
Colin Slee, welcomed Mandela to Southwark. It
was a moment in history. I had the privilege of
sitting beside him during the service and showing
him where we were in the Order of Service.
He was a man who exuded humility and grace,
a remarkable person. His support and that of
Archbishop Desmond Tutu helped to create the
community that we are. Both these giants of the
new South Africa celebrated the ‘rainbow people
of God’ and we do as well.
During the year Bruce organised, with others,
an event called ‘A Gospel for all nations’ wherein
members of the minority ethnic parts of our
congregation came together to talk about our
life at the Cathedral. That was a good first move
but we need to do more to be truly integrated
as a congregation. Our support of our brothers
and sisters in Zimbabwe and especially in the
Diocese of Masvingo is so important to us. I’m
looking forward to going out to visit Zimbabwe
for the first time later this spring. Five of us will
be going, including Canon Stephen Hance, who
has taken over the chairing of the Masvingo Link
Group from Canon Bruce Saunders. This will be
important for all of us as an act of solidarity with
our brothers and sisters. I am grateful to
Jon Dollin, the Shop Manager, for stocking
work by Zimbabwean artists. They work in a
cooperative called ‘ArtPeace’ based in Harare.
Approximately £2,000 was raised in the last year
for the artists and their families through sales in
the Cathedral Shop.
The Cathedral Shop had a fantastic year and
managed to deliver a profit for the first time.
Jon is very good at working with local artists
and local initiatives. For instance, we are now
looking forward to the arrival of beehives in All
Hallows garden and the flow of Cathedral honey.
We are delighted that the Paschal Candle in the
Cathedral is made from locally sourced wax
and look forward to this initiative being further
developed.
The Shop is part of Southwark Cathedral
Enterprises, the trading arm of the Cathedral,
which has been ably led by the Chairman of the
Board of Directors, Derek Bartlett. Derek is
standing down at the AGM of Enterprises and
we thank him for his skilful leadership through
occasionally choppy financial waters. For
instance, 2012 had been a truly remarkable year
for London and the Cathedral but financially
it was disastrous. If it had not been for the
House of Switzerland being here for the Olympics,
we would have been in a very serious financial
situation. By contrast 2013 has been a very
successful year commercially. Rose Harding,
Helen Caruth and the latest member of the
team Chris Crentsil, have been busy selling
conference and event space. Edson de Oliveira
the Refectory Manager has brought the
Refectory to a new level of efficiency and
profitability. They were able to give us more
than their guaranteed rent last year as a result
of increased takings. Thanks to them and their
staff above and below stairs.
Sheik Adams continues to look after car parking
in Montague Close. That is not an easy job and
Sheik is with us from first light to the end of the
working day and always manages to squeeze
another car in somewhere.
The other element of Southwark Cathedral
Enterprises is visitors and on this front we rely
upon the work of David Payne, the Visitors’
Officer. In 2013 we welcomed approximately
198,500 visitors to the Cathedral (182,500 in
2012). These are not worshippers (who we
count separately) but tourists in the main. In
2012 Southwark Cathedral was within the top
20 of London’s free attractions – we were 20th!
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The 2013 statistics are not yet available. Tourists
do become worshippers, however – the candle
stands testify to that. In 2013 over 100,000
votive candles were lit. That’s a lot of prayers!
David doesn’t do all the welcoming alone; he is
supported in this by Day Chaplains, Welcomers
and Guides. We are grateful to them all. Two
stalwarts of the Cathedral Guiding team retired
during the year. John and Jo Brewster have
given up leading the visits and talks, which they
have done for the last decade. In that time they
raised a huge amount of money for the Friends
of Southwark Cathedral. They have also done
the same for our neighbour, St Paul’s. David and
the Guides team are formulating a group within
that team which will offer external visits and
talks to those wanting them but no one can fully
replace the Brewsters who have kindly donated
copies of their scripts and slides to the Cathedral
for future use.
Doreen Brooker completed six years as
Chairman of the Guides Team and we are
grateful to her for her work and commitment.
Sophie Wheeler succeeds her as Chairman.
Sophie came to us initially for six weeks in 2008
to undertake work experience in connection
with an NVQ course in tourism at Greenwich
Community College for which she was studying
and stayed. Such is the power of Southwark!
The Welcomers team has also gone through a
slight re-structuring with the appointment of
team leaders who meet quarterly and assist
David in the ongoing development of that team.
Emerging from the Mandela Porch, Her Majesty
and I began our walk along the Link. It’s always
good to see people trying to find the stone in
the floor of the Link with the name of their
parish church inscribed into it, or those who
can’t believe that the Diocese is as extensive as
it is. For me, the Link represents a kind of minipilgrimage through the Diocese. You can use it
as a kind of prayer walk rather than simply just a
way of getting from A to B.
Each year we go on pilgrimage to a number of
places from the Cathedral. 2013 had begun
with a group from our congregation joining
the Diocesan pilgrimage to the Holy Land
and I talked about that in last year’s Annual
Report. At the end of May, however, we went
on another pilgrimage. We are fortunate to
have as our SPA (Southwark Pastoral Assistant),
Marion Marples. Marion is involved in a great
many things locally for us, not least in looking
after the weekly social event in Lucy Brown
House on Park Street (I’m delighted that five
new volunteers are now working with Marion
there). But Marion’s ‘day job’ is looking after
the Confraternity of St James. This is the
organisation which encourages pilgrims to travel
the Camino, the road that begins in a number of
places but arrives in Santiago de Compostela,
where the shrine of the Apostle James is to
be found.
I had heard a great deal about the Camino and so
it was great to be able to organise a pilgrimage
so that people could experience something of it.
In the end two pilgrimages went. The real way
to make the pilgrimage is to do it on foot (or on
horseback) and that is precisely what a group
of 11 people from the congregation did. They
walked the Camino Inglés (the ‘English Way’)
from Ferrol to Santiago. That entitled them to
receive the Pilgrim Certificate at the end of
their journey.
At the same time, a coach load of us travelled
the way from the French border to the Shrine,
meeting up with the walking group there. It
PAGE • 10
was an incredible journey – we weren’t eligible
for the certificate but the joy of travelling and
arriving was reward enough. We walked a little
bit each day and got a taste of what our brothers
and sisters, not just from the Cathedral, but
from around the world, were experiencing. It
was the journey of a lifetime and a real joy to be
able to embrace those who had walked so far to
be there.
One of the highlights of the journey was being
at the Pilgrim Mass in the Cathedral. I was
invited to make the Invocation to the Saint and
to present a gift from the pilgrims, a box of
English incense which was then emptied into
the Botafumeiro, the great thurible that is swung
across the width of the Cathedral.
We gathered our reasons for walking the Way
so that I could mention them in the Invocation
and this is part of what I said:
‘We have come to this holy place and to your
shrine glorious Apostle for so many reasons.
Some of us are here to pray for others, living
and departed. Some are here to repent of sins
committed and to seek the forgiving grace of
God. Some of us have come for the sheer joy
of companionship in the gospel and some to say
“thank you” for all the gifts God has given us
throughout our lives’.
With pilgrimages to Whitby and Canterbury,
with the Friends of the Cathedral to Rome, with
Prayer Walks and the daily walk along the Link,
we are a pilgrimage community, the place from
which the pilgrims to Canterbury began their
walk and the place where each of us is making a
daily walk with God.
It was a slightly different kind of pilgrimage that
we embarked on with the staff of the Globe
Theatre. Last year saw the completion and
opening of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
on the same site as the Globe itself. This is
a beautiful Jacobean-style, candlelit theatre
made entirely of wood. It is a small, intimate
and dramatic space and it was lovely, as one
of the fundraising events organised by the
Development Office, to go to see the opening
production The Duchess of Malfi following supper
at the Deanery with the Artistic Director of the
Globe, Dominic Dromgoole as our guest.
The pilgrimage, however, came a little bit before
when staff from the Globe, starting from the
Cathedral, walked with servers and clergy in a
candlelit procession via Apothecaries’ Hall to
the new theatre where we lit the candles in the
chandeliers and listened to some wonderful
renaissance music. It was a magical evening and
a further cementing of the good relationship
with the Globe.
When there is a Royal Visit, there are of course
a great many introductions to be made and if
you are the person responsible for doing this,
as I was, it brings a stressful element to the
occasion. The first group to be presented after
the Diocesan Bishop presented no challenge, as
they were the members of the Chapter.
I know from the meetings of deans that chapters
vary enormously. We are very fortunate in
those who make up our Chapter.
Canon Bruce Saunders, the Sub Dean and
Canon Pastor, has been at the Cathedral since
1997, first as Missioner and then as Pastor and
then, when I was made Dean, Sub Dean. I
have already said that Bruce is also Minister-incharge of St Hugh’s. His job is enormous but
he brings to it the wisdom acquired over 43
years of ministry. Supported by his wife Ros,
PAGE • 11
Bruce brings huge energy to everything he does.
We really cannot believe that he is retiring but
that is the case and we will be saying thank you
and farewell to him and to Ros on the Feast of
Pentecost.
During a week in July last year we had the
cameras with us for the making of the BBC
documentary in the Cathedrals series that was
broadcast in November. I was nervous when
I went to see the first edit, but shouldn’t have
been. I thought the resulting programme was
tremendous and from all the mail and messages
I received afterwards, so did a great many other
people. It really showed Southwark at its best.
OK, so there could have been fewer shots of an
empty nave and more of the choir but in terms
of LIVING GOD and the vision that we hold of
an inclusive vibrant expression of church, it was
amazing.
There were many stars in it: Abdeltif Boukkouri,
our Muslim Welcomer, was an obvious one;
Pat Ellis and her flowers, another; Paul Timms,
the Dean’s Verger, opening up the Cathedral;
Gillian Bowden, one of the Broderers reflecting
on life; Martin Gwilliams and the LIVING GOD
logo (“...or a baguette!”). The real star, however,
was Bruce. You got the real Bruce: wise, cheeky,
sharp as a knife and holy. Bruce represents for
me a certain era of clergy who were prepared
to think the unthinkable about God and do the
undoable with community, and challenge the
yet to be challenged in society and to hold it all
together. The Diocese of Southwark was the
beacon and home of that radical Anglicanism and
I for one have been grateful to sit at Bruce’s feet
and learn from him.
Canon Gilly Myers, the Precentor, is now in her
second liturgical cycle since her arrival in 2012.
Her job is enormously busy given that we do
not simply have the usual round of Cathedral
services, which are demanding in themselves,
but so many special services. Services during
the year ranged from the funeral for a Ghanaian
king; a memorial service for the Chairman of the
Police Federation; a service to mark Jamaican
Independence Day; Black History Month; the
ordinations for the Apostolic Pastoral Congress;
the blessing of dough in the Borough Market; the
Civic Service and many, many more. December
was busier than ever with over 30 carol services
between Advent Sunday and Christmas Day.
We thank Gilly for all this hard work and the
imagination that goes into so many of them. We
are also grateful to Martin Gwilliams who works
with Gilly in producing all the orders of service
that we need, and works with others in the
Cathedral to produce all the printed material.
He has a style which gives a really distinctive
character to all our publications.
Canon Leanne Roberts, the Canon Treasurer,
like each of the Diocesan canons, has a full time
job in the Diocese and then has responsibilities
in the Cathedral. Leanne is the Diocesan
Director of Ordinands and so looks after all
those who are testing their vocation to ordained
ministry. This is a huge job and so we are grateful
to the time that she has given and especially to
the LIVING GOD process.
Canon Stephen Hance, the Canon Missioner,
has already been mentioned in relation to
All Hallows and Zimbabwe. Stephen has the
responsibility of encouraging and supporting the
Diocese in mission. This means being around
the Diocese as much as possible and helping
parishes and deaneries plan for growth and for
mission. As another of the Diocesan canons,
that is a full time job and so we are grateful to
him for the time he gives to the Cathedral.
Jane Steen left in 2013 to become the
PAGE • 12
Archdeacon of Southwark. This created a
vacancy in the post of Canon Chancellor.
Interviews were held in the summer but no
appointment was made. Bishop Christopher
established a review group to look at this
important diocesan role, which has its focus in
the ongoing training of those in ministry. We
hope that we will soon be able to appoint a
new Canon Chancellor. The vacancy has put
additional pressure on the rest of the team, not
least in leading services and preaching and we
will all be delighted to see the vacant stall filled.
The Revd Anna Macham had been Succentor
at Southwark since 2007. That post is half-time
and the other half is Chaplain to Guy’s Campus
of King’s College London, ministering to staff
and students from the Medical, Biomedical and
Dental schools on the Guy’s Campus. Anna
did an amazing job in keeping the liturgical
show on the road after the death of Colin Slee,
when my time was immediately taken by the
Cathedral as a whole and worked tirelessly
to see that nothing changed. In addition she
looked after such events as the Lancelot
Andrewes competitions, our relationship with
‘Poet in the City’ and the Feminist Theology
and Poetry groups. This was all in addition to
organising services and singing evensong so
beautifully. Anna left us in June and was Licensed
as Priest-in-Charge of St Philip, Camberwell
(Avondale Square, just off the Old Kent Road)
on 21st July. It was very sad to see Anna go
but I was delighted that she had a parish nearby
and it looks as though she is really enjoying the
community and the challenge.
By the time Her Majesty arrived we had a
new Succentor, the Revd Stephen Stavrou.
Stephen joined us in July to do just as Anna
had done: Succentor and Chaplain. Stephen
served his title in a parish in London Diocese
and so crossed that great barrier in London,
the Thames, to come south of the river. He
immediately engaged with the task and not least
with Connected, our young adults group and
has breathed fresh life into that work as well as
his responsibilities with rotas and liturgy in the
Cathedral.
Others members of the Chapter, or those who
attend the meetings and so were presented to
Her Majesty, included Canon Wendy Robins.
Wendy is Director of Communications in the
Diocese and Press Officer to the Bishop. She
is also our Honorary Assistant Priest and whilst
not technically a member of the Chapter, like
the Succentor, always attends. Wendy with
her family makes a huge contribution to our life
and in addition, she has undertaken a thorough
review of our communications, the result of
which we await with interest. Sister Joyce
Yarrow, CSF was elected by the congregation
as one of their representatives on the Chapter.
Sister Joyce is a well-known and loved member
of the congregation. She is part of the
Franciscan house at St Alphege in Pocock Street.
With her sisters Sue and Gina and a number
of people living alongside them, they provide a
praying heart in the community. Joyce has come
to the end of her time on Chapter and we thank
her for her quiet wisdom.
Gill Reynolds is another representative of the
congregation on the Chapter. Gill has enormous
skills and expertise in management and strategic
thinking. She asks tough questions and expects
robust answers and I am grateful to her for that.
She has given lots of energy to the All Hallows
project and her ability to ‘see things through’ will
be very useful to us.
Adrian Greenwood is one of the two appointees
to the Chapter by the Diocesan Bishop. He
PAGE • 13
and Canon Dr Rosemarie Mallett bring to us an
outside perspective. Both are members of the
General Synod, Adrian is Chair of the House
of Laity in the Diocese, Rosemarie has been a
member of the Steering Group on Women in
the Episcopate and is on the panel of chairs of
the General Synod. We are grateful to them for
the views and wisdom that they bring.
Matthew Knight is also a member of the
Chapter. As Comptroller he is responsible for
the day-to-day administration of the Cathedral.
With Toyin Tukasi, the Accountant, they
oversee the finances. This year’s financial report
shows what good housekeeping and an eye
to detail can achieve. The finances have been
turned around and the administration is in good
shape. The issue that we still have to address
as a congregation and community is the need
for stewardship renewal. Other contributions
to our income are increasing at a rate much
faster than is Planned Giving. This is something
we will be addressing together later this year.
Without Matthew’s careful eye on the life of the
Cathedral we would not be where we are.
Two vital elements of the Chapter are of
course the two Cathedral Wardens, Jill Tilley
and Matthew Hall. Jill has now served her
first three year period as Warden and she is
eligible to stand for a further three year term.
Matthew has just completed his first year
after having been voted in at the last APCM
to succeed Andrew Cameron. Our Wardens
have done a great job at representing the
Cathedral congregation both to me as Dean,
and to the Chapter as a whole. One of the
things I have always noted about Wardens
here is how in touch they are with what the
congregation is thinking. At the regular meetings
of the Standing Committee, your thoughts
and concerns are relayed and we always try to
address them. Though we are a parish church,
we are a Cathedral and the issues that face us
are complex in doing both well. Whereas some
things would be more possible in a place that
was simply a parish church, they are more of a
challenge in our situation but your Wardens are
committed to that role of representation.
This year they have been supported by two
Deputy Wardens, Gill Walley and Nick Grenside.
It was hoped that they would be able to shoulder
some of the burden of the committee work and
Sunday duty. We are reviewing this after this
first year and are grateful to Nick and Gill for the
ways in which they have worked with this.
Marie Tims, like Stephen Stavrou and Wendy Robins,
is not a member of the Chapter but acts as
the Secretary to the Chapter, taking the notes
and producing the Minutes. Marie is my PA
and tries to manage my diary as much as my
correspondence. We both feel like failures
in the former. I have been told on numerous
occasions that I must say “no” but I find that very
hard, as Marie knows. I couldn’t manage without
Marie’s tireless and unquestionable support and
loyalty and I am thankful for that.
A person who was there to be presented but
doesn’t normally come to Chapter meetings is
Paul Morris. Paul is Chapter Clerk and Diocesan
Registrar. He is a partner of the legal firm
Winckworth Sherwood based in Minerva House
opposite the Cathedral, a firm which specialises
in ecclesiastical and parliamentary law. It is Paul
who is meant to keep us on the legal straight
and narrow.
A particular task Paul has had to do this year
has been to scrutinise the revised Constitution
and Statutes of the Cathedral. These are
the governing documents and from time to
PAGE • 14
time need to be revised as circumstances
and needs change. It is the responsibility not
of the Chapter but of another body called
the Cathedral Council to oversee this. The
Chairman of the Council is Jennie Page, whose
name I have already mentioned in relation to
the development work. The Council is made
up of 19 people, many of whom are appointed
by the Bishop and other interested parties
to bring a truly external eye to the life of the
Cathedral. The task of revising the Constitution
and Statutes came out of reflecting with the
Bishop and the College of Canons on how the
Cathedral should operate in the Diocese. The
work was led by Jennie and another member of
the Council and congregation, Patrick Buckingham.
The Constitution and Statutes have now come
into force and their provisions will gradually
be rolled out. They include increasing the
number of Honorary Canons from 26 to 36;
the number of Honorary Lay Canons from six
to 12, the creation of six Honorary Ecumenical
Canons; the re-naming of the Administrator as
‘Comptroller’ (a title we used to use); and the
re-naming of Cathedral (not Day) Chaplains as
Honorary Minor Canons and the Succentor
being denoted as a Minor Canon. The full
Constitution and Statutes are a public document
and copies can be obtained from the Cathedral
office. I am grateful to the members of the
Council for all their work, advice and guidance
but not least for this important piece of work.
Eventually I escorted Her Majesty down the
steps and into the Cathedral where two
hundred invited guests were waiting expectantly.
Many of those invited were volunteers who had
made particular contributions to our life. We
couldn’t do what we do without our team of
volunteers. Sarah Mann, our Volunteer Coordinator, does a great job at helping us maintain
the standards of recruiting and ongoing care of
volunteers. Last year we were able to say thank
you to them all at a special party and Evensong
just before Advent began. It was wonderful to
see the great mix of people who give their time
freely to us. At present we are undertaking a
survey into the ethnic background of those who
volunteer, the results of which will be available
for the APCM. This is in order to help us create
a volunteer team that reflects who we are as a
community and that is diverse in every way.
There are so many groups of volunteers and
of course it is dangerous to single out any for
particular thanks but I do want to thank the
Stewards for all that they do, not only on the
big days such as the Royal Visit when they
were standing at every critical point in the route
we took, but for the ordinary services; to
Comfort Omotosho and the Hospitality
Team for their care of us each Sunday; to the
Money Counters who do a very practical but
invaluable task and to those who have staffed the
Reception Desk at Montague Chambers over
the past year. That has saved us a huge amount
of money and the welcome our guests and
visitors receive is very much appreciated.
The ‘liturgical team’ was also revised in the past
year with new readers, intercessors, healing
assistants and Eucharistic ministers trained and
beginning to minister. Thank you to those who
had been undertaking these ministries, some for
very many years. You were generous in standing
back to allow others to take on a role and I very
much appreciated that. With the Servers and
the Bellringers, we have a great team of people
to welcome and draw people to worship and
share in ministry to all who gather to worship
God with us.
PAGE • 15
So many of these people were waiting for Her
Majesty to arrive. We walked to the central
aisle where a red carpet had been laid and we
stood as the Great Choir led us in the singing of
the National Anthem. It was a deeply moving
experience for me, to be stood alongside the
Monarch at this moment; it was a privilege
beyond my imagining and a moment of great
pride.
the state of the churchyard is not good. This is
a consequence of the heavy use that the area
receives. The grass simply cannot cope and
in huge areas it is just bare ground, not least
around the memorial and where cremated
remains are buried. We are committed to
working with our Architect and BOST to see
how the churchyard and all the surrounding
areas can be beautiful and fit for purpose.
The Cathedral looked at its very best. Paul Timms
and his Verger colleagues, Simon Gutwein,
Jamie Collins and David Fox-Branch had worked
hard to make sure everything was perfect – and
it was. They fulfil their duties day-in, day-out
with tremendous professionalism. We cannot
imagine the Cathedral without them. In their
gowns, on duty, in the building they care for,
it was a great moment for them and for us.
Outside the Cathedral, cleaning is undertaken
by our Maintenance Team. This work was
brought in-house last year and James Calthrop,
Gyorgy Szabo, Norette Sakir and Martin Smith
work at maintaining standards in the offices
and in the Millennium Buildings. As parts of
those buildings (not least the lavatories) show
signs of age, that is no easy task. The Chapter
is committed to refurbishing the lavatories
and to a much higher standard than they were
previously and we continue to address issues
in the Millennium Buildings. We thank the
Maintenance Team, with Robert Darling for
their hard work and especially their commitment
to ‘greening the Cathedral’ and in particular
increasing the proportion of waste we recycle.
We moved slowly down the red carpet to the
front of the nave and the choir sang one of the
pieces from the Songbook for the Queen published
for the Diamond Jubilee and launched in the
Cathedral. The choir sang Vast Ocean of light by
Jonathan Dove. It was a piece I discovered that
Her Majesty had not previously heard. So we
stood for longer than planned at the head of the
nave listening to the choir.
The grounds of the Cathedral are now looked
after by Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST).
When Her Majesty was last with us, it was to
unveil the Mohegan memorial in the churchyard.
I was glad that we were not going out to see
that on this occasion, as I have to admit that
Cathedrals and choral music are almost one and
the same in English culture. We are so blessed
with our choirs and musicians.
In March of this year, Peter Wright, the Director
of Music and Cathedral Organist, celebrated
his 60th birthday and 25 years in post. To
mark this historic moment and to give thanks
for Peter’s commitment to Southwark, Bishop
Christopher agreed to allow me to install Peter
as an Honorary Lay Canon. This delighted
the Chapter as much as it did Peter. The
presentation made to Peter at the beginning
of March by the congregation testified to the
affection in which he is held. He is renowned as
a great cathedral musician and we are fortunate
to have him. His ability to take children from
day schools and with little rehearsal time, create
a choir that can hold its head up and more in the
London scene is phenomenal. During his time
with us, music at Southwark has expanded and
developed.
PAGE • 16
This year we introduced the Lay Clerks singing
on a regular basis with the Girls’ Choir. The
Chapter had long wanted to do this but simply did
not have the finances. However, the work of the
Development Office, now staffed by
Rose Harding and Alice Willington and supported
by the Fundraising Executive Group and the
Fundraising Council, have given us the funds
to take this next step with the choir. We are
grateful to those on the Fundraising Council who
have a particular interest in music and not least
Dame Mary Archer who is helping to lead the
fundraising for the endowment of the choir as
well as meeting the regular costs.
The girls, under the leadership of the Assistant
Organist and Director of the Girls’ Choir,
Stephen Disley, recently went on tour to
Paris. They sang a concert in the church of La
Madeleine, the Mass at St Eustache and the Sung
Eucharist at St George’s Anglican Church in Paris.
Those who accompanied them said that not only
was their singing amazing but they were great
ambassadors for the Cathedral.
Martyn Noble is coming to the end of his two
years with us as the Organ Scholar. We wish
him every blessing as he prepares to leave us and
success in the future. Martyn has been a great and
valuable member of the team. Alexander Binns has
been appointed to succeed him.
I must thank the boy and girl choristers for their
hard work and professionalism. They arrive at
the Cathedral exhausted after a day at school
and then sing to the glory of God. It was great
to see that one of the boys, Raphael, starred
in a publicity video for London in the lead up
to Christmas. In that video he reflected on
The Queen’s visit and was convinced that she
winked at him. I’m not sure whether this is royal
behaviour but he, with all the young people, were
delighted to sing for her.
Apart from looking after the boys and gentlemen of
the Cathedral Choir, Peter Wright also directs the
Thursday Singers. This is a volunteer choir which
meets, as its name suggests, each Thursday. They
sing for those feasts that fall during the week and
form the choir for the always enjoyable Carol Sing-In
for the local community in the lead up to Christmas.
The fourth element of our music is led by
Huw Morgan who is Director of the Merbecke
Choir. This superb choir of younger singers leads
Compline every month on the fourth Sunday as
well as contributing to other services and singing
a termly concert. Their music is to the very
highest standard and we are grateful to Huw and
the members of the choir for all that they do to
contribute so magnificently to music making
at Southwark.
Her Majesty and His Royal Highness heard the
Great Choir – the boys, the girls and the men
– on top form as they sang for her, both on her
arrival with the piece by Jonathan Dove but also
as she left when they sang The Lord bless you and
keep you by John Rutter.
The purpose of the Royal Visit was to see the
window that was installed in the Retrochoir
to mark the Diamond Jubilee. When we got
towards that window I was able to present
the gathering of the Icelandic delegation with
the artist of the window, Leifur Breidfjord,
and his wife Sigridur Johannsdottir and the
representatives of the Worshipful Company of
Glaziers and Painters of Glass, including Past
Master Phillida Shaw, who had masterminded the
project, and the Chairman of our FAC. The artist
described the window to Her Majesty and the
Bishop said a prayer of re-dedication to mark
the event.
PAGE • 17
The fact that the glass is Icelandic in origin is a
reminder of the special relationship we have with
the Scandinavian Churches through the Porvoo
Agreement. Our link with Bergen Cathedral
is especially important to us, as is the presence
of the Norwegian Church in Rotherhithe.
Canon Jacob Knudsen at Bergen has been
much in our prayers during a time of severe ill
health. It was good that he and his wife Karen
were able to be with us for the joint pilgrimage
weekend to Whitby that we enjoyed at the
end of September. It was after that that Jacob
discovered that he was ill.
The other ecumenical link that we enjoy is
with Rouen Cathedral. In 2014 we will be
re-committing ourselves as congregations to
this relationship. The Unity Group, under the
leadership of Ros Saunders, has been working
hard to maintain both these international
relationships and local ecumenical links as well.
The Unity Walk in January, the Procession
of Witness on Good Friday and last year’s
ecumenical pilgrimage to Canterbury were all
examples of what we do well together.
The most striking example of ecumenical
working, however, has to be the ROBES Project.
This is fast approaching its tenth anniversary
and it goes from strength to strength. This
year the Sleep Out at the Cathedral raised over
£80,000 and this was from fewer sleepers. The
Cathedral team is led by George Martin and
Matthew Hall, assisted by Marlene Collins and
Mandi Sturrock amongst others. The Sleep Out
and the care of the Sunday shelter are examples
of great teamwork.
This year we were entertained in the Cathedral
before attempting to go to sleep in the
churchyard by members of the Band of the
Blues and Royals and The Choir with No Name
made up of homeless people. It was fantastic
entertainment.
Her Majesty appreciated the window and the
warm international links and we then made
our way across the Retrochoir until, that is,
she spotted Doorkins asleep in the chair of the
Consistory Court. Doorkins is the Cathedral
cat, part of the Southwark family now and a law
unto herself. She was fast asleep, unperturbed
by the royal visitor. It reminded me of the
nursery rhyme we used to sing:
Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?
I’ve been to London to look at the Queen.
Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you do there?
I frightened a little mouse, under the chair.
except that the reverse happened – it was
the Queen who visited the cat. It was the
photograph of Her Majesty’s encounter with
Doorkins that made the royal website and
boosted sales of cat memorabilia in the Shop.
During Lent, it was necessary for Doorkins
to go on retreat to Blackheath. This year’s
art installation at the High Altar would have
proved too much of a temptation we thought.
Angela Wright, a local artist-weaver, has created
Forty Days, 250 miles of wool that cascades
from the top of the screen and pools on the
sanctuary floor. The cat and the wool would
be no good together. So Doorkins is enjoying
some pampering in Blackheath. It gave us the
opportunity to have her checked out by a vet,
to have the jabs she needed, micro-chipped as
belonging to us and finally we discovered she is a
girl. We hope she will be happy to be back with
us at Easter.
In fact we have two art installations this year and
the second takes up the space in the Retrochoir
PAGE • 18
where Her Majesty was visiting. Edmund de Waal
has created Another Hour 2014 an installation
of twelve vitrines, each containing a pot. It is a
mysterious, intriguing installation that demands
patience and stillness. Both Angela and Edmund
have worked with the building and we have
enjoyed working with them. I am grateful to
Rose Harding for seeing these installations into
place. We are located in one of the cultural
heartlands of London and it is important that art
and faith are brought together and that people
can come into the Cathedral and see great art
for free and be drawn into contemplation of the
reality of God.
On the opposite side of the Retrochoir from
where the window is and the cat was asleep, the
Cathedral Broderers had set themselves up with
their work. The Jubilee Copes that they have
been working on for over a year are nearing
completion and we took the opportunity to
show Her Majesty the work that is named in
honour of the Diamond Jubilee.
The copes, which will be worn by the four
bishops in the Diocese, have been designed and
worked by our team of volunteer seamstresses
and embroiderers. They are beautiful and will
add to the splendour of the liturgies in the
Cathedral for years to come.
The work has been financed by the Worshipful
Company of Needlemakers. Like the
Worshipful Company of Glaziers who paid for
the window and the Worshipful Company of
Launderers who regularly contribute to the
work of the Girls’ Choir, we are grateful to the
Livery for all their support. During the year, in
addition to these three companies, we have been
joined by the Glass Sellers, the Broderers and
the Weavers amongst others. One of the most
spectacular Livery events of the year was the
Ladies Banquet for the Worshipful Company of
Launderers which took place in the nave of the
Cathedral. The Cathedral team: vergers, events,
musicians, caterers, flower arrangers, made the
Cathedral look stunning – even better than the
Great Hall at Hogwarts!
Talking of the flowers on that occasion reminds
me that as Her Majesty walked around the
Cathedral during her visit she could not have
failed to see the beautiful arrangements that our
arrangers Pat Ellis, Irene Fairhurst and Gerry
Hitt had created. They were stunning, but
then the flowers always are. Our core team is
supported by many volunteers who come in
from other flower clubs and churches to arrange
the flowers.
Canon Gilly Myers said a prayer of thanksgiving
for the skill of the Broderers, who do not just
make special things like the new copes, but each
Monday, work to maintain the vestments and the
hangings, and then I led Her Majesty back down
the north choir aisle and into the nave. The
assembled friends had been waiting and the choir
sang again. We walked back up the nave and out
into the Link and down to the Mandela Porch.
Two children were there to present a posy of
flowers to Her Majesty and we also presented
her with a beautiful replica of the window, copies
of which are available in the Shop.
Outside, the weather had held and the children
were still cheering and waving their flags. Her
Majesty smiled throughout and really seemed
to enjoy visiting the Cathedral once more. She
and the Duke of Edinburgh said their farewells,
got into their car and were driven off. I felt an
enormous sense of pride as well as relief that it
had all gone so well.
PAGE • 19
And things do go so well at the Cathedral. This
has just been a snapshot of our life but there
is so much more I could say about the events
that have taken place in the year: wonderful
concerts with world-renowned choirs and
orchestras; music to mark Britten’s centenary;
book launches featuring George Herbert and
Mozart; talks ranging from life on the river to
Queen Victoria’s tiaras; schools and charities,
local organisations, national and international
groups coming to mark important events in
their lives. The Friends of the Cathedral keep
us entertained with book sales, a quiz night,
dinners, talks and a wonderful Christmas fair and
through the hard work of Kate Dean and the
support of the trustees led by Sarah King, help
fund projects in the Cathedral.
One thing, however, has to be especially
mentioned and that is LIVING GOD.
Last year the clergy met to discuss where
we going in the next phase of our lives, as
disciples of Jesus Christ. What came out of
that discussion was the LIVING GOD process.
That began in September as we launched a
series of conversations in which we gathered
together for conversations about what we mean
when we talk about God. Out of that came a
Saturday morning conference when, facilitated
by Canon Bruce Saunders and the Dean of St
George’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, Southwark,
Canon John O’Toole, we collected together our
thoughts and the reflections from the groups
and worked out what that meant for us.
The Advent Course brought three significant
speakers to the Cathedral who looked at ‘God
comes...’ in darkness, in silence and in flesh and
all this was brought together in a vigil towards
the end of Advent.
The spring term has seen us thinking about the
scriptures and about prayer. The Lent Course,
led by members of the Diocese with particular
skills in prayer and spirituality, is introducing us
to ways of praying and there is the opportunity
for members of the congregation to talk to the
clergy about their own life of prayer. There is
a residential retreat and four retreat strands
during Holy Week: icon writing, creative writing,
the ‘Blues’ and an online ‘virtual’ retreat on
‘Passion in Real Time’.
The summer term will lead us into further study
of what all this means for our daily living and
our ethical decision making. There really is a
great deal of energy around and we see that
everywhere and not least in the Sunday morning
congregations.
This programme has supplemented other study
that has gone on throughout the year. We
are grateful to David Hanson, Reader at the
Cathedral and at St Hugh’s, for the work he
has done for us in arranging study courses and
monthly bible studies. The summer term study
course was on the nature of an inclusive church
and helped us to mark the tenth anniversary of
the organisation bearing that name to which we
are affiliated. It was the Revd Dr Martyn Percy,
the Principal of Cuddesdon Theological College,
who opened the course with a lecture. It was
good to welcome him. Caroline Clifford has
begun her training for Reader ministry in the
Cathedral on the SEITE course which meets
each Tuesday in the Millennium Buildings. That
course trains people both for ordained and
licensed lay ministry and it is good to have Dr
Nicky von Fraunhofer now completing her
training for priesthood on the course as well.
Nicky will be ordained in the Cathedral at
Petertide and will then be leaving us to minister
in the parish of St Paul, Wimbledon Park. We
PAGE • 20
wish her hand her husband, Paul Parkinson, well.
During the year we have, of course, lost
some dear members of our community. We
remember them with thanks and pray that
God will give them the reward of eternal life
and peace. Amongst those who have died we
remember
Rachel Townsin
Osman Streater
Libby, Lady Adams
Hugh Mather
Mary Searls
Hugh Stubbs
Ted Bowman
As the BBC cameras panned around the nave
at the beginning and end of Richard Alwyn
and Wingspan’s lovely film about us, we saw
all humanity there, all the Living God’s good
creation. We are young and old, male and
female, black and white, rich and poor, gay
and straight, some of us have been in church
a long time, others have newly come to faith,
some think they understand it, others know
they have a lot of leaning to do, some are here
always, some are here occasionally. We are
the kingdom of God, this is what the kingdom
is all about and we try to do it, sometimes well,
sometimes not so well, to do what the prophet
Micah calls to us to do for he says:
What does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6.8
It is a privilege to walk with you and count you as
my fellow pilgrims on the road.
Andrew Nunn, Dean
PAGE • 21
PAGE • 22
PAGE • 23
Summary of Annual
Accounts 2013
Matthew Knight, Comptroller
April 2013
This summary of the Annual Accounts provides
a brief overview of the Cathedral’s finances in
the year to 31st December 2013, some general
information on the sources of the Cathedral’s
income and details of its expenditure. It is not
intended to be a comprehensive guide and those
requiring more detail should refer to the audited
Annual Report and Consolidated Financial
Statements, copies of which can be obtained
from the Cathedral Office (open Monday to
Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm or telephone: 020 7367
6700) or from the Cathedral’s website at www.
southwarkcathedral.org.uk
The figures used in this summary are all
taken from the audited Annual Report and
Consolidated Financial Statements.
In 2013 income exceeded expenditure
by £168,737 (down on the £282,098
surplus in 2012 but a very encouraging result,
nevertheless). This surplus is attributable to two
factors: a large legacy of £130,000 and much
better than anticipated results from Southwark
Cathedral Enterprises Ltd which delivered an
additional £50,000 in profit to the cathedral
beyond what had been budgeted. Overall,
income and expenditure in 2013 were higher
than in 2012 but this was largely due to the
grants received from the Development Trust and
Rectory Trustees totalling £355,370 towards the
roof repairs (north choir aisle, Harvard Chapel,
north transept and south nave aisle), the final
stage of works on the new Cathedral boilers
and a new heating system for the Cathedral &
Education Centre.
Our level of indebtedness to the Diocesan
Board of Finance (DBF) is continuing to reduce.
The amount owed to the DBF reduced from
£183,882 at the end of 2012 to £140,000 by
31st December 2013. Since the end of 2009,
when our indebtedness reached a peak, we have
paid off almost £460,000 of debt. The Chapter
now has a programme in place to repay all
outstanding loans by 2019.
£2,500,000
£2,000,000
£1,500,000
Income
£1,000,000
Expenditure
£500,000
£0
2013
2012
PAGE • 24
Income explained:
The total income for the Cathedral (including
Enterprises and investments) was £2,253,916 in
2013 compared with £2,076,227 in 2012.
The proportion of income coming from
Stewardship (16%) reduced slightly in 2013 when
compared to 2012 mirroring a drop of about
5% in the amount received between the two
years. However, this still represents £359,214
of income (including £56,091 tax recoverable
under Gift Aid). Stewardship giving has remained
remarkably resilient during the recent recession
and the Chapter is enormously grateful for this
financial commitment by the congregation to
supporting the ministry of the Cathedral.
The profit transferred from Southwark
Cathedral Enterprises Ltd to the Cathedral,
after the deduction of costs, increased in 2013
beyond that in 2012: £193,543 (compared to
£191,975 last year). This is all the more notable
because so much of the income from 2012 was
associated with the presence of the House of
Switzerland in the Millennium Courtyard and
conference rooms during the Olympics. Both
the conference and events business and the
shop delivered significantly improved results
during the year. The Refectory also increased its
contribution (via its rental payment) by nearly
17% on the previous year.
The chart at the top of page 26 shows the
sources of the Cathedral’s income.
The grants income shown includes £212,727
from the Church Commissioners that pays the
stipends for the Dean, Sub Dean and Canon
Precentor as well as contributing to the salaries
of lay staff. Other voluntary income includes
£136,399 from legacies and grants from the
Development Trust and Rectory Trustees.
The chart at the bottom of page 26 shows the
sources of voluntary income in 2013 and 2012.
As mentioned earlier, there were significant
increases in income from fundraising and local
trusts. The Development Trust is raising money
for fabric repairs, to endow the music and the
new mission work at All Hallows.
Expenditure explained:
The total expenditure by the Cathedral
(including Enterprises) was £2,085,179 in
2013 compared with £1,794,129 in 2012. This
increase in expenditure was largely due to the
expenditure on fabric repairs following receipt of
grants from the Development Trust and Rectory
Trustees. All departments continue to manage
their budgets extremely carefully to minimise
waste. The chart on page 27 shows how the
money was spent.
Major areas of expenditure are Clergy Costs
(£302,292), the cost of maintaining the Cathedral
and its precincts together with major repair and
restoration works (£856,871) and the cost of
conference and shop sales (£357,155), the largest
part of which covers staff costs and purchasing
stock for the Shop. 10% of income from the
planned giving scheme is given away for a variety
of local, national and international charitable
purposes. In 2013, this amounted to £22,669 and
is included within the Charitable Giving total in
the chart on the previous page.
The Balance Sheet explained:
The balance sheet contained within the full
Annual Report and Accounts (on page 28)
summarises the total assets of the Cathedral
(including Southwark Cathedral Enterprises) at
£5,054,479. This figure is made up of the total of
endowment, restricted and unrestricted funds.
PAGE • 25
Income: Where does the money come from?
Charges for
services and
facilities
10%
Other Voluntary
Income
32%
Cathedral
Enterprises
24%
Other
3%
Property and
investments
6%
Grants
9%
Congregational
giving
16%
Congregational giving
Tax recovered under Gift Aid
Legacies
2012
2013
Donations and Fundraising
Cathedral Friends and local Trusts
£0
£100,000 £200,000 £300,000 £400,000 £500,000
PAGE • 26
Expenditure: Where does the money go?
Community &
parish
2%
Governance Costs
2%
Visitor facilities
4%
Shop and
conference sale
costs
17%
Services and
music
11%
Clergy costs
14%
Other
4%
Education
1%
Charitable giving
4%
Cathedral upkeep
and major repairs
41%
It is important to note that the Cathedral and
Millennium Buildings (potentially worth a great
deal of money and insured for £40million) are
not included in these accounts and are therefore
excluded from the Endowment Funds shown
in the chart above and in the balance sheet.
The reason they are not included is because we
follow the Church Commissioners guidelines for
annual accounts that require buildings forming
part of the Cathedral precinct to be specifically
excluded from the balance sheet. It would
be fair to say that if the value of the buildings
were to be included in the balance sheet, the
financial position of the Cathedral would look
considerably better.
Conclusion:
2013 was a year in which the Cathedral’s
fortunes slowly started to improve following
the missed fortunes of 2012. We continued to
reduce our debts to the Diocese and voluntary
income was helped by a significant legacy. The
cash flow position, that in the past has been so
much a cause for concern, is now more stable
although we are a long way from having the size
of cash reserves that an organisation of our size
should have built up to cover emergencies and
the unexpected.
PAGE • 27
Southwark Cathedral Enterprises
Report to The Annual Parochial
Church Meeting 2014
Matthew J. Knight, Company Secretary
The goal of Southwark Cathedral Enterprises
continues to be to enable the Cathedral to
function and work as a place of Christian
worship by:
• Generating income whilst providing services
to Visitors
• Increasing visitor numbers whilst maintaining
the calm
• Promoting the Cathedral’s image and reputation
The Board of Southwark Cathedral Enterprises
Ltd is responsible for five business streams:
the Cathedral Shop, conferences, concerts and
special events, the Refectory, income from fees
paid for group visits and car parking.
2013 proved to be much more successful
than either 2011 or 2012. The slowness in the
wider economy has adversely affected all of
our business streams over much of the past
four years but there are signs now of sustained
growth. From the moment that London 2012
ended, business immediately picked up, most
notably in the conference and events business.
Turnover for 2013 was £550,169 which is
slightly down on 2012 (£557,528) but that
included significant income from the House of
Switzerland as part of London 2012 accounting
for 20% of that year’s turnover. Without that,
the results for 2013 are all the more impressive.
This enabled the company to make a gift aided
donation of their profits of £193,535 (up slightly
on the £191,867 in 2012).
The company’s contribution to the Cathedral is
set out in the chart on this page.
Southwark Cathedral Enterprises has
contributed over £2.55 million towards the
running costs of the Cathedral since 2001.
The fact that the Company has continued to
make a significant financial contribution to
the work of the Cathedral in a very difficult
Contribution to Cathedral funds
£350,000
£300,000
£250,000
£200,000
£150,000
£100,000
£50,000
£0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
PAGE • 28
trading environment is a tribute to all the staff
and volunteers who work so hard to generate as
much profit as possible. The income provided is
also critical in ensuring that the Cathedral’s budget
balances.
As can be seen from the chart below, the
majority of turnover comes from the Shop and
Conference business. The contribution from the
Refectory shows only the rental payable based on
a percentage of sales.
Conference business continued to do very well
in 2013 after picking up in the final quarter of
2012. The budget for income was exceeded
in every month of the year and Helen Caruth,
Conference Co-ordinator, worked tirelessly
to secure every piece of available business with
significant success. Special events business also
continued to be strong with a number of high
profile events during the year as well as the
traditionally very busy December series of carol
concerts. We continue to be very successful
in attracting a number of university graduation
ceremonies. Overall, conferences and events
delivered £98,435 in profit compared to a budget
of £55,201 and looking at the conference business
alone turnover increased by 24% compared
to 2012.
The Shop had a very successful year, too,
delivering its first profit (of £4,376) to the
Cathedral since 2006. After several, very difficult
and loss-making years, the manager, Jon Dollin, in
post since March 2012, has transformed the shop
into a popular retail outlet with a very good range
of Southwark and London-themed merchandise
to sit alongside the regular stock of souvenirs
and religious books and materials. The Doorkins
Cat range has been phenomenally successful and
Jon has proved to be very adept at thinking up
new lines that tie in with uniquely Southwark
features. He is currently making preparations to
launch a brand of Southwark Cathedral honey
harvested from beehives at All Hallows Church
and the Bishop’s House in Streatham. Turnover
in 2013 was £173,205, up more than 30% of 2012
(£132,954). The company is very appreciative of
the efforts of Jon and his team of volunteer and
paid staff have made in turning the shop around.
Analysis of Turnover 2013
Guided
Tours
2%
Shop
32%
Conf erences
45%
Car Parking
5%
PAGE • 29
Ref ectory
16%
Catering in the Refectory is provided by
Elior UK under a contract that runs until
£120,000
2019. The new general manager, Edson
£100,000
de Oliviera, joined us in January 2013 and,
together with great support from his new
£80,000
area manager Pierre Hermenault, he has
£60,000
improved both the quality of food and
£40,000
service but also the profitability of the
Refectory. The kiosk in the churchyard is
£20,000
now open on a regular basis and traded
£0
particularly successfully in summer 2013.
The results for the branch as a whole
-£20,000
were so good that they were able to hand
over 17% more in rental than we had
expected – rent is calculated as a percentage
of Refectory sales. Behind the headline figure
of £84,706 which Elior UK delivered to the
company in the form of concession rent, it
should be borne in mind that the Refectory is a
business with a turnover of nearly £600,000 in
2013 providing employment for eight full-time
and two part-time staff from a wide variety of
ethnic backgrounds plus many additional casual
staff brought in for special events.
The number of tourists and the amount of
income generated by tours increased in 2013
after a drop in 2012. The post-Olympic effect
contributed to greater numbers of tourists
in London and consequently visitors to the
Cathedral. David Payne, Visitors’ Officer, works
extremely hard to attract tourists and also sells a
range of innovative packages to tour companies
including catering and guided walks of the local
area which are very popular.
Most of the limited car parking available in
Montague Close is let on contract to our
neighbours, in 2 London Bridge and Glaziers’
Hall. We are seeking new clients for some of the
spaces which are currently not let out.
Individual Business Streams profit/loss in 2013
Guided Tours
Shop
Refectory
Car Parking
Conferences
The profit made by each business stream is set
out in the chart above.
The contribution made by Enterprises to the
Cathedral is not just financial; there is a very
important unseen contribution in the welcome
offered, the information provided and the
friendliness and helpfulness of Enterprises staff
and volunteers to visitors. There are also many
more less-visible benefits to the Cathedral
arising out of SCE activities. The conference
rooms are redecorated every year at the
Company’s expense and the equipment available
for use for Cathedral and Diocesan events is
purchased and maintained; the salaries of nine
Cathedral staff are partly or wholly paid for; and
the infrastructure to cope with major services
and events, in terms of staff resources and
equipment, are largely provided by the company.
New directors of the company are regularly
sought through an open recruitment process in
order to ensure effective succession planning
and the regular renewal of Board membership
which is considered important for the continued
success of the company.
PAGE • 30
Understanding the make up of
the Cathedral’s volunteer workforce
Sarah Mann
• 7% were under 35 and 52% were 65 or over
When the BBC’s cameras focused on Southwark
Cathedral last summer, their eye was drawn to
several of our volunteers and their work in the
Cathedral and in the community. About 420
people give their time freely to the Cathedral to
help make it an attractive place of welcome.
How inclusive is Southwark’s volunteering,
however? Is there a typical Southwark
volunteer? In an attempt to find out more,
volunteers were asked in January 2014 to
complete a very short survey about themselves.
These are the results:
223 people responded to the survey giving a
response rate of around 50%.
How many and how much?
• The 223 volunteers who responded were
active in 356 volunteering roles
• The average number of roles per volunteer
was 1.6
• 70% of respondents volunteered in one
capacity and 8% volunteered in four or more
different roles
• The most roles any volunteer carried out
was nine
Who are our volunteers?
Of the total number who replied:
• 36% were male and 64% female
• 89% were white, 8% black (mainly Black
African) and 1% classified themselves as
‘Chinese or other ethnic group’. 2% did not
state their ethnicity
• 15% were 75 or over
• 57% returned their survey forms electronically
and 43% by hard copy
• Only one volunteer reported a need for
accessible facilities
• 44% of volunteer roles are filled by people
aged 65 or over
What can we conclude?
Some of the volunteering teams are so small that
it is not safe to draw any general conclusions
about them from the survey. In relation to the
larger teams, however, the returns suggested
that:
• The most ethnically diverse teams (with
more than 10% of respondents from
Black and Minority Ethnic groups), were the
Liturgical Volunteers (Readers, Intercessors
and Eucharistic Ministers), Office Volunteers,
the Hospitality Team, Stewards, Welcomers,
Money Counters, Day Chaplains and those
involved in Children and Youth Work. There
are many teams where no-one from an ethnic
minority returned a survey form
• The teams with the largest number of
volunteers under 45 (40% or more) were
Children and Youth Work, Bellringers, and the
Cathedral School Volunteers
• The teams with the most men (more than half
the membership), were the Bellringers,
Servers and the Welcomers
PAGE • 31
• The number of volunteers reporting a
disability is tiny
• Some teams recruited by invitation or election
show a good mix of age, gender and ethnicity
(e.g., Liturgical volunteers). Others in this
category had no returns from black or
minority ethnic group members (e.g., the
Committee Members).
• A significant minority of volunteers either
does not use email or lacks the equipment or
skills to return forms by computer.
One of the most important things to note from
the survey is the Cathedral’s heavy dependence
on volunteers aged 65 and over. The increased
birth rate following the Second World War is
now delivering a rich supply of volunteers. In
future, as the pension age rises and the
demographic changes, the Cathedral may find it
harder to maintain such a productive volunteer
workforce. The Cathedral’s volunteers
currently contribute over 26,000 hours of work
each year enabling the Cathedral to expand the
scope of its work and the quality of its welcome
immeasurably.
Fundraising Update
Rose Harding, Development Director
Alice Willington, Development Officer
The Fundraising Executive Group and
Fundraising Council has continued its work of
raising money for the Cathedral fabric, and in
particular the work on the roof, Cathedral music
and the All Hallows project. The Cathedral
website has information on the All Hallows
project at http://cathedral.southwark.anglican.
org/news/all-hallows. Information about
Cathedral music can be found at http://
cathedral.southwark.anglican.org/worship/
music-and-choirs, with a Donate button for both
the girls’ and the boys’ choirs at http://cathedral.
southwark.anglican.org/worship/music-andchoirs#donating .
Alice Willington was appointed as Development
Officer, joining in November 2013, and working
with Rose Harding in the task of bringing
philanthropic income to the Cathedral.
Fundraising for the All Hallows project was
launched at a breakfast at Roast in September
2013, at which the Rt Hon Eric Pickles, MP,
Secretary of State for Communities and Local
Government, Mr Lionel Barber, Editor of The
Financial Times, and Mr Iqbal Wahhab, founder of
Roast, spoke. Nearly 70 people attended the
breakfast, and the event raised over £4,000
towards the restoration of All Hallows. This was
followed by smaller fundraising events which
have generated significant support and friendship.
A smaller sub-committee, the All Hallows
Working Group, made up of Canon Hance,
Jennie Page, Gill Reynolds and Alice Willington,
is charged with the development of the project.
Twenty-three of us attended a performance of
The Duchess of Malfi at the newly-opened Sam
Wanamaker Theatre in January. Those gathered
represented friends of the Cathedral who were
generous in their giving on the ticket price. The
evening started with a light pre-theatre supper at
the Deanery. The director of The Duchess of
Malfi, Dominic Dromgoole, was in attendance
for the supper. It was a significant opportunity
to reinforce our links with Shakespeare’s Globe
and also share this wonderful opportunity and
chance with old and new friends that we are
making along the fundraising route.
PAGE • 32
Progress has been made in particular in
fundraising for music and we hope to be able
to report more fully on the fruits of this in
due course.
began on this focus in September. The Education
Officer delivered training for volunteers on the
use of sensory stations to include in our RE
trails. For example, Holy Communion is taught
using more objects and role-play; children assist
laying an ‘altar’ for the Eucharist, light candles
and break bread to explore the Eucharist in a
more sensory way.
Southwark Cathedral
Education Centre
We ran several special events for schools:
Experience Easter, an over-subscribed event for
Diocesan Schools, and Experience Christmas, a
collaborative project with the Diocesan Board
of Education. We enabled Year 2 classes from
Diocesan schools the chance to explore the
Christmas message with other children from
church schools. The days culminated with an act
of reflection in the nave at the end of the day.
We ran inter-faith sessions in partnership with
the Diocesan Board of Education and the Harper
Road Mosque. Children visit the Cathedral and
the Mosque in one day. The theme of the day
is ‘Hospitality’: children learn about prayer and
worship and consider how both sacred spaces
give welcome and care in the community. We
ran a three-day drama event for local schools
to commemorate the 50th anniversary of
Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a Dream’ speech in
October and in November ran our fourth Post
16 conference.
Alex Carton, Education Officer
Visitor numbers since the last Annual Meeting
Primary:
9926
Secondary:
812
Adult:
65
Total:
10,803
Most Popular Trails:
• Monastic Life and the Reformation
• Religion in Roman Britain
• Signs and Symbols
Most Popular Workshops:
• Victorian Classroom
• Victorian Artefact Handling
• Mosaic Making
The Work of the Education Centre
The development plan highlights our aims and
objectives for the academic year.
The main focus of our work was refining our
provision following the introduction of National
Curriculum 2014; we are developing new
activities to support a range of curriculum areas:
History, Mathematics, Science and Music, but
our main focus is Religious Education. Our
History activities have been our most popular
but we wish to address this balance and make
our RE activities as hands-on and sensory. Work
Volunteers
Seven volunteers joined the team during the
year, six of whom are leading the activities and
one assists in the preparation of resources
for workshops. They bring with them a range
of skills and experiences; some are retired
head teachers and RE specialists and all are
enthusiastic and excited about working in
the Centre.
PAGE • 33
Special Events
During the summer we ran ‘An Evening with
Martin Stancliffe’; the Architect and Surveyor
Emeritus to St Paul’s Cathedral gave an illustrated
talk about his career. The evening was to thank
funders and members of our Circle of Support.
Funding
The generation of funds to run the Education
Centre is facilitated by Canon Bruce Saunders.
In the financial year 2013/14 we received support
from: The Ernest Cook Trust, London Borough
of Southwark, The Fishmongers Company, The
Maurice and Hilda Laing Charitable Trust, the
Newcomen Collet Foundation, The Mercers’
Company, All Saints Educational Trust, The
Wates Foundation, Culham St Gabriel’s,
Southwark Cathedral and members of our
Circle of Support.
Teachers’ feedback
It made a difficult subject accessible to even the
least able children. I think it was brilliant!
We’re all very impressed by the caring and
accommodating attitude shown by everyone.
Every child was included even our child with SEN
was engaged throughout the visit.
All the staff we met at the Cathedral greeted
us with a welcoming smile, and we felt that the
education staff were extremely professional in
working with the young children and providing
them with first-hand experience.
I look forward to this outing each year! I have
to think about going on some of the other trails.
Thanks again for such a great day out..
The way you interacted with the children ensured
they were all engaged and created a passion for
more learning. Just wonderful! Thank you!
The Cathedral School of
St Saviour & St Mary Overy
Filiz Scott, Headteacher, Cathedral School
As ever this year has been wonderful and very
busy. There is such an incredible amount of pride
surrounding the children and their achievements
at school; we recently received a letter from
David Laws MP, Minister of State for Schools,
congratulating us for our performance in the
Key Stage 2 SATS 2013. It states that Cathedral
School is in the top 250 performing schools
and describes us as ‘exceptionally effective in
educating its pupils’. He went on to congratulate
the staff, governors and pupils for their hard
work and success in continuing to drive towards
high standards of educational achievement.
Our school motto is “Life in all its fullness” (John
10:10) and at school we strive to provide the
children in our care with opportunities to live
according to the motto. As well as being proud
of our academic success the staff also work hard
to ensure pupils at Cathedral School have plenty
of opportunities for curriculum enrichment;
including the school garden (which is looked
after by pupils), the school choir, after school
clubs including Cathedral School Community
Leaders, I-pads and laptops that are used to
enhance learning as well as opportunities for
pupils to compete against other schools in
sporting activities. Curriculum enrichment also
includes welcoming visitors into school. Recently
Councillor Dora Dixon Fyle spent time with
Year 6 and following the visit she wrote,
“I truly enjoyed the vibrant displays which
captured my attention as I entered the building
and were consistent throughout the whole
environment. The standard of work was
extremely impressive and whilst you were
PAGE • 34
showing me around it was clear to see how
much the pupils enjoy learning and participating
in making the school such a successful one.
It is apparent that strong leadership and
committed staff are the driving force behind the
success of the school and it is easy to see why
it is so popular from the parents and children’s
viewpoint.”
In addition to welcoming visitors into school the
children really enjoy education visits including trips
to The Tate Modern, Jewish Museum, Florence
Nightingale Museum, Unicorn Theatre, Hampton
Court as well as the Cathedral Education
Centre. In November the children were invited
to greet Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal
Highness The Duke of Edinburgh when they
visited Southwark Cathedral to view the Jubilee
Window. It was a very special day for staff and
pupils alike. All children made a flag to wave and
four children presented Her Majesty with a posy
of flowers and a piece of art, created by the
children based on the Jubilee Window. Following
the experience one child said, “It was the best day
ever! I wish I could do that every day!”
We very much value our link to Southwark
Cathedral and feel it is a privilege to attend
school services there six times a year. The
children enjoy the weekly assemblies led by
member of the clergy; recent themes have
included ‘Parables’ and ‘Old Testament Stories’.
Cathedral School has a particularly strong
connection with Canon Bruce Saunders, known
to the children as Father Bruce, who has
provided support to the school as Foundation
Governor for the last fifteen years. He visits the
school regularly to lead collective worship, visit
classes or lend support. Father Bruce is such an
important part of the school community and
is loved by all the children. He will be missed a
great deal. I know I speak for the whole school
community when I wish Father Bruce and his
wife Ros every happiness for their retirement.
Recently we received a letter from a family who
have just left the school. I would like to share
it with you as it is so complimentary about the
school and Cathedral community.
“We cannot thank you enough for making us feel
like a part of the Cathedral School community.
The children are infinitely richer for having been
students at Cathedral, and we know they will
take their experiences with them wherever they
go. From the spectacular R.E. teachings of the
Cathedral’s visiting clergy to the atmosphere
of mutual respect throughout the school, you
have not only educated our children but showed
them how to live the mandate of the school.
We are deeply impressed with the quality
of teaching at Cathedral and see first-hand
the effect this has had on our children. Your
staff truly feel like a team. Their energy and
excitement about teaching is obvious. This
has a direct impact on our children. They are
excited to go to school each day and arrive
home full of news about the day’s lessons.
Whether they are discussing parables, writing in
character for literacy or playing live Mathletics
with their peers, their experiential learning is
a delight to witness. As an artist I am grateful
for the ways that you seamlessly weave the arts
into the curriculum. Whether it’s the piece of
music played before collective workshop, the
exploration of history through role-play or
dressing up for book day I feel like my children
are active participants in their education.
Your obvious respect for the individuality of
each child is evident in the way you greet them
by name at the beginning or end of each day at
the school gates. It is these simple exchanges
PAGE • 35
and courtesies that I think help foster the gentle
atmosphere that permeates the school.
As newcomers to the community we have been
welcomed by the parents, staff and of course
the children of Cathedral. Everyone has been
quick to offer advice and insight when needed
and of course the excellent school blog is a
treasure! It is full of practical information like
uniform policy and important dates but perhaps
more importantly for our family, it allowed us
to share the boys school life with family back in
Canada. My advice to any new family coming to
the school is to meet Janice and June as soon as
possible. They know the answer to everything
and are key to the warmth and great energy one
feels walking through the doors of Cathedral.
The outside of the school is as lovely as the
inside and your commitment to the environment
is evident in the care the staff and children take
with the gardens and green space. I love hearing
about the outdoor learning that happens, or
how the carrot they had at lunch is one they
grew themselves!
Our time at Cathedral feels like a gift and we will
treasure it always.”
If you would like to find out more about what is
happening at Cathedral School please visit our
website
www.cathedralprimaryschool.com
I would like to conclude my report by
thanking the Cathedral community for their
continued support.
Wishing you a wonderful Easter.
Southwark & Newington
Deanery Synod Report
Over the past year, the Cathedral has been
represented on the Southwark & Newington
Deanery Synod by the Sub-Dean on behalf
of the Clergy and for the Laity by
Alice Deschampneufs, Richard Hardman,
Robin Hopkins, Michael Lewis, Kenneth McLean,
Marion Marples, Simi Solomon and Morag Todd
(having this large number of representatives due
to the size of the Cathedral congregation).
We have met four times: at St George the
Martyr, Borough (twice), St Matthew, Elephant &
Castle and St Christopher, Walworth with fellow
representatives from the parishes of the Deanery
– which stretches down from the Cathedral to
Kennington Park and Camberwell.
The formal business we have conducted has
included:
• Mission mapping – an exercise to document
the areas of mission in each parish and
identifying how we might assist each other in
working together to meet specific needs;
where some are flourishing and others are
struggling such as youth work or the provision
of a food bank
• We had a heated discussion on Strategy for
Mission particularly in regard to filling clergy
vacancies in the Deanery and how that can be
afforded with a reduced Diocesan budget
• A new Deanery Mission and Pastoral Group
has been formed which is to be consulted on
the needs of the Deanery as part of filling
vacant posts
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• We had a presentation on Bishop
Christopher’s initiative “Breathing New
Life Into Deaneries” to encourage greater lay
involvement in the path the Diocese is taking
over the coming years and this is to be further
developed in the next session of the Synod
We welcomed:
• The Venerable Jane Steen as our new
Archdeacon of Southwark
• The opening of two new churches at
St Hugh, Bermondsey and St Michael &
All Angels, Camberwell
• The appointment of the Reverend
Katharine Hacker Hughes as the new Vicar of
St Paul, Newington
We said farewell:
• The Reverend Ray Andrews stepped down
as Vicar of St George the Martyr, Borough
in September
• The Reverend Tim Scott left Christ Church,
Blackfriars in October 2013 to undertake
postgraduate studies at Salisbury Theological
College
• Chris Hansen - who has been our long serving
Lay Chair and will not be seeking re-election
for the next Synod
• Each other - as the three year term of
this session has come to an end with new
representatives to be elected at all APCMs;
trusting that some of us will be together again
to continue the exciting work ahead over the
next three years
Unity Group
Gareth Davies
The Cathedral Unity Group continues to
organise and encourage participation in
various ecumenical activities, maintaining active
relationships with our ecumenical neighbours
in the Borough, with St George’s RC Cathedral
and St Olav’s Norwegian Church in Rotherhithe,
and fostering our long-standing twinning
arrangements with the cathedrals in Rouen
and Bergen.
Local Ecumenical Activity
Regular activities and recent events in 2013
included:
• organising the Week of Prayer for Christian
Unity Walk, visiting different local churches
each year. Those participating in January
had a warm welcome at all churches, starting
with prayer in the Pugin Chapel at St George’s
Cathedral and ending at St John the Divine,
Kennington. This year’s walk took place on
18th January from Southwark Cathedral to
Bermondsey Methodist Church.
• organising the annual Procession of Witness
for local churches on Good Friday, which
attracted good numbers and started from
Nick Fiddian-Green’s sculpture in the
Cathedral, using spaces at Hays Galleria, City
Hall and London Bridge Station, and ending at
the Church of Our Lady of La Salette.
• termly Forum meetings with representatives
from St George’s RC Cathedral and
St Olav’s Norwegian Church in Rotherhithe,
to share information about our current
activities and priorities. Events of mutual
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interest are periodically advertised on our
weekly service sheet. One Forum took place
in the shrine chapel at St Alphege, Southwark,
ending with Compline. We feel encouraged
that contact with St George’s has significantly
developed this year, and we hope this augurs
well for the future.
• organising an enjoyable joint day pilgrimage
with members of St George’s Cathedral to
Canterbury Cathedral in October. They have
proposed a similar day together out of London
in the spring this year.
Although not our direct responsibility, a report
from the ROBES project is a regular agenda
item at our meetings, given by members directly
involved.
Also under discussion has been the creation
of a ‘Churches Together in North Southwark’,
which might help to develop some of the
relationships which exist between ROBESsupporting churches. We are concerned that
we are the main initiators and organisers of local
ecumenical activity and that other churches
might be encouraged to take a more active
role, creating a better network for joint events
and scope for practical action. Representatives
from local churches were invited to take part in
the 18th January 2014 Unity Walk and to meet
immediately afterwards at our final destination
Bermondsey Methodist Church, to assess the
level of interest.
The Bergen Link
The relationship with Bergen continues to be
active and lively, with a number of opportunities
for formal and individual contact during the year.
In September 2013 we organised a very
successful joint residential weekend at St Hilda’s
Priory, Whitby. Of the 29 participants, 11 came
from Bergen and the group included a number of
people from both cathedrals who had not been
previously involved in link visits. The theme of
the weekend was ‘Religious Life and Us’, looking
at what the community life could teach us about
our own discipleship. The programme included
Bible study and discussion, a talk by one of the
sisters and attendance at the community’s offices
and the Sunday Eucharist. Free time allowed
people to walk and talk together, and visit
Whitby Abbey and the town. Feedback from
participants was very enthusiastic and we plan to
develop further ideas for time away together in
the future.
The Rouen Link
The link is 20 years old in 2014, and
representatives from Rouen visited Southwark
in February 2014 to discuss the renewal of the
link and the renewal agreement. A text has
now been agreed with Rouen Cathedral for the
renewal of the link. This will be signed in both
cathedrals later this year and at the beginning
of 2015. Southwark Cathedral has also been
invited to attend celebrations in Rouen in
October 2014 to commemorate the 1,000th
anniversary of the baptism of Norway’s King Olaf.
The Unity Group comprises The Dean,
Marlene Collins, Frances Goodchild, Sarah Malins,
Marion Marples, Elizabeth Peasley, Guy Rowston,
Rosalind Saunders, and Andrew Viner. The group
was chaired very ably by Ros Saunders, from
whose January 2014 report to Chapter the above
report has been drawn.
DESIGN:
Martin Gwilliams
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PHOTOGRAPHY:
Please note that all photographs in this Annual Report are copyright
Southwark Diocesan Communications/Kelvin Gane Photography
and Southwark Cathedral
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